Free version of MS Works to be released (Ad based)

[Peter]

Microsoft are planning on releasing Microsoft works 9 free of charge but will contain advertising. There seems to be a plan to move into the hosted solutions market soon (although they claim the new works will not be in this category this time around).

Microsoft’s next version of its small-business/home productivity suite, due imminently, will be free and ad-funded.

Microsoft Works 9.0 — which will be the new product’s name, if Microsoft opts to stick with its current nomenclature — might also debut at some point as Microsoft-hosted low-end productivity service, as many have been speculating. A hosted version of Works would give Microsoft a head-to-head competitor with Google Docs & Spreadsheets and other consumer- and small-business focused services, analysts have said.

For the time being, however, the new version of Works will be ad-funded, according to Satya Nadella, the newly minted Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Search & Advertising Platform Group. Nadella told me during an interview on July 27 that Microsoft recently released the new ad-funded version of Microsoft Works.

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Regarding the hosted solutions. Microsoft have been planning on going down this route for some time. They have been planning to have a complete operating system hosted by them (of course you would need a bit of software hosted on your own pc to get it to work). In fact if I remember correctly that was the original plan for XP.

 

[dhscott]

But Works is pants!

You're better off going with an Office Alternative if you don't want to spend money on software (OpenOffice, AbiWord etc.)

 

[liquidcherry]

Why are they still carrying Works, it is useless IMO and nobody is using it

Anyway, that is just MS

Cheers,

Frank

 

[Smiler]

Thanks for the information.