Microsoft To Offer Free Programs

[GhostShip]

Whoa hold up folks , not all of their programs just a few that are funded by advertising and probably cut-down versions of their normal releases of office-ware

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5370144.stm

Microsoft is planning free web-based versions of its word processing and spreadsheet programs.
The online versions of the programs will lack many of the features found in the full versions found in Microsoft's Office suite of applications.

The move is seen as a rebuff to Google and others which already offer free versions of these types of programs

Microsoft's Office suite dominates the business market but the software giant has had more competition of late as rivals produce and release free versions of programs that do the same job as those in the package, for instance the Open Office project.

It looks like a spoiler to other software vendors rather than any great change of heart from them, as with their anti spyware offerings I think I,ll give it a miss.

[Faithless_Sniper]

I have to agree with you Ghostship i will not bother with this one. Microsoft in my eyes are con artists they steal bits and pieces of programs from other Programmers and call them their own. If only i could find my Linux distro disks.

[Mick832]

Why not I say.    I have a "borrowed" copy of Office 2003 installed, which I use rarely.   A cut down version of Word only would probably be enough for me to do the occassional letter.   On the other hand it would not suit my wife, who can actually use her computer for business, and uses Word, Publisher and Excel.   Did install Open Office, was fine for a while, then it would not save anything.

[Neutron]

Just another lame trick of those money grabbers. They let users try a "demo version" or a "free edition" of the programs, and remove some of the good features they know users will lack. Then they try to make users buy the full version. Nothing free there, it's just advertisements

[SamSeeSam]

I suppose you'll also have a pop up each time you open it saying:
"Please but it from..... for $$$$$$$"

Cheers

[Bearded Blunder]

they'd do better to offer old versions (unsupported) as a spoiler.. they'd lose not much offering office97 or win 95 or 98 for download (financially) & these are both more user friendly than their free equivalents (open office.. linux)