"Google Inc. has expanded its online suite of office software to include a business presentation tool similar to Microsoft Corp.'s popular PowerPoint, adding the latest twist in a high-stakes rivalry. ADVERTISEMENT
The Mountain View-based company planned to unveil the presentation software late Monday, about five months after Chief Executive Eric Schmidt announced Google would add the application to its software arsenal.
The new program will be included in Google's free software bundle, called "Docs," which users must be online to employ. And the company will sell a souped-up version to businesses, universities and government agencies for $50 a year per user.
As PowerPoint does, Google's presentation software enables users to create a series of slides with a mixture of text and graphics on each. PowerPoint is widely used in business meetings.
Google's software suite already included word processing, spreadsheet and calendar management programs. Microsoft has been reaping huge profits from similar applications for years.
Unlike Google's applications, Microsoft's programs are usually installed directly on the hard drives of computers.
Google executives have consistently depicted the company's software applications as counterparts to Microsoft's products."the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round
People always think Open Office is some "freeware" program. But its not "Freeware"!
Freeware => crappy software with limited functionality, may or may not have copy and distribution rights. Shareware => crappy limited software features activated by making a purchase. You can copy and distribute at zero cost. Requires activation/serial keys. Proprietary Software => fully functional software that requires restrictive licenses where you cannot copy, alter, modify or distribute. Requires activation/serial keys.
Free Software => fully functional open source code software that you can alter, copy, modify, and distribute. This type of software it's not guaranteed to be Free (as in cost) though most likely it is, but it's guaranteed to be free (as in speech).
Free Software more likely to be referred to better as "Open Source Software".
Lately, I have gotten tired of using restricted proprietary software. Here's why: 1. You get no support at all when you pretty much downloaded it for free off bittorrent and their support updates don't work. 2. You have to digg around sometimes to find serial keys or cracks. Serial key generators sometimes are infected with malware. 3. The never ending cycle of getting updates to these programs going to different sites and searching for the right version to replace the old. 4. Piracy legal concerns you leave you, your friends, or employers with. 5. Peace of mind.
So what I have done is replace most of my proprietary programs with open source software alternatives:
WinZip/WinRAR => 7zip (supports all compression based formats) Internet Explorer => Firefox (I know IE is freeware but I need something I can also use on the Mac or Linux system) Notepad => Notepad++, has some nice code highlighting so I can at least make a webpage or edit CSS codes for MySpace Windows Media Player => VLC, plays nearly every format without needing to hunt around for proprietary codecs that slow down and degrade system performace. CuteFTP => WinSCP, allows you to upload webpages to your FTP or login to the university network securely to upload files via SFTP. Photoshop => GIMP, "As close to photoshop without being illegal." Illustrator => Inkscape, better features than Adobe's Illustrator. Office 2007 => Open Office 2.3 of course.
All the suggested apps are released under GPL license, free to distribute, modify, copy, and sell as long as the derived work is released under the GPL.i am a worm.
I've tried 7zip, it works differently than I am use to compared to WinRAR, so I'd rather use WinRAR. I also use Media Player Classic, I didn't like VLC, it's video playback quality sucked.Store 25 / San Marcos, CA / I shit trains, Now what?