1) AppleWorks has seen no major revisions in forever, and its not like Apple is giving up on the software front.
2) Keynote shows that they can and will take on parts of MS Office. It also shows what a better job they can do than MS. Keynote has been discounted recently and I expect a Keynote update bundled with the new Office suite some time this year.
3) Same goes for Safari vs. Explorer.
4) They need backup in case MS decides that the Mac platform isn't worth it.
5) Competition is good. They need to keep the pressure on MS to keep the Mac version up to date with MS's windows products. MS's advantage in the Office world is that so many folks want the complete MS solution to e-mail, PIM, etc. Its the standard in so many places. Even if Apple came out with their own suite, MS can go on to say how their suite works better with the whole slew of MS products. I do beleive having both MS and Apple offering soultions is the best possible thing for the MAc platform.
6) MS just publically committed to new versions of Office. Sure they can always bag it at will, but its good that they did and lessens some of the fear that the day after Apple unvails AppleOffice that MS will say "We're out." If Apple's office suite is about finnished, I bet securing MS public commitment at the last MacWorld has kept Apple from announcing their own version.
7) I keep remembering a rumor from The Gay Blade that Apple had moved the whole Appleworks/MacOffice development team into a seperate office building all with the intention of making a new Office suite. rumors can be wrong or plans can change, but The Gay Blade had a good track record-he wasn't MOSR.
8 ) Steve often mentions that "we started this project 2 years ago." I agree completely that developing an Office suite is a hugh undertaking and that is probably why we haven't seen it yet. I'm betting it will come this year.
I know this is probably going off on a bit of a tangent, but aside from AppleWorks, the next highest profile Apple software that's MIA is Filemaker 7.
The new version has been rumored for ages and is now supposed to be out by August. Is it possible that FM7 could be a big enough remake to go head-to-head with some of the big database players?
If so, could this have major implications for the Xserve line?
Maybe Apple's holding back because they're wanting to jump headfirst into the enterprise sector and that requires having all the business-class apps debut at once.
Not very tangential at all Frank777. I don't use Filemaker, just its little brother that is part of Appleworks, so I haven't been following the news that much on this app. I think i remember reading things about what a major upgrade it was going to be. I think that was around the end of last summer. I actually thought they had released it, to be honest. Your idea is an intersting one. As I mentioned, a limited database app is in AppleWorks and maybe they are going for AppleWorks Pro containing a word processor, spreadsheet, filemaker, keynote, drawing software.
I don't know squat really about filemaker, but I like that Filemaker Inc. is making these targeted applications for tasks and disciplines now. I imagine that, if it's not already (I think it probably is), that FM 7 will be treated as a super-flexible umbrella app or framework to run and/or build these more specific apps on top of. I also imagine that they would be wise to try to get into the XServe and other enterprise deals. (HP hardware? )
Not very tangential at all Frank777. I don't use Filemaker, just its little brother that is part of Appleworks, so I haven't been following the news that much on this app. I think i remember reading things about what a major upgrade it was going to be. I think that was around the end of last summer. I actually thought they had released it, to be honest. Your idea is an intersting one. As I mentioned, a limited database app is in AppleWorks and maybe they are going for AppleWorks Pro containing a word processor, spreadsheet, filemaker, keynote, drawing software.
Apple could consider buying out Panorama (from ProVUE). It's a very nice, simple and blindingly fast database app that would sit nicely in an Office Suite. Also, ProVUE have developed a Windows version....
Filemaker 7 definitely seems to be aimed at enterprise and business customers, from the scraps and bits that are available. Even the current FileMaker Applications are telegraphing that intent.
I could see FMP continuing to go it alone - after all, it's done quite well so far, and since Apple's pushing its suitability as a RAD platform it's quite attractive as a standalone product. (As an aside, the number of development platforms either shipped with OS X or available from Apple is staggering and wholly unprecedented in the platform's history.)
The 800lb. gorillas standing between any would-be Office killer and enterprise are .DOC, .XLS, and the other undocumented, deliberately obfuscated and convoluted, and wholly proprietary document formats associated with Office. The 900lb gorilla standing in the way is Microsoft's omnibus site license, which makes the introduction of any non-Microsoft software solution almost automatically unattractive. Offering an alternative to Office is not unlike offering an alternative to Windows. You can, but good luck getting any traction. It doesn't matter if you build a better mousetrap here, either.
AppleWorks exists comfortably outside of this whole mess. Apple can either radically update it or replace it wholesale and sell it into its traditionally strong markets: Education and home users. Office has much less of a foothold here, between its complexity and its price tag, and given the complexity of the average AppleWorks document MacLinkPlus' translation is more than adequate when it's even necessary.
I'd have to say that open office has gained some traction on alot of fronts maybe not so much on the mac front yet but in due time.. it's really not a bad app and i mean on pc being able to export to pdf without having distiller is a pretty nice little perk. i never underestimate the power of a bunch of people who don't want to deal with MS
MS Office 2004 will be released in July, and ThinkFree Office is likely going through a complete rewrite as we speak. It is long overdue and likely that they have decided to rid their dependancy on Java, since it was the biggest shortcoming of the existing suite.
A Cocoa TFO 3.0 would be an excellent performer and should give users all of the core functions (including all Excel functions) that the vast majority of Office users will be likely to use on a daily basis.
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
I really don't see what loks so great about it to me.. but hey thats just my opinion and if you read up youll see open office has quite a few wins under its belt. but hey to each his own i think the better point is that people are finding they dont have to rely on MS products to get the things they do done
MS Office 2004 will be released in July, and ThinkFree Office is likely going through a complete rewrite as we speak. It is long overdue and likely that they have decided to rid their dependancy on Java, since it was the biggest shortcoming of the existing suite.
A Cocoa TFO 3.0 would be an excellent performer and should give users all of the core functions (including all Excel functions) that the vast majority of Office users will be likely to use on a daily basis.
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
Moogs,
Do we have any actual proof TFO is being re-written/updated?
I haven't heard anything about it and the company seems not to have put out a press release in the last six months.
Comments
1) AppleWorks has seen no major revisions in forever, and its not like Apple is giving up on the software front.
2) Keynote shows that they can and will take on parts of MS Office. It also shows what a better job they can do than MS. Keynote has been discounted recently and I expect a Keynote update bundled with the new Office suite some time this year.
3) Same goes for Safari vs. Explorer.
4) They need backup in case MS decides that the Mac platform isn't worth it.
5) Competition is good. They need to keep the pressure on MS to keep the Mac version up to date with MS's windows products. MS's advantage in the Office world is that so many folks want the complete MS solution to e-mail, PIM, etc. Its the standard in so many places. Even if Apple came out with their own suite, MS can go on to say how their suite works better with the whole slew of MS products. I do beleive having both MS and Apple offering soultions is the best possible thing for the MAc platform.
6) MS just publically committed to new versions of Office. Sure they can always bag it at will, but its good that they did and lessens some of the fear that the day after Apple unvails AppleOffice that MS will say "We're out." If Apple's office suite is about finnished, I bet securing MS public commitment at the last MacWorld has kept Apple from announcing their own version.
7) I keep remembering a rumor from The Gay Blade that Apple had moved the whole Appleworks/MacOffice development team into a seperate office building all with the intention of making a new Office suite. rumors can be wrong or plans can change, but The Gay Blade had a good track record-he wasn't MOSR.
8 ) Steve often mentions that "we started this project 2 years ago." I agree completely that developing an Office suite is a hugh undertaking and that is probably why we haven't seen it yet. I'm betting it will come this year.
Originally posted by cowerd
Maybe Apple should just shovel some $$$ to Adobe and get them to write and OS X version of FrameMaker.
No because Adobe can't be trusted to keep up or support the Mac version fully. Adobe has set a precedent that they are on the outside.
The new version has been rumored for ages and is now supposed to be out by August. Is it possible that FM7 could be a big enough remake to go head-to-head with some of the big database players?
If so, could this have major implications for the Xserve line?
Maybe Apple's holding back because they're wanting to jump headfirst into the enterprise sector and that requires having all the business-class apps debut at once.
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
Not very tangential at all Frank777. I don't use Filemaker, just its little brother that is part of Appleworks, so I haven't been following the news that much on this app. I think i remember reading things about what a major upgrade it was going to be. I think that was around the end of last summer. I actually thought they had released it, to be honest. Your idea is an intersting one. As I mentioned, a limited database app is in AppleWorks and maybe they are going for AppleWorks Pro containing a word processor, spreadsheet, filemaker, keynote, drawing software.
Apple could consider buying out Panorama (from ProVUE). It's a very nice, simple and blindingly fast database app that would sit nicely in an Office Suite. Also, ProVUE have developed a Windows version....
Originally posted by BLeST
i hate to sorta go OT with this...
Yup me too.
I could see FMP continuing to go it alone - after all, it's done quite well so far, and since Apple's pushing its suitability as a RAD platform it's quite attractive as a standalone product. (As an aside, the number of development platforms either shipped with OS X or available from Apple is staggering and wholly unprecedented in the platform's history.)
The 800lb. gorillas standing between any would-be Office killer and enterprise are .DOC, .XLS, and the other undocumented, deliberately obfuscated and convoluted, and wholly proprietary document formats associated with Office. The 900lb gorilla standing in the way is Microsoft's omnibus site license, which makes the introduction of any non-Microsoft software solution almost automatically unattractive. Offering an alternative to Office is not unlike offering an alternative to Windows. You can, but good luck getting any traction. It doesn't matter if you build a better mousetrap here, either.
AppleWorks exists comfortably outside of this whole mess. Apple can either radically update it or replace it wholesale and sell it into its traditionally strong markets: Education and home users. Office has much less of a foothold here, between its complexity and its price tag, and given the complexity of the average AppleWorks document MacLinkPlus' translation is more than adequate when it's even necessary.
MS Office 2004 will be released in July, and ThinkFree Office is likely going through a complete rewrite as we speak. It is long overdue and likely that they have decided to rid their dependancy on Java, since it was the biggest shortcoming of the existing suite.
A Cocoa TFO 3.0 would be an excellent performer and should give users all of the core functions (including all Excel functions) that the vast majority of Office users will be likely to use on a daily basis.
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
Originally posted by Moogs
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
What's ThinkFree Office, preciouss, what's ThinkFree Office?
Originally posted by Moogs
Probably never.
MS Office 2004 will be released in July, and ThinkFree Office is likely going through a complete rewrite as we speak. It is long overdue and likely that they have decided to rid their dependancy on Java, since it was the biggest shortcoming of the existing suite.
A Cocoa TFO 3.0 would be an excellent performer and should give users all of the core functions (including all Excel functions) that the vast majority of Office users will be likely to use on a daily basis.
I am hoping for a concurrent release with MSO 2004, because I will definitely buy TFO 3.0 instead if they have indeed re-written it. It's likely to be half as expensive but twice as efficient / stable.
Moogs,
Do we have any actual proof TFO is being re-written/updated?
I haven't heard anything about it and the company seems not to have put out a press release in the last six months.