Microsoft to release free ad-supported version of Works

[Dashken]

Microsoft is releasing a free version of their popular Works suite to the public sometime next month.

According to ZDnet Mary Jo Foley, for the first time, Microsoft Works 9 will be supported by money generated from in-program advertising to offset the cost of developing the software. The retail price for Works 8 was $39.99.

The move may signal that Microsoft is trying to counter its competitors like Google and OpenOffice, which offer similar programs on the web for free.

Microsoft will use the ad-supported model on a trial basis until mid-2008 to find out if it can generate enough revenue to continue the service.

The ad-supported version will show advertisements while users work on their documents. Microsoft has not yet released details as to whether the ads will be context-sensitive, displaying ads based on the document’s subject matter.

It is expected that Microsoft will include traditional Works software staples such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and calendars.

Microsoft has positioned Works as a stripped-down version of its Office suite, and has offered it to those looking for a cheaper, slimmer alternative.

Those who wish to try out the new package might have trouble however, as Works 9 has very steep system requirements. According to Microsoft’s support page, the minimum system requirement for the Vista Basic version of Works 9 is 1 gigabyte of RAM, and the premium version of Vista requires a whopping 1.5 gigabytes of RAM.

Source: http://www.canada.com/topics/technol...7aaf3f&k=78717