Microsoft Counters OpenOffice and Google Docs with Free Works

Microsoft is going to release the new version of it's Works office software free in a few months time. The software will be ad supported. This is probably due to the increasing number of free competitors, among them OpenOffice and Google Docs and Spreadsheets.

It will be interesting to see whether this will have any effect on the number of people who are turning to web-based office systems. I believe it will only be seen as an OpenOffice alternative by companies, which might believe more in it being supported, what with a Microsoft product and all.

Somehow I find the idea of installing an ad driven program on my computer much more repulsive than using a web-based system, even if the latter had ads also. Interestingly Google Docs does not seem to have any ads...