CNET:Is StarOffice ready to take on MS Office?

Sep 05, 2001, 17:12 (51 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Chris LeTocq)

Thanks to Myddrin for this link. He writes:

Typical pundit stuff... MS will dominate because it's MS. The fact that StarOffice is cheaper is meaningless, according to this column.

Of course, I've never seen a valid reason why the IT industry should fly in the face of basic laws of supply and demand. I've seen a lot of handwaving, about user knowledge bases and training costs....but as Linux-on-the-server is showing us, cheaper is cheaper is cheaper.

"Sun Microsystems is getting ready to release the sixth test version of its StarOffice productivity software suite. Unfortunately, the company is still delivering the same message, implying that StarOffice is appropriate for corporate desktops.

On its Web site, Sun has this to say about StarOffice: "Markets include small business and home office, education, large enterprise with mixed-platform environments, and government." To be sure, there are markets where StarOffice is appropriate, but--and let's deal with this one right away--the U.S. corporate desktop is not one."

Complete Story

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