OpenOffice, a free MS Office alternative, may stop improving in the near future. Developers seem reluctant to contribute the time necessary to keep the project alive.
In the words of volunteer Vice President Dennis E. Hamilton, OpenOffice “has limited capacity for sustaining the project in an energetic manner.”
Even if you don’t use OpenOffice, it would be a shame to see it shut-down. Microsoft Office and its customers need one important thing – competition. Microsoft’s main incentive to improve Office is the possibility of a rival appearing that would cut into their overwhelming market share.
Redmond doesn’t want to lose the stranglehold over Office software, the way they’ve lost the dominance of Windows.
There are other options if you want a non-Microsoft office suite. LibreOffice is attracting developers and users. Other rivals include FreeOffice, WPS Office and the Aussie-made Canva. Plus browser based packages like Google Docs and Microsoft’s Office Online.
