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Google vs Microsoft: Why I still use Microsoft?

There have been news, discussions, and analysis on "Google vs. Microsoft" war. I don't want to iterate them. Here's my take on this.

I am a Linux user (since back in the 0.12 days) and a Google user (I prefer Google's services [blogger, search engine, gmail, googlegroups] over others). Don't ask me why. It just clicks. I love Google. My main email reader is mutt, which runs on my Linux Debian box. And yet, I still use Microsoft product, specifically Power Point. I prefer to use OpenOffice Write to write documents. Why do I use Power Point and how this relates to the "Google vs. Microsoft" debate?

One feature that I love and cannot be part of Power Point is its ability to get clip arts from Microsoft through the Internet. When I need a picture, I can just use the "Insert > Picture > Clipart" menu and use Microsoft's Clipart on Office online. It will open a browser and take me to Office online web site. I can then search cliparts or pictures through its search engine. (Forget about generic search engine, Microsoft! You should focus on this.) The web site is easy to use and has a huge collection of free high-quality cliparts. This is, trully, a rare gem.

I do many (and I have to emphasize the word many) talks and presentations. I like to add pictures to my presentation. Microsoft makes it easier for me to make beautiful presentations. That's why I am sticking with Power Point. Nowadays I am looking at Apple's Keynote on my iBook. But Keynote is still missing Power Point's clipart integration feature.

Other than Power Point, I can do away without Microsoft.

Integration of Office applications with Intenet is what I think Microsoft should focus on. Microsoft can still attract people like me (a heavy Linux-OpenOffice-Google [LOG] user). Google doesn't have office application (yet!). They don't have to. All Google has to do is fund OpenOffice to make sure it is better and better and better. But for now, Microsoft still dominates office applications. Microsoft should focus on this, not on a generic search engine.

Comments

Anonymous said…
What happen with your iBook?
Anonymous said…
i am not anti microsoft either, but i don't use powerpoint. i've been searching a cross platform presentation, thanks to avi i found S5, which is pretty close to what i've been searching for. it's pretty rudimentary and a far cry from power point, but it is enough for me. about the images, i use google's image search service.
Anonymous said…
Don't you think that OpenOffice Presentation already can do that. Okay, probably it can't download clips automatically via internet but there's a bunch of free downloadable clips out there.

I still uses Windows mainly because Linux Kernel doesn't support my laptop's keyboard fully, but I use mostly opensource for the thing I do.
Anonymous said…
The reason why I still love Microsoft stuff (windows XP, Office, etc) is because it's cheap and available everywhere (you can find them in any software CD rentals / stores easily...) It's cheap .. only Rp. 10.000,- and you get an originaly pirated software hehe LOL
Anonymous said…
with my Slacware 10.1 kernel 2.6.12.5

+ Cedega (for playing non linux games ex: warcraft, CS, DotA, WoW, AoE etc)

+ Crossover (to install non linux app ex: excel, powerpoint, photoshop, corel)

+OpenOffice
+Google

I never need a 'JENDELA' anymore ^_^

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