This initiative to 'dot-com' office productivity software and to work with key partners in delivering this functionality via the web will turbocharge this trend. Early-access versions of the StarPortal office productivity software for the web will be available later this fall. Users of Microsoft Office and other popular office suites will require little or no re-training to use StarOffice and can instantly access, modify and even export Microsoft Office files.
Users can download it today and get right to work.
If you know Microsoft Office, you'll feel right at home. And best of all, you can open, modify and even save files in Microsoft's formats. Zander noted that Sun's actions today, in offering a complete office productivity software suite for free and in transitioning the technology to a web-based version, are in direct response to customer demand for software functionality accessible over the Internet. It also enables users a variety of document formats on the web without having to purchase expensive desktop software. A few short years ago e-mail, calendaring, chat, database connectivity and other software had to be purchased in a shrinkwrap box and had to be installed on your personal computer.