Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Office, server, client

Author:Nick Sweeney
Posted:4/29/2000; 9:03:41 AM
Topic:scriptingNews outline for 4/29/2000
Msg #:16764 (In response to 16763)
Prev/Next:16763 / 16765

Microsoft doesn't need Office for Linux. If you look at the programming overheads that were required to get IE running on Solaris and HP/UX, it's pretty clear that Office would require a de facto virtual Windows machine in which to function. And that kind of development effort isn't really worth it.

Then again, Linux doesn't need Office: certainly not in the way that Apple needed it a few years ago. In fact, the negotiations which guaranteed the shipping of Office 98 for Mac, in return for the pre-eminence of IE on the Mac desktop, demonstrate the need to separate the browser business from the application business far more than any of Microsoft's actions on the Windows platform.

There are perfectly functional office suites for Linux. In fact, the Oxford University network offers WordPerfect/Linux over NFS, ironically proving that Linux can drive workstations as well as servers. But Linux isn't an office OS. Running office suites on Linux reminds me of when I run the Win32 port of GNU Emacs: it's a valuable tool, and I'm glad that it's there, but it doesn't feel quite like it belongs there...

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