Is Microsoft's Office Becoming More Like Windows?

No_Style · Dec 21, 2004, 06:16 AM

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Office, Microsoft Corp.'s collection of programs for business documents and tasks, is fast becoming a software platform unto itself.

A growing number of software developers are creating programs that run on top of Office, in the same way that Office and thousands of other applications run on Microsoft Windows.

Plug-ins are available that make Word a lawyer-friendly word processing system or turn the Excel spreadsheet into a virtual financial advisor, along with hundreds of other programs that boost the capabilities of Office software.

It was the vast number of third-party Windows programs that led to that platform's dominance of the personal computer market and made Microsoft the world's largest software maker.

"The most broadly successful software programs become a foundation," said Jeff Raikes, who heads the Microsoft division that includes Office.

Office generates $10.6 billion in annual revenue, making it Microsoft's second-largest business, behind Windows.

But Office -- which costs anywhere from $150 to $500, depending on what applications are included -- needs to distinguish itself against a deluge of cheaper programs that perform the tasks it does.
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Read More/Source: Reuters

Dec 21, 2004, 06:16 AM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Is Microsoft's Office Becoming More Like Windows? SEATTLE (Reuters) - Office, Microsoft Corp.'s collection of programs for business documents and tasks, is fast becoming a software platform unto itself. A growing number of software developers are creating programs that run on top of Office, in the same way that Office and thousands of other applications run on Microsoft Windows. Plug-ins are available that make Word a lawyer-friendly word processing system or turn the Excel spreadsheet into a virtual financial advisor, along with hundreds of other programs that boost the capabilities of Office software. It was the vast number of third-party Windows programs that led to that platform's dominance of the personal computer market and made Microsoft the world's largest software maker. "The most broadly successful software programs become a foundation," said Jeff Raikes, who heads the Microsoft division that includes Office. Office generates $10.6 billion in annual revenue, making it Microsoft's second-largest business, behind Windows. But Office -- which costs anywhere from $150 to $500, depending on what applications are included -- needs to distinguish itself against a deluge of cheaper programs that perform the tasks it does. _______________ Read More/Source: Reuters __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here