Microsoft Office for Linux

Over the years Microsoft has dominated the office software market with its various versions of Microsoft Office. It is still by far the market leader in this department. Though there have been various open-source implementations of Office such as LibreOffice, they are no comparison to the complexity and functionality of Microsoft Office. This is not to say that LibreOffice is not a worthy alternative, but it has a long way to go.best free ipad recovery software

At a time when a large number of Windows users is switching to Linux, is Microsoft digging its own grave? In my opinion, two of the major reasons people still stick to Windows are the office suite and gaming, but that could change if MS Office were ported to the Linux platform. Stuart Cohen, CEO of Open Source Development Labs, predicted at the 2006 LinuxWorld conference that Microsoft would release a Linux port of Office, ‘within the next couple of years’. Over the next eight years, no Linux version has been released, but several rumours circulated.

At the 2013 FOSDEM conference, a more specific rumor surfaced, that alleges that Microsoft is taking a “meaningful look” at releasing a full Linux port of Office in 2014. The sudden change of heart is apparently due to Linux showing ‘commercial viability’, and because Microsoft is reportedly already working on Office for Android, meaning a chunk of the Linux port might already have been done.photo recovery iphone

Estimates of desktop usage are varied, but according to Net Applications, Linux has a 1.49% share of the desktop market. Most Linux distros come with LibreOffice installed for free. The free (both cost & code) nature of Linux and its software is a major reason people use Linux. In my opinion, it is doubtful whether Microsoft can make an impact in the Open Source market with a non-free Linux port of its software.