The Linux operating system has created enormous inroads over the final two decades. Now it appears like Microsoft may well finally be realizing the sales prospective of the open supply technique.

According to a source at ExtremeTech the software program giant is evaluating the potential of Microsoft Office for Linux. If the rumor is correct the new OS version could launch sometime in 2014.

A supply close to the project says Microsoft is taking a “meaningful look”  at a release for Linux.

Microsoft Office For Linux Could Arrive In 2014

At this time Microsoft is solidly footed in the .NET universe but an open supply version of MS Workplace could permit the business to additional align with open supply developers.

Microsoft is in desperate require for a stronger open source developer base as the firm attempts to fight off expanding competitors from the likes of Open Workplace, Google Docs and other emerging competitors in the cost-free and freemium spaces.

ExtremeTech attended the FOSDEM open supply conference in Brussels final week and attendees revealed that Microsoft is lastly beginning to realize the possible for an open sourced platform in terms of profitability.

Gravitating towards Linux tends to make sense as Microsoft is currently believed to be operating on a version of Office for Android. Google constructed its super common Android OS off the Linux backbone and Microsoft could port some data from that build to a new Linux version of Workplace.

According to the report:

Android, as you could already know, is a Linux-primarily based operating system, which means a lot of the porting operate will have already been accomplished â€" it shouldn’t take too considerably work to take the next step and bring Workplace to Ubuntu, or whichever distro Microsoft favors.

In the meantime Microsoft will need to have to convince the Linux community to invest in the new application. While Microsoft has in no way offered an Office for Linux OS, the organization has invested in Linux based applications in order to help the open source community develop.

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