Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware

    Corner(ed) Office?

    Written by

    Jason Brooks
    Published September 11, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      For an office productivity application space thats been awfully staid since Microsoft smote its early office suite rivals, 2007 has been a year of significant upheaval.

      Between format standardization wars, the emergence of new office application players and the re-emergence of some old faces, theres no shortage of suite buzz. Whats not yet clear is to what extent all this noise will translate into benefits for enterprises.

      One of the most tantalizing benefits to come out of the current crop of office application developments is broadened platform support. In recent history, Microsofts Office dominance has given the company the power to effectively blacklist rival platforms by withholding Office support or, failing that, to properly document its de facto standard file formats.

      Apples OS X, for instance, has long been labeled as being so dependent on Microsofts port of Office for Mac that the cancellation of the product would mean doom for Apples platform. Recently, however, Apple moved to bolster significantly the enterprise viability of its OS X platform by returning to the office suite space with full force with the release of iWork 08, complete with a new spreadsheet application to join its word processing and presentation offerings.

      Check out eWEEK Labs reviews of Apples iWork:
      Apple iWork 08 Numbers
      Apple iWork 08 Pages
      Apple iWork 08 Keynote

      The desktop ambitions of Linux have been similarly buoyed by the continued progress of the cross-platform friendly duo of OpenOffice.org and StarOffice, the latter of which recently joined the equally cross-platform Firefox Web browser in Google Pack, Googles software distribution tool for Windows.

      Whats more, the success of Apples iPhone, and the buzz surrounding the One Laptop Per Child projects XO notebook is drawing new attention to the possibilities of non-PC form factor computing devices. Typical fat-client office applications cant work on machines like these, but an emerging crop of rich Web-based applications from Google and other smaller Web 2.0 firms appear to offer a solid way forward.

      Microsoft blasts Google Apps with FUD. Read more here.

      However, while the wave of new application activity that 2007 has brought us promises to empower enterprises to choose the platforms and tools that best address their needs, theres no easy answer for maintaining interoperability between the entrenched Windows/Office establishment and the spectrum of new platforms and applications that are becoming available.

      On one hand, the Open Document Format demands of Massachusetts and other government bodies have begun to bear fruit, prompting Microsoft—which once insisted that de facto standardization was enough—to approach standardization bodies such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and Ecma International with hat in hand. Whats more, there are projects underway that will add support for Microsofts new Office Open XML format to OpenOffice.org and older versions of MS Office.

      On the other hand, its the document formats that Microsoft is not offering up for standards body approval—the binary formats in which every Office version up to 2007 stored their documents—that pose the greatest interoperability challenges for iWork, OpenOffice.org, Google Apps Premier Edition and any other application suite intended to horn in on MS Offices territory.

      Nailing the file formatting fidelity issue is vitally important to the success of these Office alternatives, as the platform flexibility benefits that come with admitting multiple office applications into an organization can be erased by niggling formatting inconsistencies.

      Moving to standardize on a better-specified and more broadly supported document format, such as the already ISO-standard Open Document Format, is a partial solution to the document interoperability problem, and multiple plug-ins are now available for bringing ODF support to Office. However, the breadth of partners and customers with which enterprises exchange documents means that document format transitions cant be made in a vacuum.

      IT pros are sticking with Microsoft Office. Click here to read more.

      As a result, ODF-backing vendors will have to do a better job decrypting Microsofts binary formats—and this challenge may mean pursuing new routes toward this goal.

      Read here why no ISO for Microsoft means little.

      One things for certain, however: Given the major interface and default file format changes that Microsoft brought to its Office 2007—the undisputed “establishment” productivity suite—escaping change all together simply isnt an option.

      eWEEK Labs Executive Editor Jason Brooks can be reached at jason.brooks@ziffdavisenterprise.com.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      Jason Brooks
      Jason Brooks
      As Editor in Chief of eWEEK Labs, Jason Brooks manages the Labs team and is responsible for eWEEK's print edition. Brooks joined eWEEK in 1999, and has covered wireless networking, office productivity suites, mobile devices, Windows, virtualization, and desktops and notebooks. Jason's coverage is currently focused on Linux and Unix operating systems, open-source software and licensing, cloud computing and Software as a Service.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×