Comments on: Free Mini-Office from Microsoft? http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/ Connecting the dots ... Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:03:39 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: free lightwieght office suites http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11891 free lightwieght office suites Fri, 23 May 2008 23:51:21 +0000 http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11891 [...] working and lightweight integrated office suite at the time when Word, Excel and Powerpoint were ...http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/Microsoft Works 9: Ad-Supported, Free Zoli's Blog... perfectly working and lightweight integrated [...] [...] working and lightweight integrated office suite at the time when Word, Excel and Powerpoint were …http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/Microsoft Works 9: Ad-Supported, Free Zoli’s Blog… perfectly working and lightweight integrated [...]

]]> By: ukridge http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11340 ukridge Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:54:40 +0000 http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11340 Zoli, this story of Zoho, Google Docs vs. MS Office reminds me of an astonishing viewpoint described in the book of Clayton Christensen, titled The Innovator's Dilemma. The idea is about disruptive technologies, which regularly ruins established and mostly well-managed and surely succesful companies. They do it with a quite different value proposition compared to the existing business model. The new technology lacks most of the features of the existing ones, but have one new feature - which the established market is NOT looking for. But after gaining foot, the new technology is catching up with the "traditional" features, and it apparently reaches the bottom line of the mass market of the old products. That is the point of no return for the old players. They simply die out. Feature supply develops faster then feature demand. Incumbent players "overfeature" their products, new players need much less time than it is thought to be in the middle of the mass market. Web-based office softwares seems to clearly fit this story. What does all this mean? a) MS did not make a strategic mistake managing its office products. b) MS made a big mistake not to buy out Zoho, and immediately react to Google Doc somehow (how?) c) this may mean the beginning of the end for MS op.systems as well I dare to say. Internet terminals with wifi, printer, some usb gadgets do not need Vista, even a Win95 has way too much funcions. Ordinary users will need a boned op.sys. only, while companies would not need the many idiotic functions traditionaly populating MS op.systems. ukridge Zoli,

this story of Zoho, Google Docs vs. MS Office reminds me of an astonishing viewpoint described in the book of Clayton Christensen, titled The Innovator’s Dilemma.

The idea is about disruptive technologies, which regularly ruins established and mostly well-managed and surely succesful companies.

They do it with a quite different value proposition compared to the existing business model. The new technology lacks most of the features of the existing ones, but have one new feature – which the established market is NOT looking for.

But after gaining foot, the new technology is catching up with the “traditional” features, and it apparently reaches the bottom line of the mass market of the old products. That is the point of no return for the old players. They simply die out. Feature supply develops faster then feature demand. Incumbent players “overfeature” their products, new players need much less time than it is thought to be in the middle of the mass market.

Web-based office softwares seems to clearly fit this story.

What does all this mean?

a) MS did not make a strategic mistake managing its office products.
b) MS made a big mistake not to buy out Zoho, and immediately react to Google Doc somehow (how?)
c) this may mean the beginning of the end for MS op.systems as well I dare to say. Internet terminals with wifi, printer, some usb gadgets do not need Vista, even a Win95 has way too much funcions.

Ordinary users will need a boned op.sys. only, while companies would not need the many idiotic functions traditionaly populating MS op.systems.

ukridge

]]> By: Would Sir care for advertisements with that financial report? « Ladgeful http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11339 Would Sir care for advertisements with that financial report? « Ladgeful Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:55:48 +0000 http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11339 [...] pm on April 22, 2008 | # | Looks like the big M$ will be offering a subscription-based office for $12 USD a months (that’s $144 a year). They may also provide a free versions and make the money through [...] [...] pm on April 22, 2008 | # | Looks like the big M$ will be offering a subscription-based office for $12 USD a months (that’s $144 a year). They may also provide a free versions and make the money through [...]

]]> By: Zoli Erdos http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11317 Zoli Erdos Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:51:56 +0000 http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11317 Oh, don't get me started, been long wanting to rant on how obsolete the 'file' concept is, just didn't find the time ... Oh, don’t get me started, been long wanting to rant on how obsolete the ‘file’ concept is, just didn’t find the time …

]]> By: Sam Lawrence http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11316 Sam Lawrence Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:45:19 +0000 http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/04/22/free-mini-office-from-microsoft/#comment-11316 Not only do I agree, I'll take it a step further. Work is broken. A light has been shined on just how stagnant productivity software really has been and it's upsetting that Microsoft has monopolized this category. That's 20 years of our lives spent looking at the same analogy for doing work and it's a big reason why most of us are trained to think in a file-centric mentality. SaaS or on premise software doesn't get around that tired framework. It's a blind, constipated way of collaborating and it's quickly going away. Microsoft knows this. Office is being given away for free and it's why they're so focused on trying to evolve Sharepoint beyond a file-server right now. People-centric flow is unbelievably refreshing and when people start working with it they quickly realize that they never want to go back to the "personal productivity" file world of Microsoft Office. For the first time in two decades, work can be fun again. Not only do I agree, I’ll take it a step further. Work is broken. A light has been shined on just how stagnant productivity software really has been and it’s upsetting that Microsoft has monopolized this category. That’s 20 years of our lives spent looking at the same analogy for doing work and it’s a big reason why most of us are trained to think in a file-centric mentality. SaaS or on premise software doesn’t get around that tired framework. It’s a blind, constipated way of collaborating and it’s quickly going away. Microsoft knows this. Office is being given away for free and it’s why they’re so focused on trying to evolve Sharepoint beyond a file-server right now.

People-centric flow is unbelievably refreshing and when people start working with it they quickly realize that they never want to go back to the “personal productivity” file world of Microsoft Office. For the first time in two decades, work can be fun again.

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