Linux.com

Bruce Byfield makes a good argument here of the functional similarities between OpenOffice.org (OOo), FrameMaker (FM), and Microsoft Word. I find these comparisons interesting because of the business implications. If we take Bruce's review at face value, then a good percentage of the users of FM and Word might be what Harvard Biz Prof Clayton Christensen calls "overshot customers." Price sensitive customers might be delighted with the results that they can achieve for their needs with OOo. As OOo gets better, as it will with OOo 2.0, OOo could start to get a closer look by price-sensitive customers of FM and Word. It's important to remember that the president of market leader Western Union called the telephone at useless "toy" in 1870, when the telephone signal could only travel one mile. That's a history lesson that Microsoft and Adobe should not ignore. Christian Einfeldt, einfeldt@earthlink.net, 415-351-1300

#