Microsoft gets more aggressive with free software

Microsoft gets more aggressive with free software
Consumers can start buying Office 2010 or using the free Web Apps in June. While it is possible people could choose to use only the free versions, they may end up missing the myriad features Microsoft left out of the lightweight Web tools. NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker also doesn't think consumers will widely give up buying the desktop software in favor of Web programs because people "are not all that confident yet" about the concept of using software that stores their information online.

In addition to the Web Apps, Office 2010 brings a slew of new features and updates to individual programs.

In several programs, people will be able to work on the same document simultaneously, a feature Google's programs already allow.

Office 2010 also brings more powerful photo editing tools to Word and other programs, and adds video and audio editing functions to PowerPoint.