Linux vendor SuSE has released software that enables Linux desktop users to run Microsoft Office programs. The company's Linux Office Desktop 8.1 can run such applications as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and also includes StarOffice 6.0, a Linux alternative to Microsoft Office.
"We find that people who have worked in Excel for years have built up a certain amount of macros" and do not want to lose them, SuSE vice president Joseph Eckert told NewsFactor. He added that Desktop 8.1 allows users to run Microsoft Office applications with "the stability and security of a Linux platform."
The software accomplishes this feat by using technology from CodeWeavers, a third-party vendor. "It's not an emulation program -- it actually runs Office almost natively," Eckert said.
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