OpenOffice vs. MS Office

I have worked with both apps and I am a huge user of Google Docs. Open source applications help me run Geeks on Ice and collaborate with my team. I see huge potential for open source apps like OpenOffice.org for the non-profit sector, but the hurdle these technologies will face in that environment is a knowledge barrier.

I witness a digital divide for most non-profit organizations I work with when we introduce new technologies. Many have learned to use MS Office while they were in University, thus get a little scared when the thought of learning new technology (even if both apps are relatively similar) frighten people. That being said, when I first got into the legal document transformation business with Whitehill most firms were using WordPerfect. Now, no one knows what WordPerfect is?

My prediction, Google will bridge their Gmail and Google Docs applications with StarOffice which will offer users a complete business applications suite with built in document repository functionality for free! Imagine accessing your documents from any computer with internet access. Goodbye laptop bag! To counter this offensive, Microsoft will need to move to a thin client (web based) application with offline capabilities to remain current. What do you think?


-Trevor MacAusland