Microsoft to replace Works with ad-supported 'Office Starter 2010'

**thecoolest** · 10.10.09, 10:08

Remember Microsoft Works, the lighter, entry-level Microsoft Office-type software that often shipped with new computers? According to tech news site Betanews, Microsoft is ditching the Works model, replacing it with a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office with limited functionality that will ship from participating manufacturers.

The full Office suite will actually be installed on these computers, but it'll remained crippled until whatever time the user decides to purchase an upgrade from their PC seller, who will simply hand them a card with a license on it. It probably sounds like good news to people who don't really need Microsoft Office to do any sort of heavy lifting, but with so many good Office alternatives for those folks, it's probably not going to be the best option out there, either.

In a bold new experiment for distributing Office that, quite surprisingly, does not involve Office Web Apps, Microsoft announced this afternoon its plans to let OEMs pre-install the full Office 2010 on new PCs, but enable it to run in a limited format until users purchase their licenses. That format, for the first time, will be ad-supported.

Microsoft to replace Works with ad-supported 'Office Starter 2010' | Software News - Betanews

**knivestv** · 12.10.09, 17:37

Very nice. Should solve the home-user incompatibility that they have all been suffering from since docx came out, as well as making things a bit more n00b proof for people who would normally assume that Wordpad was the standard for everything.

**SealLion** · 12.10.09, 20:30

the only problem that I find in this is the following:

.....ad-supported version of Microsoft Office with limited functionality .....

who want's that??

and why the need to pay 2x for MS products??

first the OS CD, now the office-type of suite has to be paid for as well??

Never mind that MS charges already for MS Office suite but the question is:

doesn't MS get better or is it getting worse??

One need only look at the abundance of Open source softwares available. Abi-Word, Open Office suite and so on....
why not just give it free like the rest do??

Linux gives it's software for free on it's CDs. It includes Open Office and/or Abi-Word. It even gives' you a decent email client.

what a shit-a-roo this MS is.
too bad it's the major OS of the world.