M$ Office goes free - why should you care?

Microsoft have finally launched a free version of their Office suite. Actually there are two versions, a web-based one, and a regular one. Why should anyone care?

We're already got Google Docs for our web needs, and we've already got Open Office or Lotus Symphony for our off-line needs. All of them are easy to work with, ad-free and work on a number of operating systems and browsers.

Microsoft Office, on the other hand, isn't. They've managed to infest the applications with ads (really???), and I can only presume that the regular version is only available for the Windows operating system, excluding all Mac and Linux users.

So why bother when there are better options out there?

Want to stay anonymous? Incognito might be the answer.

Just read this article on idg.se. Obviously I'll take Incognito Linux distribution for a spin on my old laptop as soon as I get the time.


*Update* Speaking of avoiding the prying eyes of totalitarian governments, it seems Ipredator is finally approaching something that might be considered a public release, adding new users as capacity becomes available. Of course I'll take this for a spin too.

Mac vs PC - the battle continues

Microsoft takes another sting at Apple with a new Laptop Hunters commercial, bashing the Macbooks for being to expensive and not having a large enough screen. I have to say I completely agree with Microsoft on that one. However, the solution, if you want cheap, safe and fully functional, is hardly a PC laptop with Microsoft Windows installed.

Instead, surf to ubuntu.com and download the latest version of this Linux based OS (there's even a Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix available for those low-spec'd netbooks). The Ubuntu packages is exceptionally easy to install, and it includes the Mozilla Firefox browser, a mail- and calendar client, OpenOffice (as opposed to paying 995 SEK for the Microsoft Office 2007 home and student version, that does absolutely nothing more...), and Gimp for retouching those digital photos (instead of buying Adobe Photoshop Elements, which will set you back another 1095 SEK). The package also includes various media players and other stuff. Plus, you won't have to worry about computer viruses, trojans and other malware anymore.

It's all there, ready to use out of the box - no annoying activation and registration process, and it's for free.

Linux FTW!


P.S. There's even a Ubuntu version for Mac, so if you do go ahead and buy that overpriced piece of white plastic anyway, you can still keep your software costs down...