Sun Microsystems公司将于星期二发布该公司的商业集成软件StarOffice的一个新版本，该版本在与微软公司的Office的融合上做出了改进，Sun希望以此来分享微软在这方面的市场份额。

新版本为StarOffice 8，包括了电子表格、文字处理器、数据库和演示软件等，它允许用户将文档与微软的Office对接。这样的改进，可以使那些已经选择使用了微软公司的产品的公司可以使用Sun的产品。

该软件的发布是在微软和Sun宣布成为研发战略伙伴并共享专利的18个月之后的第一次。但Sun的执行官却说，大多数的新功能都是在微软和Sun合作之前就由公司的大客户制定了的。

StarOffice 8的售价为99.95美元，如果直接从网上下载，价格是69.95美元，企业用户为每单元35美元。

转自：The New York Times, September 26,2005

By LAURIE J. FLYNN

Published: September 26, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25 - Sun Microsystems is hoping to steal market share from the Microsoft Corporation with the release on Tuesday of a new version of its business software collection, StarOffice, with improved compatibility with Microsoft Office.

StarOffice 8, which includes a spreadsheet, word processor, database and presentation software, allows users to import and export Microsoft Office files and to use Office macros, the tiny chunks of code that automate specific tasks.

Improving StarOffice's ability to work with Microsoft software is considered critical to expanding Sun's reach within companies that already use Microsoft products.

The release, which is the first upgrade to StarOffice in about two years, comes 18 months after the two companies announced a development partnership as well as an agreement not to sue each other over patent disputes. But Sun executives said most of the new compatibility features were in development at the request of some of Sun's largest customers even before Sun reached an accord with Microsoft.

The retail price of StarOffice 8 is $99.95, though the program can be downloaded for $69.95. For corporate customers, Sun offers a per-user price of $35. The company, based in Santa Clara, Calif., is also expanding StarOffice's sales through retailers.

StarOffice is the first commercial suite to support the OpenDocument format, an increasingly popular open-source approach to sharing files among computers, which is not supported by Microsoft. The format is being adopted by governments and other agencies attracted to the lower costs and independence of open-source programs.

Massachusetts, for example, announced last week that its state offices would use only those software programs that conform to OpenDocument, which was developed by the open-source standards body known as Oasis. That decision essentially locks out Microsoft, whose Office program stores files in so-called XML and other formats.

Massachusetts officials said the state government there would save millions of dollars by using only OpenDocument programs, in large part because those programs tend to cost less and are compatible with a range of inexpensive open-source programs. Officials there also said they felt it was critical they remain "sovereign" rather than be locked into a specific company. Several European governments are also considering mandating the use of programs based on OpenDocument.