“Whether you’re a Windows or Mac user, you’ve probably paid the Microsoft Office toll — more than once,” Mike Himowitz reports for Newsday.
“Today, however, some powerful challengers are chipping away at the Office edifice. They have significant outside backing, they’re compatible with Office documents, and best of all, they’re free –something that Office definitely is not,” Himowitz reports.
Himowitz covers OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony in his full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Many Mac users think they need Office, but really don’t. Although Himowitz doesn’t mention Apple’s iWork ’08, we recommend that you give Apple’s free 30-day iWork ’08 trial a try and see how well it works for your needs.
Check out Zoho Apps for all those surprised with Google Docs:
http://www.zoho.com
– Mail
– Documents
– Spreadsheets
– Presentations
– Organizer
– Web conferencing
– Project management
– Customer relationship management (CRM)
– Database Application Creator
– Database Creator and Reports
– Poll Creator
– Test Creator
– Collaboration wiki
And it’s all online. All web-based. My company uses the CRM, so it got me started checking out their other offerings. They need a serious face-lift (they look a little like Windows 98), and some more integration, but the functionality is there. It will be interesting to see where this company goes.
Pages 08 is truly extraordinary. Almost all the power of Word and InDesign rolled into one program. I *love* it.
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Microsoft Office 2008 – MAC! – Preview
I have to give it to the my pet iTards down in the Mac Business Unit, they can do a lot with a little! I personally never go over there, but as I was browsing the web I ran across the preview of MacOff’08 that they have been feverishly laboring over, day and night for the past 3 years and WOW! Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Mac as their primary computer would be crazy not to buy this, it is definitely the most sophisticated and beautiful software ever to come out of Microsoft for any platform! I was impressed! This thing looks twice as good as the Vista version and can do even more!
Too Bad!
You see we only develop Mac Office for one reason; to use as a weapon against Apple!
Lately they have been misbehaving: releasing iPhones, new iPods, iWork, new iMacs, getting all of the good press, stock has tripled, … etc
Why in the world should we release something like this when they have been embarrassing us and our other products? NO WAY HOSEA!
MacBU, prepare for another “quality assurance” delay to the Feburary release date. lol …
it’s good to be CEO!
My company only uses iWork08.
We got rid of M$ Office as soon as iwork 08 came out.
Keynote is a phenominal app and makes Powerpoint look like a beta app.
We have created interactive portfolios in keynote as well as just presentations and they look fantastic.
Who needs Office? – We sure dont.
I likes Google Docs.
Google Docs would be great, except they don’t seem to like Safari. Why the heck not, I wonder…?
@Reality Check
Why even right click to refresh footnote numbering in Word when I can just work in Pages where the numbers never get out of sync to begin with? It is so typical of MS software to have the user jump jump through clicking hoops to make up for their sloppy programming.
Great info and testimonials, everyone. Thanks!
Ready to cast MS to the wayside….
380509 70114 Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to discover somebody with some original thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this web site is something that is required on the web, someone with just a little originality. helpful job for bringing something new to the internet! 381009