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Microsoft Works to become a free, ad-funded product | |
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| Time: 10:09 EST/15:09 GMT | News Source: ZDNet | Posted By: Robert Stein | ||
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Microsoft’s next version of its small-business/home productivity suite, due imminently, will be free and ad-funded. Microsoft Works 9.0 — which will be the new product’s name, if Microsoft opts to stick with its current nomenclature — might also debut at some point as Microsoft-hosted low-end productivity service, as many have been speculating. A hosted version of Works would give Microsoft a head-to-head competitor with Google Docs & Spreadsheets and other consumer- and small-business focused services, analysts have said. For the time being, however, the new version of Works will be ad-funded, according to Satya Nadella, the newly minted Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Search & Advertising Platform Group. Nadella told me during an interview on July 27 that Microsoft recently released the new ad-funded version of Microsoft Works. | ||
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| #1 By 1401 (65.255.137.241) at 7/30/2007 10:47:36 AM |
| yawn - I'll take Google Docs & Spreadsheets anyday... |
| #2 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 7/30/2007 12:05:35 PM |
| I'll take Office 2007 any anyday... |
| #3 By 1401 (65.255.137.241) at 7/30/2007 12:26:21 PM |
| I like Office 2007 also, but I don't need 99% of the stuff that it does (especially for home use). Google Docs does the 1% of things that I need. And it' there for me no matter where in the world I am, or what computer I'm on (as long as I'm online). Why shell-out hundreds of dollars for software? |
| #4 By 23275 (24.179.4.158) at 7/30/2007 12:31:17 PM |
|
#2, Same here. Too often people look at Office and productivity suites in isolation from "services" and other member servers. That has not been relevant or even common for years. People need to look at Microsoft Office [especially 2007] in the larger context of even the small business - where SharePoint Services, Portal Server and a bevy of other servers and services are all mixed together to provide for what really does enhane personal and team productivity. For a long while we have mixed these servers, services and custom applications and web parts to provide specifically tuned solutions for each business and user type - and it is not at all unique. Thousands of partners and providers of services which enhance the already capable Office suites are doing the same.
Basic lists include: Custom Collaboration based upon SharePoint technologies Secure only hosted Exchange and or managed Exchange services Presence Awareness Reporting Serivces integration as both web parts and .NET Controls Coporate IM around LCS Integration with video, voice, data to Outlook/Exchange and applications "Smart Panels" that fuse the above with business operations applications that include all SW up to full ERP's with integrated accounting and POS systems. Now this is the norm, not the exception and the interfaces have to be consistent - e.g., like MS Office and they have to be one-stop - people get lost otherwise and they have to be able to do all of this from any location. None of the competing suites provide for this level of integration and low cost customization. We can't look at MS Office in any other [but the larger] context, because that is not how businesses are using it [at least none that we take care of]. |
| #5 By 1401 (65.255.137.241) at 7/30/2007 12:55:41 PM |
| None of the small businesses I deal with are doing anything remotely similar to that. Most could just as easily use Notepad instead of Word. |
| #6 By 23275 (24.179.4.158) at 7/30/2007 1:05:12 PM |
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#5, Then they better hope that they don't run across a competing company in their market that is. Even small businesses that work this way, run circles around those that do not.
Small professional firms that work as I have suggested successfully compete against veyr large firms and they hold markets that the large firms want - they do it by offering more that costs them less to produce and a product that is superior and I've seen very personally, where increases in productivity and agility are the deciding factors. |
| #7 By 1401 (65.255.137.241) at 7/30/2007 1:07:25 PM |
| The problem with Microsoft products is that they are such a pain in the ass to manage. Just installing a product is a major chore... |
| #8 By 23275 (24.179.4.158) at 7/30/2007 1:16:18 PM |
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#7, Some can be tough to integrate <Exchange 2007 alongside E2K3 (Cough, spit, gag, ptew...ptew... is an example where you would be most right)>. But.... once done, it sure pays huge dividends for the customer and in many cases, the partner involved. Same drill for say, the web part for SSRS in SPS/WSS - it can be a huge pain in the backside to start off with - BUT - once done, even entry level devs can fog out amazing visual reports using SSRS and hand them off without modification, to a .NET Control that is native to VS 2005 - so the same may exist in the WSS/SPS portal, or any custom web app, and even user desktops or as sidebar and sideshow Gadgets. And while some are harder, they aren't that bad... a little persistence... a little practice and some menatl elbow grease and one can figure them out. This post was edited by lketchum on Monday, July 30, 2007 at 13:17. |
| #9 By 13030 (198.22.121.110) at 7/30/2007 1:22:36 PM |
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#5, My experience echoes yours.
#6, The one advantage the "Notepad" wielding business does have is no dependence on an IT support organization and a small contingent of expensive consultants. Now, there is no doubt that good software applications, either custom-made or out-of-the-box, allow one to more quickly accomplish more with less. One aspect of my work over the past 15 years has been designing software to optimize business processes and I have seen how tight integration with Office and, in particular, the leveraging of the Office development kit can produce some benefits. I have also seen how the complexity of those solutions can require on-going maintenance, upgrade, and future integration expenses. Office 2007, contrary to what lketchum may lead you to believe, is not a business software panacea in and of itself. |
| #10 By 23275 (24.179.4.158) at 7/30/2007 2:06:35 PM |
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#9, What?!? Where did I say "in and of itself?" Any where? - the exact opposite is true - I said, that one could not and should not look at Office in isolation, but in the larger context of what is possible.
Also, on-going costs? Nah uh... not at all - surely, to amke such decalrations, you are aware of the self-provisioning tools available and used across the platform? The reality is that once set up, it is quite easy to sustain and to add new reports, for example, is reduced to a factory-like process where veyr low cost labor is needed. These are examples of what I meant to convey. Again, I assert that companies, regardless of size, that leverage what is possible, will be in a better position to compete with those that do not use such tools to even part of their potential. |
| #11 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 7/30/2007 2:13:58 PM |
| Even a small business can benefit from Windows SharePoint Services. It's easy to install, powerful, and best of all it's free! The integration with office is marvelous and makes collaboration a breeze. If a small business has a Windows 2003 server, then WSS is the cat’s a$$. |
| #12 By 3653 (68.52.54.161) at 7/30/2007 2:40:32 PM |
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chrishedlund, my experience couldnt be more different. Now if you're talking about a small business wanted to edit a bit of html for their brochure site... then SURE. But what else could these folks be doing within notepad? Payroll? Any process beyond 2 steps, immediately knocks notepad on its ear.
And the only thing going for notepad and googledocs is that they are free (ok, technically notepad isn't free, but neither is the computer used to view google). With even the slightest complexity, comes a whirlwind gain for an office application. I could understand the argument for openoffice, long before googledocs. |
| #13 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 7/30/2007 3:00:28 PM |
| Throw MS Access and InfoPath into the mix and some real possibilities start to emerge. And don't forget the free developer tools like the express editions of Visual Studio and SQL Server. These are easy to use and can provide rapid solutions for smaller businesses. |
| #14 By 38762 (68.147.47.39) at 7/30/2007 5:28:44 PM |
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Free and Ad Funded . . . just released, according to the interview of July 27th . . .
So, where do we go to get this free application from MS? |
|
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