Microsoft could launch free Office-like web-based software

Presumably in a bid to compete with the ever diversifying range of online products from Google, amongst others, there are reports emerging that Microsoft may consider releasing free, scaled-down web versions of its popular Office software.

It’s likely to be funded by advertising, and could well end up being part of the Live suite of applications. The chances of it coming close to the desktop equivalents of Word and Excel are slim, though it could be useful as a collaborative tool and for simpler applications where connectivity (and cost) is more important than a myriad of features (who uses all the features in Word and Excel anyway?)

Are we really surprised that Microsoft may be planning to do something else online that others are already doing? Not really. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. What do you reckon to a free MS Office on the web?