COMMENTARY--Given my antipathy toward Linux as a desktop operating system, I'm nevertheless pleased to find a new product that lets you run Microsoft Office--at least some versions--on top of the alternative OS.
CodeWeavers's CrossOver Office eliminates the need for either a Windows emulator or a license to run the Windows operating system. Using pieces of WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator) as well as some original programming, the software lets you run Office 97 and Office 2000, as well as Lotus Notes, on top of Linux.
CrossOver currently supports only three Office applications: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. While those three are sufficient for most users, you're out of luck (at least for now) if you want to use Access, Outlook, or FrontPage. Internet Explorer isn't supported either, but CodeWeavers does sell a separate CrossOver Plugin, which allows some Windows plug-ins (including QuickTime, Shockwave Director, and Windows Media Player) to run atop Linux browsers.
IT'S UNCLEAR at this point whether CrossOver Office will be able to support Office XP. On my radio program, CodeWeavers's Aric Stewart said a clause in the Office XP End-User License Agreement, which stipulates that Office XP be used only on top of a Microsoft operating system, could throw a hitch into those plans.
That lack of XP support might not be a big problem for many users, for whom Office 2000 and Office 97 do pretty much everything they need done. For my part, I like Office XP just fine, but I could certainly live without the XP-specific features.
While I don't believe CrossOver Office is the killer app that will bring Linux to millions of desktops--I don't believe anything will do that--it is, nevertheless, an important development. For many users, it means they can fully express their techie spirit and freely choose their operating system, without sacrificing access to industry-standard productivity apps.
One other note: Even if you have no particular interest in CrossOver Office, I'd recommend a visit to the CodeWeavers Web site. It's a model for how small companies can explain their products.
FOR EXAMPLE, Jeremy White, the company CEO, provides a "truth-in-advertising" page for each of his products, and promises a money-back, no-questions-asked guarantee if customers don't feel they have received their money's worth.
There is also a page, entitled "The Real Dirt," that explains the software's benefits, with specific details about what does and doesn't quite work in the current release. If only all software companies were so candid with their customers. White's Web pages could be a lesson for many software companies, big or small, Linux, Windows, or Mac.
It wouldn't bother me if Microsoft were forced to create a native Linux version of Office as part of the eventual antitrust settlement. But I won't hold my breath waiting for either to happen. In the meantime, CrossOver Office seems to be a viable alternative for Linux devotees--and Windows users who want to make the OS switch.
CrossOver Office requires a 200MHz or higher x86-based machine. It's been tested with Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, Debian, and Caldera Linux. The software integrates itself with the Gnome and KDE Linux environments, from which users can start Office apps much as they would do in Windows. The software, which costs $54.95, is available from the CodeWeavers Web site. CrossOver Plugin sells for $24.95.
Would you try Linux if you could still use your Office apps? Talkback to me below.
