IBM plots its revenge

[rpm]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/1449.html

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Interesting development.

 

[Fudzy]

Well if it's anything like Lotus Notes, Microsoft has NOTHING to worry about.

You can't even copy a file from explorer and paste it into a new mail for God sakes.

 

[Tns]

Lotus Notes? never liked it. IBM ain't going to have it easy Billy Gates is well entrenched.

 

[Paul_S]

The problem as I see it that current MS Office users will shun anything that doesn't look and work exactly the same.
People hate change and that is the biggest obstacle IMO.

 

[bekdik]

Anyone remember Smartsuite?

 

[Fudzy]

Anyone remember Smartsuite?

THANKS! Three years of therapy down the tube, anyone remember what a nightmare it was to uninstall? There was that 'lite' version which did the rounds with new computers and if you uninstalled it, it caused windows to come up with errors at startup.

 

[Abe]

Anyone remember Smartsuite?

It was nice. I still have some copies. Lotus 123, WordPro ....

 

[Abe]

All those people that swear by MS Office - MS is screwing you:

Symphony is a direct challenge to one of Microsoft’s most successful businesses. In the year to June 2007, the Microsoft division which develops Office reported an operating profit of US$10,8bn on sales of $16,4bn, delivering a staggering profit margin of 66%. Office, which sells for up to R5 000/copy, has at least 80% of the market.

 

[Fudzy]

Yeah but you're getting quite a tight package for your money these days, the home/student version isn't even half as much as that price. You really get what you pay for.

 

[|tera|]

War and rumours of war

 

[Newb-lite]

ill have some of this free stuff thank you very much.

If i can do everything i do in office (even if i have to re learn a little) AND its free ... fek im all for it. M$ wont see my 5k soon.

 

[McSack]

All those people that swear by MS Office - MS is screwing you:

Symphony is a direct challenge to one of Microsoft’s most successful businesses....

If Symphony can integrate all the MAPI code we've got running here, they might have a chance

 

[Fudzy]

ill have some of this free stuff thank you very much.

If i can do everything i do in office (even if i have to re learn a little) AND its free ... fek im all for it. M$ wont see my 5k soon.

I guess it depends on how much you really use you're applications.

 

[chiskop]

ill have some of this free stuff thank you very much.

If i can do everything i do in office (even if i have to re learn a little) AND its free ... fek im all for it. M$ wont see my 5k soon.

Well in that case have you considered OpenOffice? Unlike Ibm's suite, it is available now. I think that Symphony is to be built on the foundation of OpenOffice.

 

[bekdik]

THANKS! Three years of therapy down the tube, anyone remember what a nightmare it was to uninstall? There was that 'lite' version which did the rounds with new computers and if you uninstalled it, it caused windows to come up with errors at startup.

Exactly. Ever tried to get support? Another nightmare.

IBM then quietly let the product die, even although it was probably the only viable alternative to MS Office. Exactly as IBM did with their Windows counterpart, OS2.

In my opinion this is the primary reason MS took over the desktop. IBM handed it to them on a platter.

I suspect that this will, unfortunately, be what happens again.

 

[bobby.quinne]

Anyone remember Smartsuite?

wordstar, word perfect anyone? I thought this war was over...evidently it's the Big Blue Beast Vs 'The Beast'