Microsoft Office Programs to Go Free Online Options

[Hanfonius]

Microsoft has announced it will put free versions of some of the applications from its forthcoming Office 2010 software on the web.

In a move that pits it against Google's free office suite, Google Docs, the software giant said that users of its Windows Live services and software will be able to use lightweight versions of many Office applications online.

Google and Microsoft have each been trying to muscle in on the other's dominant area. Last month. Microsoft released a new search engine, Bing, to challenge Google. Google has hit back by announcing its intention to move into the operating system arena with Chrome OS. This extension of its Chrome web browser is expected next year.

How the web-based office 2010 applications match up to Google Docs or Open Office remains to be seen. There will be online versions of Excel, Onenote, Powerpoint and Word, but the company warned they will have 'reduced functionality to that experienced by users who have Office on their PC's'.

The full version of Office 2010 will include new features such as an image-processing tool and an enhanced cut-and-paste function for Word.

Office 2010 will be released next year and can be installed on PC's running Windows XP with service pack 3, Vista and yet-to-be released Windows 7.






If you would like to have a quick look at pop over to http://www.discoverbing.co.uk/
You can either download it, or click the 'Try It Out Now' button at the top-right.
... It looks comparable with Google, perhaps even better.

[GuitarCrazyo]

Funny thing is, I distinctly remember Microsoft doing an Office Online thing before to tempt people to buy the software, it was more of a working demo but it never took off and no-one wanted to use it. I was one of the people who tried it out when it was about though the registration process was so invasive, either way... I am glad to see MS are trying to give more thought to people who perhaps may want to go the online route like the Photoshop Elements Online / Google Docs users