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news.yahoo.com
Google Inc. took a step toward challenging Microsoft Corp."s dominance of computer software with the announcement Tuesday of a collaboration agreement with Sun Microsystems Inc.
The move could lead to Google offering next-generation word processing, spreadsheet and collaboration tools that would take on Microsoft"s industry-leading Office suite of software.
But for now its significance may be mostly as a symbolic shot across Microsoft"s bow, signaling Google"s intention of
attacking the world"s biggest software company head on.
Aside from a plan to offer Google"s toolbar program with downloads of Java software, details of the agreement were scant. Though it could lead to a new pipeline for Sun software to millions of computers, there was no firm commitment.
OpenOffice, an offshoot of Sun"s StarOffice, is a leading challenger to the ubiquitous Office suite, a major cash cow for Microsoft. Both offer a word processor and spreadsheet among other applications.
"OpenOffice is already an alternative, but if Google gets involved in supporting it, that could be the thing that puts it over the top," said Forrester Research analyst John R. Rymer.
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