Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice - Where Is the Satisfaction?

Microsoft has produced a comparison between the Office 2007 System and OpenOffice. Wipro Technologies performed a study commissioned by Microsoft contrasting the Redmond Company's technologies with open source solutions. Not surprisingly, the conclusions of the study are favorable to Microsoft. Wipro Technologies has set up to measure the level of satisfaction among European students and schools using Microsoft and open source technology solutions.

73 schools in France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK were the subject of the study. "In conducting this study, we found that the schools' responses were quite consistent across the countries included in the study," said Theodore Forbath, the Practice Leader of Wipro PSA. "Overall, our findings indicate that Microsoft outperforms Open Source alternatives when it comes to supporting the priorities of European schools."

Wipro Technologies emphasized the fact that both students and teachers in the 73 schools across the six European markets favor Microsoft applications as they are "easier to use, richer in functionality, better integrated and better suited to supporting education activities" when compared to the alternative solutions delivered by the open source community.

"This study echoes what we hear every day - that teachers, administrators, parents and students see technology as a powerful aid to teaching, learning and employability, and that Microsoft's products offer a high degree of functionality and value," said Mark East, general manager of Microsoft's Education Solutions Group in Europe Middle East and Africa. "At Microsoft, we will continue to build innovative teaching tools and scenarios by collaborating with students and teachers from around the globe."

Wipro Technologies illustrated the general finding of the study with an example of Microsoft Office vs. Open Office, claiming that while 50% of schools are indeed satisfied with the Redmond Company's solution, 26% expressed satisfaction in relation to open source applications.