Clash of the Titans -- over CONTENT in 2006

Those of you who read my Information Insider column on EContent Magazine (http://econtentmag.com) know my views about the importance of content and how well XML supports the creation, reuse, and repurposing of content. Hand-in-hand with content and XML is the value I place on open-source software, software --like the XML family of standards themselves-- have been peer reviewed.

If I am not mistaken, 2006 will be the year of the "Clash of the Titans," not only Microsoft and Google but somewhat lesser but important players too, including Sun Microsystems, Corel, Adobe, and a host of others who have decided to strike at Microsoft's jugular: Microsoft Office, the product from which Microsoft derives about 1/4 of its revenues. In fact, EContent Magazine will be publishing my column with this same title in early 2006.

In mid-year, I will begin writing a software review of Microsoft Office 12 (assuming a reasonably stable product is available by then). I will also be including a sidebar comparing Office 12 with two open-source products: OpenOffice and StarOffice. Since these latter two products are already available, I will begin writing my comments about these products in the first quarter of 2006, as a preparation to compare them with Office 12.

Others have in a sense beaten me to the punch: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the European Union, and many other foreign countries. By that I mean that they have already announced either deep skepticism about the "openness" of Office 12 and/or have pledged their support for OpenOffice or StarOffice.

Let the games begin!