Microsoft has released the new version of Microsoft Works as a free, ad supported office package that will compete directly with Open Office and Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
The Works package offers word processing, spreadsheet and slide (powerpoint) functionality partially based on code from older versions of Microsoft Office.
The move by Microsoft to offer a free office suite comes as online office packages including Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Thinkfree Office and Zoho continue to grow market share due to increased broadband penetration, online convenience and lower costs.
It was not disclosed whether the new version of Microsoft Works would sync with or support Microsoft’s online services under the Live brand. Whilst the version was said to be released July 27, it was not clear where it could be downloaded from or accessed.
Microsoft Works first launched as a Mac application in 1986.
(via ZDNet)
Yawn…
I will try it. Open Office takes like 30 hours just to start up a relatively complicated spreadsheet. Enough already.
One other annoyance, or opportunity, if OO.org wanted they could break out from the 16-bit limit on row numbers, I don’t know why they’d want to inherit that from Office. It’d be one thing if it was for speed’s sake. But there’s nothing speedy in OO.org, period.
http://news.bbc...ogy/5370144.stm
This was first leaked in September of 2006
The benefit of online collaboration trumps the rich client features provided by Office, regardless of price.
The reason online applications are gaining ground against Office, is that online applications better solve the problem of collaborating with others. I personally don’t care about fancy formatting of documents, if I can better work with others remotely and in real time (which you can with Google Documents, for example).
No more messy emailing of documents, maintaining multiple versions, and merging them back together again.
Microsoft is passed its peak. Time to let other people get rich Gates and Balmer. Gates is already over tech, he’s busy saving africa. Balmer should do the same. Why would a Microsoft employee work hard? What are they going to get for it, a 5% raise and a xbox that’ll break in 6 months. Do they have a deep desire to add another 10 billion to Balmer’s wealth?
This is almost a non-event, MS Works was rarely ever bought and usually bundled with PC’s to its target (home) audience. Now MS are giving something away that was already free to most and putting ads in it. Somehow I don’t see a huge take-up of this.
Googledocs is to me more useful because its providing distributed storage for free, all the same none of Works/Googledocs/OpenSlowly will replace MS office for actual business docs any time soon because MS Office is really a great product….
Boooooorrrriiiinnnngggg
I’ve searched around a bit but have had no luck in finding this product. It must be shy.
Works sucks plain and simple (the name should be changed!). It gets bundled with low-end computers, and I’ve had (non-techie) friends that were frustrated because it’s files are not compatible with regular Office files (I had a friend that couldn’t open my Office docs for instance)… This is based on stuff that happened to me 2 years ago, so the newer version might be different…
“It was not disclosed whether the new version of Microsoft Works would sync with or support Microsoft’s online services under the Live brand. Whilst the version was said to be released July 27, it was not clear where it could be downloaded from or accessed.”
Why don’t they make up the mind and then release this news. They can easily incorporate this in Live. Pathetic display from MS. Their lethargy is others gain.
“Googledocs is to me more useful ” oh really? http://www.line...ash-is-emptied/
I use google docs for its portability, I don’t share shit with others.
Sometimes I open a document from my laptop then I jump to my desktop, then later in the office, to come back at home to my laptop.
Nobody, and I say nobody can beat that.
the google fanboys are out!
If you can’t beat them then join them. Smart move MS.
Free with ads is the new way to make $$$$.
Free 2.0 rocks.
And the M$ scrotum-lickers are in rage
I always thought of Works as something of a kid’s toy, something for a new user to play around with before they got a real office suite. It would take some serious improvements to make me use Works, even for free.
However, what no one seems to notice here is that Microsoft is saying it “ad supported”. Remember when Opera was ad supported and how well that went? This brings out some pretty bad privacy, usability and sanity issues. Why would I use ad supported “freeware” when open source and true freeware alternatives exist.
It doesn’t make sense.
Time for Microsoft to find a new cash cow me thinks…
..::Yawns::..
Seriously, who ever used Works to begin with? If they were really smart, they do the same to Office.
Yes, I agree….yawn. Does this now mean that the crappy office package they release with (eww) windows PCs will be Microsoft Office? In which case, Microsoft will make Microsoft Desk and later make Office free….the circle goes on.
Unless computer prices drop — wasn’t works always free? Isn’t it the office suite that comes with most standard computers out-of-the-box? The novice gets home with their new computer to realize they have this shitty “WORKS” instead of WORD — I thought that was always the humorous up-sell of Office.
Some of you foolz are assuming that they aren’t revamping the product… Who’s to say that M$ isn’t coming out with a better Ad-Works version? Then it will be worth it. .
BTW, you can DL it here:
http://download...d245/works8.exe
fyi, works (at least previously) only contains the powerpoint viewer but no actual presentation creation software.
> [Slappenstance]:
> Gates is already over tech, he’s busy saving africa.
That’s the most stupid thing to tell about him. If he would try to live there just about a few months, it would be him to turn back enriched a million times…
What OO should really do is go for the web. Its product is not better than MS Office 2007, so it should attack from the portability aspect, and take the lead before Google gets too good to beat. OO is moving too slowly. Time for a change.
If only policy-makers had a vision, and supported Open Source instead of Microsoft (and for a fraction of the cost), it wouldn’t take much for us to have free Office. It is the 21st century, ya know.
Google makes billions from ads (tons from non-legit clicks) and does little in the way of producing any real and valuable products, but many here think Google is “good” and everything Microsoft does is old and bad. Microsoft produces products than have dramatically advanced technology and improved productivity for billions. They are far from being non-relevant. Here’s a thought, try evaluating technology without being tainted with jealousy and the naive thoughts that only totally open source software is good.
How can an Ad supported program compete with the truly free Openoffice. Micrsosoft Works historically is not very useful. Microsoft Works comes pre-installed on virtually every new computer you buy, but what’s the first thing you do; uninstall Works and install OO. I don’t see how this is going to change anything. Maybe for the people that don’t know about OO yet.
????!!!!
“Microsoft Works …will compete directly with Open Office and Google Docs & Spreadsheets”
What? Pardon me for being blunt… but, please re-read that sentence again.
First of all, Open Office and Google Docs are two very different products. Although it does indeed compete with Open Office, I surely don’t see it competing with Google Docs, which is an ONLINE collaboration platform, more so than document creation and editing software (OO and MSW).
Nothing beats free. I’ll use MS Works
Open Office and Google Docs & Spreadsheets are very hard to beat. Personally, I use Google but I wouldn´t mind trying this new version of Works.
I’ll be honest, I thought Works came for free with Windows. It is nice software for the uninitiated or the folks without the need for all the bells and whistles. My 85 year-old neighbor uses it and loves it, that is an endorsement all in itself.
No dig on OpenOffice or Google but making Works free could lessen the gap created with MS Office. Think about the family on a fixed budget that needs word processing for their children’s school project, or the strapped student needing to complete a paper for class. Not only that but try to find typewriter ribbon.
From the MS-angle, this could limit the piracy of MS Office and make things more available to a wider audience.
great work microsoft :thumbsup
Google Office does not support Safari on the Mac. Until it does, it’s a non-starter for me. Don’t need to deal with MS Works’ brain-dead approach AND ads. Refuse to pay bloated price for MS Office for the Mac. So I’m sticking with OpenOffice until something better comes along.
Seems like a knee jerk reaction at best.
We certainly knew that this was coming. I would rather use another application or fork down the cash for Office Pro, but I’m sure that this would be of some use to others (college students, perhaps?).
Bye bye google. The original creators of the office productivity space (ok maybe not THE original but market leaders for sure) making their stuff free. This blows google out of the water. Ouch!
And what a concept, what you create you can keep private. Do you trust Google with your data?
“How many products, of all the Google products that have been introduced, how many of them are profit-making products? They’ve introduced about 30 different products; they have one profit-making product. So you’re now making a prediction without ever seeing the software that they’re going to have the world’s best phone and it’s going to be free?”
-Bill “I ain’t going to retire just yet” Gates!
Well for someone who’s trying to compete they haven’t made it easy to find the damn download. I’ve spent the past 10 minutes trawling the Microsoft site but still no luck. I had to get the link from the comments in this post. Disgusting.
MS Works compete with Google Docs? Blasphemy! Everybody knows Google Docs is supreme!
Why, with just a few more beta releases, Google Docs will almost be as functional as Wordpad!!!
In all seriousness, it’s GoogleDocs that needs to compete with Works. Being online is cool, but it’s still not safe enough for businesses to trust…at least not businesses with enough money and business to matter.
I’m forced to use google spreadshit to do some joint expenses because my friend who works for google refuses to use anything else….and honestly it’s the most over hyped piece of shit application ever…..its not even useful for doing expenses…..how does google thinks they’ll beat excel for other serious stuff…..
Hmmm…Like to get my hands on this…Though I’m still rooting for OpenOffice.
Yeay!!!! … Not.
NOT TRUE:
Purchase this product from Buy.com WORKS 9.0 WIN32 NA CD Yes 41.28
Purchase this product from Buy.com
Purchase this product from Best Buy Business WORKS 9.0 WIN32 NA CD Yes 35.26
Purchase this product from Best Buy Business
Purchase this product from Amazon WORKS 9.0 Yes 36.99
Purchase this product from Amazon
IS THAT FREE? =/
hi i enjoyed the read
I hate it!!!! It closed three times on me, in the same half hour, even when I disabled the program that was closing it, it still closed! I had to work for an hour and I’m half the way done! I hate it!!
If you just only want Works Calendar rather then installing whole Microsoft Works Suite (free OEM version), just download this Works 9.0 stand alone calendar installer:
http://www.4sha..._Installer.html
The stand alone calendar installer requires .net framework 2.0 or higher installed
Works 9.0 calendar can also be Windows calendar replacement for xp since GUI and functionality look nearly similar (export .ics/ical format, publish etc)
Regards, Amirz
Sorry forgot one everybody: The Microsoft Works 9.0 Stand Alone Calendar above is only about 2,8 Mb, much better instead of installing whole Microsoft Works 9.0 suite for 365 Mb lol!
And it’s free as full version (it was apart of OEM one) and one better thing, it’s also free adds!
Regards, Amirz
Can you send me the link for Microsoft works 9 so I can get the free down laod thank-you
Your website inplies that its free… but has no place to download that which you claim is free…??.
works sucks it constantly freezes… id rather use pen and paper…just but the actuall thing not the watered down bitch version
I wished I read these blogs before insalling this freely received stuff. I should have been aware – something free from microsoft?
I am into open office for some weeks – since my laptop was stolen. IT freaks warn me back up frequently – is it so unreliable?