27th February 2007

Google Apps challenges Microsoft expectation culture

posted in disruptive-technology, web 2.0 |

The pervasive “expectation culture” of Microsoft-centric operating system and productivity software is pervasive today in most educational and business environments. By “expectation culture” I mean that most people expect that everyone is using Microsoft products on their computers. That culture is continuing to be challenged by several factors including:

  • The runaway popularity of the iPod, iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, and the “switcher” potential it provides Apple.
  • The availability of powerful (offline and “traditional”) productivity software suites like OpenOffice and NeoOffice.
  • The availability of powerful, Linux-based operating system alternatives like Ubuntu, Edubuntu, openSUSE, and Linspire.
  • The expectation of a cell phone and handheld computing revolution, ushered in by the iPhone this summer.

Add to that list of challenging disruptive technologies the Google Apps Premier Edition for families and groups, small businesses, enterprise businesses and schools.

Tim Wilson reports that currently “the Education Edition is limited to post-secondary institutions.” He also links to Wired article “Google Apps: Should You Switch?” which offers reasons to switch as well as stay with MS Office. Reasons to switch include:
- Cost
- Centralized data storage
- Security
- 24/7 access to the work space
- Cut the Microsoft leash

Reasons to stay with desktop solutions (those by MS or free alternatives) include:
- Privacy
- Regulatory compliance (and this could be a big reason for schools getting eRate funding)
- Google Apps is incomplete
- Working on the web is weird
- No offline access

How many people are going to embrace web 2.0 productivity software offered by a company like Google? Stephen Rahn links to an ITWire article quoting a Google Manager (“Google Apps replaced Microsoft Office at 100,000 businesses”) pointing out that LOTS of businesses have already moved to the free version of Google Apps for Your Domain. I looked at recommending this for our church’s IT needs in Oklahoma several months ago, but the committee decided to go with a more traditional / conservative route and order a new Win2003 server with MS Exchange. Our local “expectation culture” for Microsoft products prevailed.

Stan Beer of ITWire wonders if OpenOffice and Google won’t get together in the future and provide offline access to online Google documents. Who knows? Just about anything is a possibility. What is certain is the availability of more operating system and productivity software options will to continue to disrupt the Microsoft expectation culture.

Personally, I think that makes for an exceptionally dynamic and interesting educational computing culture to watch and participate in. :-)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 27th, 2007 at 9:13 am and is filed under disruptive-technology, web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

There are currently 4 responses to “Google Apps challenges Microsoft expectation culture”

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  1. 1 On February 27th, 2007, edbong said:

    I have been wondering the same thing. Why not use OpenOffice (Which Google has been promoting anyway) an make seemless integration with Google… or maybe the open source community will come up with something… for example we are developing an FREE open source “business application platform” (think salesforce.com). Our first application is working tightly integrated with GOOGLE APPS. http://www.applicationexchange.com.

  2. 2 On February 27th, 2007, Kyle Brumbaugh said:

    Wesley:

    We are using Google Apps for your Domain at the High School level. I am piloting them with the Global Communications Course. The kids are having a great time collaborating on a single document.

    - http://www.capuchinohighschool.org
    - http://portal.capuchinohighschool.org
    - http://globalcom.wetpaint.com

    Kyle Brumbaugh

  3. 3 On February 27th, 2007, Tim Wilson said:

    Hey Wes, as Kyle points out above I discovered that you can get Google Apps Education Edition working for K-12 districts. It was easy. -Tim

  4. 4 On February 27th, 2007, Wesley Fryer said:

    Ah good, thanks for the clarifications Kyle and Tim!