SoftMaker.com

I have some question about soffice 2012:

1 - this version will provide native support to x86_64?
2 - the linux release date.
3 - the more important, estimated price =)

1. SoftMaker Office 2012 is 32 bit software but there will be a 64bit .deb archive available for 64bit Linux.
2. We expect to start the beta test at the end of the year. The release date of the final version depends on how many bugs we find.
3. There is no price set yet. We will inform you via our newsletter as soon as it is available.

_________________
Sven Leßmann
SoftMaker Software GmbH

nice \o/

I found that I needed a stable office suite on Linux with good support for docx and xlsx files to work I chose SoftMaker Office, but before the appearance of 2012 version for Linux I'm not going to buy it. So, when will be released the first test build?

I'm also looking forward to this version.
But to be honest, I can't really see why you priority the Windows version before Linux.
Windows is a bigger market, but linux needs these type of software more.
And another thing is the fact that most people with Windows already have MS Office installed.
It doesn't really matter to me, I can wait a month or two.
But what I'm saying is, there are less money and customers in Windows.
The competition is way smaller in Linux.

Well - how much money is to be made in the different OS markets, SoftMaker will probably know better than you or I.

How does that make any sense?
Just because SoftMaker own this software does not mean they are smarter than any of us.
For instance. If they were smarter than me, SM office would have been known.
They aren't even in Ubuntu's software center, yet they should.
Look. What is the best way to get familiar?
Build up a network of people who are interested in what you are doing.
The reason why Google Chrome, Firefox and LibreOffice are so successful is because linux is a slightly smaller community than windows.
Everything you give full linux attention to will grow. Same with Apple.
If you develop software for windows And unless you're already a big-money company and advertising you ass off, you're software will not get familiar at all.
That is why everything with a huge success, are successful because they started in a slightly smaller landscape.
If you have the "I gonna be huge, big and famous" attitude, you're obviously gonna fail.
Firefox started as a linux browser, but a lot of people got familiar with it because it was the best browser in linux.
So they decided to build a version for windows too after millions of people requested it.
Do you think that would have happened if they started with windows? No! Because there are already 100s of browsers for windows.

So again, focus on the smaller community (linux).
Advertise the hell out of SM office on linux, and let Windows be the less important one.

And as far as I know. Their advertising isn't really amazing.
I heard about this software the other day when I was browsing lin-app.com Which is a site for non-free linux software and games.

If SoftMaker were smart, they would have used Ubuntu Software center to advertise their office suite.
Here's how I would have done it.
SMOffice 2004 is free now, right? So put it out on the software center for free. And add the rest of the versions too, but not for free of course.
See, that's how you make money. Don't go for the big boys.

Considering that SoftMaker has been around for 24+ years, I 'll give them credit for being smarter than you.



SoftMaker is known in many Linux communities. The Ubuntu software center is not the end all be all. Could advertising be better? Sure, but when you have limited resources, you pick and choose where you place your focus.



Google Chrome, Firefox and LibreOffice are successful because they are multi-platform products that appeal to a variety of communities not just because of Linux. One more thing about Chrome, tell me which platform it was released for first?



Last time I checked, Firefox started as a small project and managed to get popular because "word of mouth" and not advertising/big money.





Firefox started as a mult-platform browser not a linux only browser. Don't try skewing facts to match your beliefs.



Do you have any evidence to back up your claim on making money?

I would guess that SoftMaker probably sells about ten times more licenses for Windows than for Linux.
So it is the sensible thing to first work on the Windows version, and then later release the Linux version.
Also, the bigger Windows user base may help in finding bug sooner.



Total bullshit.
For every computer runing Linux there are 60-80 (or thereabouts) running Windows.
So even if a smaller percentage of Windows users buys a SoftMaker Office license, that are still more sales than for Linux.

Also, many Linux users are used to get most software for free.
And there are a lot of Office suites for Linux: Libre Office, KOffice, Lotus Symphony, ...
Actually, the competition is a lot bigger and harder to get by under Linux than under Windows.

They are used to free because too many of them are open source fanboys, and demand them to be free.
But that doesn't make them good.
In fact, none of the free office suites you have for linux are very good (in my opinion).
They are decent.
Also, what makes you think SoftMaker have more windows customers?
When you order a pc with windows, they usually ask if you want MS office with that pc.
If Softmaker put their office suite in the ubuntu software center, people will obviously check it out.
I have asked a bunch of people in the linux community on youtube if they've heard of softmaker office. 1 out of around 20 said yes.

In windows you have a ton of office suites.
In linux, you have around 5 office suites, and this is the only one that is actually stable, fast and functional enough to recommend for other people to use.

Sure Windows has like 80 percent of the computer market, but that's also why you can't expect more people to use it on windows. It's a jungle
As I said, Tons of choices. Tons of free yet stable choices.

Read what I said about firefox, chrome and libreoffice. They are very popular now Because they started in a smaller community, and more and more people took interest in their software. So they came to windows too.
Someone replied to me and said they are popular because they are multi-platform, which is the dumbest thing one could ever say. Most people don't even know there are alternatives to Windows. Sure more and more people see a future in Mac. But still. Windows dominates. And again, it's a jungle. A jungle of software no-one knows about because they tried out for the big boys.
And as I said. If you want to get familiar, do not go for the big boys. If you do that, you are doomed in this business jungle.

And yet SoftMaker has been around for 24+ years in this jungle



These products started out with Windows as the primary focus first. Stop changing things around to match what you want to believe.

BTW, I am still waiting for you to answer my question about Chrome.



Nice and convenient you ignored responding to my post. As for dumbest thing one could ever say, you are the clear winner in that areana.

Maybe a long time back people wouldn't know about alternatives to Windows, but in this day and age that is not the case. Once again, these products are popular because they are multi-platform.



Once again SoftMaker has survived just fine in this jungle. Although, I am sure they will be knocking at your door now to glean more insight of your business acumen.

But it means that they are less likely to buy SoftMaker Office, even if it is way better than any of the free office suites.
Windows users on the other hand are (on average) more used to pay for Software, and so they are more likely to buy SoftMaker Office, if they are convinced of it's qualities.



The fact that SoftMaker was selling office programs for Windows way before they started supporting Linux.
The fact that Windows has a bigger market share (more on that below).
The fact that Windows users are more used to pay for software that Linux users (see above).



This argument is extremly weak.
If you install Linux you usually get an installation of LibreOffice.
So there's no real different between Windows and Linux machines.



Well, on my Linux machines, I NEVER checked out the Ubuntu software center.
So what does that tell us?



Windows has something like 80% of the market.
Apple Mac has some 15% or thereabout.
That leaves 5% or less for LInux, *BSD and all the others.

If 1 in 20 Linux users buys SoftMaker Office, thats 0,1% of the market at best.
If 1 in 100 Windows users buys Softmaker Office, thats 0,8%.

So yes, it is logical for SoftMaker to first concentrate on Windows.



No.
The dumbes Thing is to pretend that those programs moved to Windows late in their development.
LibreOffice is a fork of OpenOffice which is the successor of StarOffice, which, guess what, was doing well on Windows before it moved to Linux.
Firefox was available on Windows almost from the get-go.

Those programs are not successful because they started in a small community, they are successful because they where available on Windows at a time when people where looking for alternatives to the old, buffy Internet Explorer and the big, slow, expensive Microsoft Office.
The number of Windows users drives the success of those projects.

Any news on when the beta is coming out?

There is no release date yet. We will inform you as soon as we have more information.

_________________
Sven Leßmann
SoftMaker Software GmbH

Strange no official communication has been sent about this beta.
I would like to participate in the Linux Beta Version, though