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As described by Sun, StarOffice 8 is “a full-featured office productivity suite that’s compatible with Microsoft Office at just a slice of the cost.”  That “slice” is normally $70, but, thanks to Google, the software is now free - StarOffice has become available in Google Pack.

StarOffice Stuffed Into Google Pack

This caused Read/WriteWeb’s Richard MacManus to write, “As always, it’s a smart move by Google on a number of fronts: 1) it nicely complements - and covers gaps in - their online browser-based office products; 2) it enhances their credentials as a software distribution company . . . and 3) it points to more online/offline syncing . . .”

There are also benefits for Sun - what company doesn’t like to be associated with Google?  On a more measurable level, Jim Stroud believes the development will draw a lot of new users to StarOffice, and that seems like a safe bet.

This could create a number of problems for Microsoft, considering that Vista has yet to really catch on.  Also, a recent JupiterResearch study puts Google several spots ahead of the Redmond-based corporation in terms of brand popularity.

An earlier report from Interbrand reverses those standings, however, and the StarOffice development, by itself, doesn’t doom Microsoft.  Yet there are definitely some interesting shifts taking place in the Google-Microsoft dynamic (see David Utter’s article on the Google Video shutdown for further details).