14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already worked out a long-term plan for the Office productivity suite, which includes Windows 8, iOS and Android versions, but it seems like the Redmond-based tech titan has a much more ambitious strategy in mind.
A Linux version of Office 2013 could be released sometime next year, possibly soon after the debut of the Android build, according to a report by ExtremeTech.
Citing Michael Larabel of Phoronix, who in his turn talked to a Microsoft official on the matter, the report reveals that a full Linux port of Office is already in the works and could see daylight in 2014.
While this isn't the first time we hear about Office for Linux, Microsoft's decision to release such a version would pretty much make sense, especially because the company is working on an Android build. As we're sure you know, Android is based on Linux, so it shouldn't be too difficult to bring Office on desktop distributions.
The problem with this new Office flavor is the concept behind the Linux platform, the one that attracts users thanks to the open source license. An expensive Office productivity suite might not fit in this environment, so it remains to be seen if Microsoft's efforts to port the app to this platform would pay off.