We, the Linux community, win in either case. Microsoft has its second monopoly in office suites. Microsoft owns this market just as it owns the market for desktop operating systems. In the domain of Microsoft Office, competition is no longer a dirty word in Redmond, because it just doesn't exist. As a result, prices go up.
Quality goes down.
Or in this case, Bill Gates's bank account. And we will continue to see such benefits as StarOffice and Applixware continue to mature. The good news is, there's more competition in the works. KOffice is coming, as is Corel's WordPerfect Office 2000. There will be others as well.