[KLUG Members] Re: MS Office for Linux? Not quite--but close!

[Adam Williams]

>>I also went through some of the disussions on the
>>article and was impressed with one company that said
>>their large Excel spreadsheets ran better in Excel on
>>Linux with Crossover then it did on Windows!!  :-)
>In the case of DOS-based Windows, this may be true.  In the case of
>NT-based Windows, I'd have a hard time believing.
>Linux will _never_ be a better Windows than Windows.  Emulation,
>virtualization or otherwise, the problem with Windows has always been
>its applications and their DOS-base, not NT-based Windows.  Furthermore,
>using a vendor lock-in application on a free platform is still vendor
>lock-in.

I agree, while maybe neccesary in niches I think running Winbloze apps on 
Linux is both a futile and misguided solution.  Office may work for you on 
the plugin until some doc tries do com an external application, load some 
external control, and BANG!

The insurmountable obstacle for this product may not be technological 
however, but "Is it legal?".  Read a recent Office license agreement,  it 
certainly doesn't sound like it to me.  And that may include Office in 
Win4Lin or VMware as well.  And certainly WINE in general.

What does Office do that you need, that Open Office does not?  Seriously, 
I'm curious.