Vnunet reports on Stuart Cohen, chief executive of the Open Source Development Lab, predicting that Microsoft will release a version of Office for Linux "in the next couple of years."

They did it once with Apple; they will do it again with Linux.

Microsoft will fight the total cost of ownership [issue] with a very inexpensive office solution. I do not think that they will open source Office, but they will make it available to run on Linux desktops.

Such a development would not reflect Microsoft falling under the spell of Stallman's rhetoric, nor admitting remorse towards the open source community after years of vitriolic exchanges. Cohen argues that the Redmond giant will be "compelled to create a Linux version in a move to pre-empt the further rise of Sun Microsystems' open source OpenOffice productivity suite." Framing these statements a bit broader, Microsoft could port Office to Linux for good reasons: to compete with a rival's productivity suite, increase its prospective user-base and maintain a business model current with consumer technology use.

Now, if the open source and free software movements can give Microsoft the competition incentives to act rather than appeal to average computer users' fanatical revolutionary sympathies to overthrow the Redmond giant, if all potential licensing issues can be ironed out, and Sun's OpenOffice (or perhaps a compilation of desktop productivity applications from several companies) can push Microsoft to the "tipping point," Office on Linux sounds like a positive development for all.

posted by Noel Le @ 10:53 AM | Free Culture Movement

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