Kingsoft Attacks Microsoft Office on Two Fronts - China DOS Union Forum

Create Open Source, Kingsoft attacks Microsoft Office on two fronts
　　Kingsoft, the owner of WPSOffice, the best-known office software in China, announced that it has completed the acquisition of the core technical department of Create Open Source Software Company. This is the first merger and acquisition between domestic application software companies, and also the first merger and acquisition in China’s Linux industry.

　　Ge Ke, Vice President of Kingsoft and General Manager of the WPS office software division, told reporters that nearly twenty experienced Linux software engineers from Create Open Source have all stayed on, with not a single one leaving, and have directly joined Kingsoft’s R&D department in Beijing. This will greatly strengthen WPS’s R&D capabilities on the Linux platform. Create Open Source is a leading domestic Linux software developer, owning embedded operating systems and independent software products used in fields such as high-end mobile digital terminals, as well as the intellectual property rights to software such as CCOffice. After completing the acquisition, Kingsoft will inherit these intellectual property rights.

　　Kingsoft’s willingness to spend heavily on office software is closely related to government procurement of genuine software. This year, Kingsoft’s investment in WPS R&D has surged sharply, and compared with last year, the R&D team has doubled in size. Three R&D teams in Beijing and Zhuhai have simultaneously begun development of the next-generation WPSOffice. In addition to the WPSforLinux project team, the other two projects are respectively the development of WPSOffice2003 running on the Windows platform, and the development of a new version of WPSOfficeV6 that runs across both Windows and Linux platforms at the same time.

　　Ge Ke also revealed yesterday that among Kingsoft WPSOffice’s current three R&D project teams, the most important is the development of the cross-platform WPSOfficeV6. This version will rebuild the core engine of WPSOffice, directly targeting Microsoft MSOffice2003. At present, Kingsoft has already投入了 more than 80 software engineers into the related R&D work. Sources inside Kingsoft say that as early as next February, the commercial version of WPSOfficeV6 will be officially released. Kingsoft believes that because it can run on both Windows and Linux platforms, it will by then be the most mature collaborative office software in China.

　　Industry insiders believe that the reason Kingsoft is attacking on two fronts is that although the Linux strategy has already become national policy, the operating systems used by the vast majority of government agencies and large institutional users are still Windows, and this replacement period will last about 2 to 3 years. If Kingsoft were to turn completely to Linux R&D at this time, it would undoubtedly hand over the mature office software market on the Windows platform to foreign vendors for nothing. Meanwhile, the acquisition of Create Open Source guarantees a high starting point for Kingsoft WPSOffice on the Linux platform. High-quality products on the Windows platform ensure market share, and after 1 to 2 years, mature Linux products can be launched for a smooth replacement and transition. This is Kingsoft WPSOffice’s Windows-Linux strategy. (Beijing Entertainment News)

Floor1　党委书记	Posted 2003-04-16 00:00
高级用户　Posts 217　Credits 912　From 广东
Create Open Source, Kingsoft attacks Microsoft Office on two fronts 　　Kingsoft, the owner of WPSOffice, the best-known office software in China, announced that it has completed the acquisition of the core technical department of Create Open Source Software Company. This is the first merger and acquisition between domestic application software companies, and also the first merger and acquisition in China’s Linux industry. 　　Ge Ke, Vice President of Kingsoft and General Manager of the WPS office software division, told reporters that nearly twenty experienced Linux software engineers from Create Open Source have all stayed on, with not a single one leaving, and have directly joined Kingsoft’s R&D department in Beijing. This will greatly strengthen WPS’s R&D capabilities on the Linux platform. Create Open Source is a leading domestic Linux software developer, owning embedded operating systems and independent software products used in fields such as high-end mobile digital terminals, as well as the intellectual property rights to software such as CCOffice. After completing the acquisition, Kingsoft will inherit these intellectual property rights. 　　Kingsoft’s willingness to spend heavily on office software is closely related to government procurement of genuine software. This year, Kingsoft’s investment in WPS R&D has surged sharply, and compared with last year, the R&D team has doubled in size. Three R&D teams in Beijing and Zhuhai have simultaneously begun development of the next-generation WPSOffice. In addition to the WPSforLinux project team, the other two projects are respectively the development of WPSOffice2003 running on the Windows platform, and the development of a new version of WPSOfficeV6 that runs across both Windows and Linux platforms at the same time. 　　Ge Ke also revealed yesterday that among Kingsoft WPSOffice’s current three R&D project teams, the most important is the development of the cross-platform WPSOfficeV6. This version will rebuild the core engine of WPSOffice, directly targeting Microsoft MSOffice2003. At present, Kingsoft has already投入了 more than 80 software engineers into the related R&D work. Sources inside Kingsoft say that as early as next February, the commercial version of WPSOfficeV6 will be officially released. Kingsoft believes that because it can run on both Windows and Linux platforms, it will by then be the most mature collaborative office software in China. 　　Industry insiders believe that the reason Kingsoft is attacking on two fronts is that although the Linux strategy has already become national policy, the operating systems used by the vast majority of government agencies and large institutional users are still Windows, and this replacement period will last about 2 to 3 years. If Kingsoft were to turn completely to Linux R&D at this time, it would undoubtedly hand over the mature office software market on the Windows platform to foreign vendors for nothing. Meanwhile, the acquisition of Create Open Source guarantees a high starting point for Kingsoft WPSOffice on the Linux platform. High-quality products on the Windows platform ensure market share, and after 1 to 2 years, mature Linux products can be launched for a smooth replacement and transition. This is Kingsoft WPSOffice’s Windows-Linux strategy. (Beijing Entertainment News)