M$ to charge for Office 2007 betas....

[Jammrock]

Once MS switches to Office 2k7 and the old DOC format begins to vanish in favor of DOCX (not that it will occur ANY time soon), this will all be a moot point. The new XML based file formats are very well documented, and O2k7 will support, granted via a plug-in (at least at first), ODF. So when OOo 3 and O2k7 hit the streets the playing field will be more even. Not even, because OOo doesn't have the cash to fund the type of operation MS does.

Jammrock

[Jessterw]

Valid points. Though by all accounts, the ODF plug-in is a wretched affair. How MS took existing code and made it less functional, I'm not quite sure. If MS can make it into a first-class end-experience that works, then I'm all for it.

Truth be told, I prefer MS Office as a software application over OO. Well save for it breaking things with each new version and all the obtrusive features that seem to appear here and there. I even really dig the new Office UI in terms of the ribbon and some other areas. But as I said, it's more about an open document format that isn't controlled by any one company or tied to features only available on a specific platform.

Speaking of MS Office for Mac... I've long considered it (with the maybe exception of Entourage which I've never used for more than a minute) superior to its Windows counterpart. At least when it was released and for a time after. MS has deemed it worthy of stagnation, which has lost them a lot of potential customers - most Mac users gladly shelled out for the initial release (wait, the only modern release) and most would still do so if offered a viable new version. If the Mac version is any less compatible it's is specifically due to Windows-only features and the very same reasons previous versions of Office are as well when dealing with newer versions and file formats.

[Gurm]

Valid points. Though by all accounts, the ODF plug-in is a wretched affair. How MS took existing code and made it less functional, I'm not quite sure. If MS can make it into a first-class end-experience that works, then I'm all for it.

Fingers crossed.

Truth be told, I prefer MS Office as a software application over OO. Well save for it breaking things with each new version and all the obtrusive features that seem to appear here and there. I even really dig the new Office UI in terms of the ribbon and some other areas. But as I said, it's more about an open document format that isn't controlled by any one company or tied to features only available on a specific platform.

Completely understand. However, in the world of "we need to get our work done", at least around here, MS Office is the name of the game for now.

Speaking of MS Office for Mac... I've long considered it (with the maybe exception of Entourage which I've never used for more than a minute) superior to its Windows counterpart. At least when it was released and for a time after. MS has deemed it worthy of stagnation, which has lost them a lot of potential customers - most Mac users gladly shelled out for the initial release (wait, the only modern release) and most would still do so if offered a viable new version. If the Mac version is any less compatible it's is specifically due to Windows-only features and the very same reasons previous versions of Office are as well when dealing with newer versions and file formats.

Well, at first the Mac version was using new features that weren't in the PC version. Then... MS left it to rot. And entourage is an abortion. It was a nice idea, but it's just horrid in implementation. It looks pretty but essentially it just embodies all the bad things about Macs with none of the GOOD things added in.

[Jessterw]

Completely understand. However, in the world of "we need to get our work done", at least around here, MS Office is the name of the game for now.

Now, I'm not advocating that just everyone stop using MS OFfice and move to one of the alternatives. That'd just be ignoring the current market and the investments individuals and companies have already made in the former.

But for those same people who are still using aging versions or are facing the impending need to obtain more licenses (which may require new versions given the age of the previous ones), OO is a viable alternative that, while not matching the latest and greatest of MS Office, will offer them a base to move on from without any major costs and basic assurance that migration paths up or to the side aren't going to be an arduous affair.

[Gurm]

Now, I'm not advocating that just everyone stop using MS OFfice and move to one of the alternatives. That'd just be ignoring the current market and the investments individuals and companies have already made in the former.

But for those same people who are still using aging versions or are facing the impending need to obtain more licenses (which may require new versions given the age of the previous ones), OO is a viable alternative that, while not matching the latest and greatest of MS Office, will offer them a base to move on from without any major costs and basic assurance that migration paths up or to the side aren't going to be an arduous affair.

This much is true. Microsoft is doing themselves a huge disservice with the pricing of new versions... frankly I'm shocked and offended that they want people to pay hundreds of dollars over and over again for the same software if only they want to keep current. I mean, it's one thing if they were ADDING a ton of new stuff, but let's face it - Word is Word is Word, and if you need the latest version just to trade files with people then it ought to be a free upgrade. *spit*