Death to Office or to Windows - choose wisely, Microsoft Windows is dead, and Microsoft Office has killed it. Or will, once the rumours about Microsoft porting its wildly popular Office product to the iPad become reality. For just as porting Office to Mac OS X back in 2001 sowed the seeds of Apple's relevance as a credible desktop alternative to Windows, so too will Microsoft's …
What you need to realise is that in the enterprise end-users aren't allowed to use Java, C#, C++ etc so they use office (mainly Excel) because it contains a scripting language you cannot prevent them from using. That's why it is so prevalent. It is also much quicker for a capable end-user, and there are more than you think, to prototype and get something running in Excel than it is to go through the 15 layers of bullshit involved with getting centralised IT to analyse and start a project to perform a small task. Most errors come down to inappropriate structuring, control, and code management.
Well I can certainly see the need not to go to C++/C/C# and SQL databases, but what about plain text files? With a bit of organization you can do virtually any task in a business with sed awk and shell scripts.
One main problem of those "Office" formats is that content and form are both in the same file. So some people might feel compelled to change the file to make it look prettier. Another one is that code and data is stored in the same file. So you'll end up having different files with different versions of the code and nobody knows which one is the current one.
The whole point here is that drones aren't allowed to be programmers, hence no access to real programming tools. And once you cross the real programming tool boundary, you are into IT Change Control Management territory, which gets in the way of the drone finishing that report by 5:00 today which was the directive the PHB gave him at 4:30.
Look, I understand the point of CCM, and on the whole I think it is a better solution than most of the MacGyvering that goes on today. The problem is management always presents the problem in a way that doesn't allow CCM and requires MacGyvering. And I'm stuck in the real world instead a cool tv show.
IT did disable VBA once in a College where I worked, just on the network used in the teaching/learning side (admin had their own network). No consultation, just rolled it out one weekend so it was done when we came in on Monday.
A lot of teaching materials used VBA for interactivity in those days (tend to be web pages now).
By 12 noon, the Principal had had the IT manager in for a 'brief meeting'.
Around 4pm we all had an email asking us to reboot our PCs and the classroom PCs. VBA was working again.
By Thursday, there was a request for volunteers to form an IT Users group, which actually worked quite well.
Don't forget that in addition to the code being almost readable as-is, there's also a recorder that can capture much of the functionality you seek as a not-unreasonable first stab which I'd laugh at and then re-engineer to be significantly better.
Macro recording really is excellent functionality (though dangerous in the wrong hands) and a *major* reason why Excel & MS Office generally are so popular within the business.
The real picture here is the coming irrelevance or diversity of the OS.
Microsoft is seeing that their ubiquity of Windows on the desktop is soon to be come rather irrelevant for the vast majority of people in their computing experience. For many, Windows was the only familiar interface to the computing world. It was said that other potential platforms (Linux variants, OSX) suffered because customers didn't like change. The fact that people took to iOS and Android in their millions shows that this is fundamentally wrong. Yes, these touch devices are used in a different way to the desktop, but many people now really have no need for a desktop at all.
Exactly, it is not so much Windows going away as the irrelevance of client OSs. As everything is on the server and runs through a browser, the client OS just isn't that important anymore. Although, as Windows has the vast majority of the market, a decline in the importance of client OS = a decline in Windows.
It needed not be; and anyway that's not the point. The point is, if you could run Office on Linux (without fiddling with WINE, that is), then the Linux distro proposition would become that much more appealing for end-users – think Office pre-loaded Linux laptops and netbooks.
It certainly doesn't have to be open source to be available for Linux. And under both GPLv2 and GPLv3 it is perfectly legal for MS Office to link dynamically against glibc, libstdc++ and any other system libraries it needs.
Is the Oracle 11g database open source? Or Sybase?
And now for something completely different: it would have been very helpful if the author of this article knew what they were talking about.
MS Office won't come out for Linux because Linux doesn't play well with commercial software. Anything in the distro is super-easy to install, that's one of its great strengths. But since the Linux market is so fragmented, supporting commercial software on all the different variants is a nightmare. And then when you upgrade, you find that the commercial software you paid good $$ for stops working.
Mac OS X is almost as good as Linux for the open source software (especially now with MacPorts). And it's WAY better than Linux for running commercial software.
We have lots of expensive commercial Linux software. Most of it supports specific distributions (RedHat mostly, it is a business after all). Installs aren't that bad, and if they are that's why we pay for support. That doesn't necessarily scale well for end-users but for a big rollout you only have to do it once.
If you haven't seen enterprise commercial Linux software then you just haven't been looking.
It's pretty much that way already.
MS have already published many of the data formats used in Office (with Exchange being the main omission, I gather), and an *exceedingly* rich automation interface for anyone who wants a guide to the internal implementation, so creating a "work-alike" clone is merely hard work. Also, since the majority of usage is performed by fairly forgiving "human beings", the fidelity of emulation can slip here and there without making the whole exercise pointless.
For Windows (both at kernel and userspace), no such documentation exists beyond MSDN, and the usage is by dumb programs, so if you fail to emulate every single bug (and you won't find *those* documented in MSDN) then you run the risk of apps falling over for not apparent reason and no workaround.
Consequently, rival "office" packages do a pretty good job of offering alternatives, but WINE has been a struggle and ReactOS (to pick up on an earlier comment) has been almost still-born.
If MS have to choose between killing Windows or Office, it *has* to be Office. Windows is just so much harder for their competitors to get to grips with.
If Microsoft want to ride successful coat-tails into a the big corporate tablet market, then why wouldn't they choose Android tablets shipping with Office as the way to go. They could form strategic partnerships with those Android using manufacturers who already pay them 'patent hush money' and maybe even produce their own version of Android (Microsoft Ice Cream anyone?)
That way, they could have influence in a crowded and fragmented market instead of getting crumbs from the massive monolith which is Apple.
They have lots of experience with 'embrace, extend and extinguish', so why not use Android like that? Hasn't Android been 'open sourced' by Google?
er...
The single most successful company at selling corporate software is Microsoft. I know there's this whole movement to erect a Jobsian Reality Distortion Field over that and claim that Apple and/or Google are the only companies that are ever successful but sadly for those people responsible, it's not what's generally called "accurate" or even "true".
I have most customers and friends on LibreOffice, and I'd say 90% of people that think they need MS Office will in fact find LibreOffice does what they need. Yes there are some 3rd party apps (mainly accounting in my experience) hard linked with MS Office, hopefully that'll change.
LibreOffice is already on Linux, Mac and Windows. I believe an iOS version is in the pipeline.
One application to learn across multiple platforms :-)
Also, on iOS, there is already QuickOffice, which by all reports is good enough.
I have business customers with iPads who always ask about doing invoices and the like on them.
If you find LibreOffice is good enough for you, you can PayPal donate to keep development going.
Libre office (the more popular fork of Open Office) now has Intel backing it and for 99.99% people is good enough.
OK I made up the statistic. But seriously iPad doesn't need Office to Succeed and really there are loads of reason to want Windows on a Laptop/Desktop (hardly any on a Tablet and none on a phone), But MS Office is now WAY down the list of reasons.
OneNote on a tablet is especially good. Especially the dual pen/touch support. When I'm drawing/writing with the stylus it doesn't get confused with my palm resting on the tablet, like the other pen-based tablet apps I've used.
The other thing Office has over it's competitors is built-in Skydrive. Even easier than dropbox, from my phone, to the tablet and the desktop. Home and work from a single account!
Agree, with Intel backing ODF, in addition to IBM, Oracle, SAP, and everyone else except Microsoft, people may just decide not to pay $400 a pop for Office and move to Libre or Lotus Symphony or OO or a mixture thereof. As long as they use ODF, it doesn't matter. I cannot believe that companies will continue paying millions upon millions for 20 year old functionality forever.
Well some companies were foolish enough to base their entire business logistics on VBA. So can't switch without making _huge_ investments.
VBA is actually even more important for businesses than Win32, that's why Microsoft wants to ditch Win32, but currently doesn't even dream about ditching VBA.
Of course, maybe eventually companies will learn that VBA is not a good platform, but that will take time. Even today you see companies falling into the next traps by using .net as a platform. Previously Visual Basic users got burned by abrupt changes in their platform.
So what businesses would need to learn is to base their logistics on platforms which are either platform independent or only require a small platform to work on. (i.e. a server standing somewhere in a corner talking to the clients via "telnet/ssh" or http)
.net is good, you may not like it, but it's true. Especially as someone who was a C++ > C# advocate until I took the time to learn it, to make the assumption that people are "falling into a trap" suggests that there is no real advantage in using it at all, but if you compare development times, C# versions will almost always turnaround quicker. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the full standard is published. If someone wants to go and write their own version, they should be able to quite easily.
The reason VB developers got burned was because the language had major, major deficiencies (and since you'll clearly be wanting an example, how about "Runtime error 6"), and (as with C++.net, which did try this and essentially is a bit rubbish) and it would not have made logical sense to pigeon hole .NET functionality into the existing language.
I think the article over simplifies corporate strategies just a tad. The move to iPad for office "if" it happens will likely as not be a crippled version. I.e. just enough functionality to convince consumers not to buy an alternate office suite but rippled enough to only really be useful when coupled with a desktop with windows installed
Are we not being a tad hysterical here? Of course, it will be nice to have Office on the iPad. An iPad with a keyboard is actually quite a nice backup to the corporate Dell when I'm at a customer site in the arse end of Africa for weeks at a time. However, it's not going to be better the corporate Dell; certainly not for heavy duty contents creations tasks, diagramming and project planning.
Will Windows take a hit? I'm sure it will, but it isn't going to die. Will Microsoft continue to laugh all the way to the bank? Absolutely! Will corporations across the world continue to buy desktops, laptops and servers that run windows? I believe they will (besides, it's not like they're going to be buying servers from Apple anytime soon).
there is nothing compelling them to put MS Office on the iPad. Please to not say money. As was stated by Matt, if they were to put MS Office on the iPad they would help gut MS Windows sales and losing that means a slippery slide downward for desktop market share. The numbers don't pan out since desktop $$$ are more valuable than iPad tablet $$$ to Microsoft.
They will not port MS Office to the iPad but they will do so for their MS Windows on ARM(WOA). But of course that will also make WOA required lots of RAM, CPU and Flash storage space(didn't they just tell us Flash is slow?) or even spinning HD space. ie the WOA tablets will be battery sucking hogs compared to the iPads and Androids out there. But with MS Office, they'll get some sales before they are shoved into desk drawers as useless for getting work done.
Windows still rules the desktop market and likely will until that market dies. Despite what world + dog seems to think desktops are going nowhere. Tablets may kill off laptops if they can come close to their capabilities, but the desktop is safe. It's survived the laptop, the netbook, and the thin client. Compared to them a machine with half (at most) of it's capabilities isn't even a challenger. It's not even a matter of processing power. It's a matter of being able to sit down with two or three 20" screens and work with multiple programs in front of you with a keyboard and a mouse. It's about having your report on one screen, your email on another, and a spreadsheet with the data you're analyzing on the other. Tablets can't do this stuff, and would be piss poor at it if you managed to force them.
The desktop is here to stay for the foreseeable future and Windows will be sticking around with it.
Agree with the main point of the post i.e. Windows not dying, but OTOH I think that the desktop *is* dying. Look in IT stores around you, how many of them still have towers on display? apart from hardcore gamers, no home user seems to buy desktops anymore nowadays. As for the business world, I know IT buyers who seriously consider phasing out the desktop. Notebooks/netbooks/tablets fit the "mobile office" and "shared cubicle pool" schemes better, they save office space. Yes, they still cost more money for the same specs, but the gap is narrowing.
My crystal ball tells me that Windows will outlive the desktop computer.
Obviously I don't know where you are in geographical terms but the answer in my area is all of them and to a far greater degree than the space given to laptops, netbooks or tablets. All the home users I know still use their desktops and have laptops etc for travelling rather than a primary machine.
As for your IT purchasing point I have to say that no one I know is thinking of phasing out desktops in any way shape or form but that I suspect is because mobile office or cubicle pooling have very little meaning within the SME's my friends work in. Cost reasons, ease of maintenance and upgradeability are their key concerns and laptops, netbooks and tablets just don't fit that for them yet. Some of the management have tablets to play with but that is mostly to keep them busy with a shiny toy so that they don't interfere too much.
I know posting here is getting this article and any similar articles more attention, however I do feel the need to say this.
That is complete and utter crap. Office on an ipad makes no difference at all to windows. Maybe windows 8 on ARM machines, but windows is still heavily around and I don't see it going anywhere in the corporate world and that means a lot of people use it at home too. Even if office was ported to linux I don't think it would make much difference.
Windows will die when all software and games get ported over to another operating system and the usability and price are equal. On top of that it needs to have a form of domain and controlling computers/groups easily. I don't see mac as a relevant alternative to windows but I do see linux. Mostly because I have never liked Mac or and apple product. I also don't see training all helpdesk and tech support that only know windows on either linux or mac. So it is still alive and well.
"The one platform Microsoft is not rumoured to be supporting anytime soon is Google's Android,"
I got an email from the Microsoft Office team yesterday saying that OneNote is now available on Android. So you are talking rubbish about it not being rumoured anytime soon, it's more than rumoured it's fact.
It will all depend on how much Microsoft wants to charge for it.
Like many, my company is busy looking at iPads as an alternative for Laptops but the "What about Office?" question keeps popping up.
We'll buy Office with our eyes close if it costs the same as Pages/Keyboard/Numbers put together but if it costs more then, we'll stick with the iOffice thing.
Gah! How did we get here? Every powerpoint is full of fluff, every word doc instantly out of date, every excel spreadsheet indecipherable to anyone but the author, every access db a disaster waiting to happen.
I would rather office died an immediate and final death.
We started down this road because the people with the company's monopoly on computers were out of touch with what their businesses needed, were often unable to deliver a decent service, and were costing a fortune more than they were ever able to justify. Some smart thinking companies saw that things might be done differently, non-traditionally, but done equally well, perhaps better.
Back then, the people with the centralised monopoly on overpriced computers and services were the mainframe people, and the minicomputer people with their VMS and Unix boxes were the people who brought innovation, diversity, and cost-effectiveness.
Now, the people with the centralised monopoly on overpriced IT structures and badly delivered services are the Microsoft people, and the Linux and Android folks are the people who bring innovation, diversity, and cost-effectiveness. Uncomfortable, probably unpopular (just watch the downvotes flood in), but actually undeniably true -how many businesses actually think they get value for money from their Windows-centric IT? ["Desktop productivity" is an oxymoron].
History repeats itself, with different badges. But the (clueless through no fault of their own) young folk and the ignorant PHBs and MBAs can't see that Microsoft's era is past its peak, just like there were mainframe people who couldn't see that their time was nearly over. Mainframes of course live on in certain selected areas but it's hard to see where Microsoft will be in ten or twenty years time.
Hands up all those secretarial staff, records keepers, anf office workers who will actually get rid of their desk top PC - the reality is that very, very few will.
However, some office workers *might* get iPads *as well*, instead of Blackberries, to take on the road - resulting in plus one sale of Office for Microsoft.
I think there is a reason this author is a freelance journalist and not a multimillionaire tech exec, and it's clear from this article...
I really don't have time to go through all the ridiculous bollocks written in this quickie (not a deep article for sure), so here are some quick notes:
"Windows is dead, and Microsoft Office has killed it. Or will, once the rumours about Microsoft porting its wildly popular Office product to the iPad become reality."
Probably the MOST IDIOTIC claim by any clueless journo this year, wannabies included, even though it's still February...
...really? You really think people run Windows only because of Office?
Have you EVER used an iPad for more than typing up lousy articles?
It's USELESS for any real work - but you think people will drop Windows when Office starts running on iPads...
This is some very powerful IGNORANCE on display.
"The one platform Microsoft is not rumoured to be supporting anytime soon is Google's Android, just as Office-on-Linux remains a chimera. "
Right and nobody gives a shit about it. Yes, I really mean nobody.
First there is WINE (not, not the one you were sending down while writing this piece, it's a software), second I highly doubt in the linux crowd anyone wants more than the fully-featured FREE LibreOffice suite or any of the numerous online services (Google Docs, MS Office Web Apps via Live etc.)
"(...)but for many of us, buying a Mac would be impossible without Office, no matter how cool Apple's iProducts."
Just a note from outside of the bubble: you are a VERY LOUD but MINISCULE MINORITY, accounting for a single-digit market share worldwide. Yes, SINGLE DIGIT MARKET SHARE - now think again, just how relevant your views are on the big scale of things...
...and I didn't bite into the "cool" products part (pretty funny how out-of-touch Apple shills can be. :))
Ever noticed how those on the loosing side of an argument get ever more abusive and shrill? It's hard being uncertain of oneself or knowing that your pet beliefs are being shattered.
Get over it, retrieve your calmness and put that energy into adjusting to the changing world.
And, dear Linux fans: never forget that it is an incomplete UNIX imitation and, despite all the roaring and cheering for many years now, has not and is unlikely ever to make it into the hands of the common man. It may work if, like OSX vis a vis IOS, it takes the lessons learnt from Android mobile telephones (well, some of them) and becomes more user friendly.
Until then, huff and puff and sheer rudeness will not work. Unlike you, most of the world hates neither Apple nor Microsoft (and barely knows the difference, just like you I suspect).
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