Timing is everything, and as Microsoft prepares to release a new version of Office, old and new foes are making the overpriced, outdated suite a hard-sell.
OpenOffice.org is finally interesting. The Mac version is actually almost on-par with the Windows and Linux versions. The suites interface and features are standard on all three, provided you’re not afraid to use a developers’ release of version 2.0.
With speed improvements and near feature-parity with Office, there has never been an easier time to ditch MS for an Open alternative. While this Office replacement has a traditional approach, OpenOffice isn’t the only one making MS Office irrelevant.
ThinkFree has introduced a very interesting web-based alternative that is surprisingly feature-complete. Universal access, and no locally installed software make this a very interesting idea. ThinkFree’s imagination didn’t stop there either - you can embed fully editable office documents in your blog.
And lets not forget the AJAX crowd. While ThinkFree’s online office is Java-based, and requires some loading time new contenders like Writely and NumSum have word processing and spreadsheets (respectively) at your fingertips in fast AJAX.
Whatever your flavor or alternative, its becoming obvious that Microsoft Office is no more of a must buy than a giant pizza costume. And, with the office suite finally seeing some innovation, expect the replacements to be around for a while.
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