Software giant Microsoft is considering a Linux variant of its popular "MS Office" next year, according to Extreme Tech. Speculation is that Microsoft is considering Linux as an option because of the open-source platform's increasing commercial potential. The report also states that Microsoft has already begun work on releasing an Android-specific Office version.If these reports turn out to be true, it will be a first for Microsoft as the company does not have much Linux-specific software except Skype. The company is expected to stick to its paid-for, commercial model for Office deployments on Linux as well.
Considering that Microsoft Office is already developed for Apple's Mac OS, and that Microsoft has a division working closely with open source, this is a prospect that has been discussed by Linux users for a long while now. The main deterrent is the extent to which Linux licensing terms (under GPL) may require Microsoft to open up its hitherto proprietary source code and render it open source.
At present, Linux distributions come with free productivity application suites, such as Libre Office. Linux PCs are used extensively in many large set-ups like educational institutions and governmental organizations, and these organizations may possibly want to adopt Microsoft Office.
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