Replacements for Microsoft Office Microsoft sells a wide range of products, from games and hardware to development tools and operating systems. But nearly one third of the company's multi-billion dollar quarterly profit can be credited to a single product line, Office. Office is a "productivity suite" bundling several separate programs with different functions into one package. As this is being written the standard release of Office includes a contact manager/e-mail program, spreadsheet, word processor, and slide show software - Outlook/Entourage, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, respectively. But other editions of Office (there are some half-dozen at last check) include more software like a desktop database, Web design tools, and development utilities. Microsoft currently prices those products so high that it is more economical to purchase Office and get all at once than buy two or more of them alone - so most people who need more than one of Microsoft's business applications end up buying all of them. This and Microsoft's habit of having Office preloaded into a majority of name-brand PCs sold makes Office the "standard" in businesses around the globe. Sadly, the ubiquity of Office makes it a fat target for hackers and virus breeders, both of whom are helped by the suite's lack of coherent security features and integrated macro functions that just cry out for someone to take advantage of them. And even though Office is cheaper than buying all the applications inside it, those applications are severely overpriced - as is Office itself. The cheapest Office XP upgrade is over $200 and the entry-level retail box is more than twice that. That's not to mention the extra cost in hardware to actually support that monstrous collection of software. If you pick any Microsoft product to replace, it should be Office. Ability OfficeAbility Plus LICENSE: Commercial Bundle MORE INFO: Official Ability Office Site Download trialBuy now   AppleWorks[Apple Computer] LICENSE: Commercial Bundle Applixware[VistaSource] LICENSE: Commercial Bundle REVIEW: The Duke of URL MORE INFO: Official Applixware Site gobeProductiveGobe Software LICENSE: Bundled Commercial   HancomOffice[HancomLinux] LICENSE: Commercial Bundle MORE INFO: Official HancomOffice Site KOffice[KOffice Project / The Kompany] LICENSE: Open Source Bundle REVIEW: ZDNet MORE INFO: Official KOffice Site NewDeal OfficeNewDeal Software LICENSE: Commercial Bundle   OpenOfficeOpenOffice.org LICENSE: Open Source Bundle REVIEWS: NY Times, Wash Post, ZDNet MORE INFO: Official OpenOffice Site Download for All   SmartSuiteLotus/IBM LICENSE: Bundled Commercial REVIEWS: Epinions.com, PC Magazine, ZDNet MORE INFO: Official SmartSuite Site SmartSuite OS/2 SmartSuite Books Buy for OS/2Buy for Windows   StarOffice[Sun Microsystems] LICENSE: Bundled Commercial ThinkFree OfficeThinkFree LICENSE: Bundled Commercial REVIEWS: Wash Post MORE INFO: Official ThinkFree Office Site Buy for All   WordPerfect Office[Corel] LICENSE: Commercial Bundle MORE INFO: Official WordPerfect Site (Linux) MORE INFO: Official WordPerfect Site (Win) MORE INFO: WordPerfect Books ORDER FOR LINUX ORDER FOR WIN 602Pro PC Suite[Software602] LICENSE: Freeware Bundle MORE INFO: Official 602Pro Suite Site Discuss Office in the MSBC.Community Forum

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