"In a move that could undercut its anti-Microsoft
campaign, Sun Microsystems plans to start charging for the next
version of its StarOffice software, a suite of programs that
competes with Microsoft Office but runs on Linux and Solaris as
well as on Windows.
Sun has been offering StarOffice as a free download since
acquiring the German company Star Division in 1999. But Sun plans
to start charging for version 6.0, due to arrive in the second half
of May, a source familiar with the plan said.
Sun declined to comment on the matter. "We aren't announcing any
pricing changes for StarOffice," said spokesman Russ
Castronovo."
