Microsoft releases free Office apps for half of all Android phones Redmond's plan to get its code running everywhere took another step forward on Wednesday when it released free versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android phones. Ever since Satya Nadella took the top job at Microsoft he's been banging on about getting its software on every platform. iOS got it first, then …
Me neither. There will be a sting in the tail, nothing is ever free from Microsoft.
That's funny, Visual Studio Express is still free, and you can even write commercial software with it; it's been that way for years... Sure it has slightly less functionality, but that's the same as with Office here as far as I can tell.
I will stick to Google docs, I know what the deal is, what I am giving up in exchange for what I get
Really? You know exactly what Google does with the data it scrapes from all your documents and emails? Do you work there or something?
There will be a sting in the tail, nothing is ever free from Microsoft.
If it is indeed true that MS make more money in licensing from every Android sale than from every WinPhone sale, then I can see why they might be very keen to encourage Android sales by offering free software.
Of course, the thought of (still) being able to lock users into (some version(s) of) their own office applications must have some appeal as well.
"There will be a sting in the tail, nothing is ever free from Microsoft."
Yes, if it's the same as the tablet version I tried out, it won't let you save a document unless you sign into an MS account first. I have no idea if, once signed in, it will then work even when out of range of a network connection. I really couldn't be arsed to set up an account to try it out when WPS Office does all I need without an account and definitely works while "offline", which in my case is not unusual on my travels.
Even worse, if they put it in system space, that's 500meg of flash that could have been allocated to the user partition and after an update it will gobble another 500meg of userspace for the new apks.
Let's hope they have the sense to not install in system space. And why would anyone want software of typical Microsoft quality running with system privileges anyway?
Anyone remember the times of old, when Microsoft made reasonable software and OEMs loaded piles of shite into the PCs which gave the purchasers a bad experience.
It seems that MS are having their revenge and have fallen to makers of bloatware for other people's OSs.
Of course it's a trap. They lost their grip on the market and need you back using proprietary office formats again. This is the dangly carrot that brings you money back to them. Like a drug dealer, only the first hit is free when it comes to Microsoft.
I don't think MS have a good handle on Android. When even large satnav apps take up maybe 30MB of space, why would a word processing or spreadsheet app occupy way over 100MB? Word has a stupidly unusably large number of functions which 90%+ of users don't know about and don't need. Why not provide a skeleton version more in touch with Android/normal user needs instead of propagating bloatware into the platform?
Trolling? Yes, a bit.
Seriously though, I've been using both iOS and Android phones for years. In my opinion, iOS sucks(*). I don't like it. But Android, which I prefer for its functionality, sucks even more.
(*)Although I believe for the usual user it is quite good and probably better (less troubles) than Androids.
How's the hate fest going gentlemen? Not a one of you I presume has tried the Office for Android applications. You all just like thrashing Microsoft for the sport of it. No problem....have at it....Microsoft has turned the corner on just about everything you seem to relentlessly dwell upon and no matter what you want to believe, the company has survived and is prospering once again. New leadership, new direction, daily evidence that they are on track.
It must gall all of you to realize they aren't going to die the death you have prayed would befall them for so long.
Why do you care if Microsoft survive or not? The world does not need the company, or its poorly written software.
You can replace "Microsoft" in that quote with any tech company (Google, Apple, Oracle, Canonical... the list is endless) and it will still parse. We don't need any single tech company, regardless of how you view their products, but more companies means more choice.
You couldn't get on with Linux?
Yes, they apparently couldn't. I have the same incredulous look when people tell me how they "couldn't get on with Windows 8". Personal preference is fine; I prefer how 7 did it, and I prefer how Cinnamon does it, but that does not stop me from being able to use Win8 or Unity.
(Bloodbeastterror didn't mention which distro they tried, but it could well have been Ubuntu running Unity, which seems to generate as much unreasoning hate for the GUI as Win8 does)
A bit strong, no? I've re-read the comments and yes, there are a few negative ones, but more go along the same lines as mine about bloatware, and there are even a couple praising MS.
Me, Bill Gates caused the explosion in personal computing, which would never have happened if we had had only OS/2 or Linux. Windows isn't perfect by any means, but at least it's usable.
(No flame wars, please. I've tried Linux, couldn't get on with it - just personal preference).
Nobody loves Microsoft, the same way nobody loves British Gas. It's just a company.
What can raise strong feelings are fucking infuriating retard linux fanboys who a) have no clue and b) think that by constantly telling everyone to use linux instead of their current choice* of OS they are increasing the use of linux rather than just pissing everyone off and actively harming their "great cause".
*or not choice. You tell me to use linux, I tell you to tell that to my CEO and watch him laugh at you for the ignorant shitwit you are, unless you're also planning to write drivers for the pharmaceutical measuring instruments (Kaiser, Brimrose, SimcaQ, Bruker, JDSU etc etc) that we write software to control and manage. You dick.
Icon selected because we don't have one that means "fuck off and die".
Good - Good... Anger leads to hate, hate leads to....
You are too late Linux has already won. Having said that Windows is more common (only) on the desktop currently. However, Microsoft has started releasing software for Linux.
Is the scientific equipment that you are using installed in a PC or does the PC interface with it. If it is the latter than you can most likely run the software on Linux.
Most companies that I have worked for have switched from Windows to Linux to run their software for reliability, scalability, performance and cost effectiveness reasons.
I have not selected an icon because it seems to serve little purpose (must be a Windows thing).
Most companies that I have worked for have switched from Windows to Linux to run their software for reliability, scalability, performance and cost effectiveness reasons.
They must be pretty small companies then; the multinational I work for is still on Windows for the desktop and the majority of servers, because it would cost too much to change. I have yet to find a company that offers (multilingual) Linux training for free, and we have a few thousand people that would need it (including the support staff, many of whom are currently only Windows skilled) :'(
I'd be interested in moving over, but it's the situation where you get fucked by the original design choices (aka Windows) and you have to choose between starting over (for several thousand people) or just living with building on your past mistakes and doing what you can. Budgetary restrictions mean that moving to Linux is but a pipe dream at the moment, and looks to remain that way for a while...
I am past caring about zealots like you, with one minor exception.
I use debian at home, have done since 1998. I don't believe you've been using linux for a quarter as long because if you had, you would have learned long ago that linux isn't capitalized
It is lower-case and has always been lower-case. Being ranted at by you is like being lectured by the technically-illiterate HR person who always asks if I know any "C hash" programmers.
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