BBC News
The software giant said it would make ad-supported copies of the Works package available within “months”.

As a way of competing with OpenOffice.org I cannot help but see this as doomed to failiure. For one, slight performance hits excluded, OpenOffice.org is a superior package to Microsoft Works, having a feature set which for most people will be comparable to that of Office. Plus there is a significant difference between free and ad-supported, particularly in an office suite where you do not wish to be distracted by garish advertisments. While I assume MS will eschew the worst of the webs banner ads, and exclude pop-ups, the fact of the matter is that there is a fundamental discrepency between what ads are trying to achieve and was an interface is trying to achieve. One should be subtle and unobtrusive, the other is designed to draw your attention.

Works also lacks one of the major advantages Office has over OO.org, that of compatibility. While this has improved in recent years, and MS have at last made symbolic gestures towards open-standards, the fact of the matter remains that Works isn’t Office.

Now I’m sure there will be people who take advantage of this offer, but they will largely be existing Works users, who will either not have heard of OpenOffice.org, or don’t want to learn a new system. It will do little to draw the customers they are trying to retain.

Not long now and I will finally be able to use the thing, I’m actually excited. Its a bit strange actually, at 22 I thought my majorly exciting christmases (Or christma, but that lacks the necessary magic and ‘white christmas’ suggests that christmases is correct) had ended, at least until I had children myself (Something that I’m still not sure about), but the Wii somehow manages to rescue all that. With my brothers getting a 360 they are similarly excited, and I think there will be a fair ammount of competition over the television in the front room. I’m hoping that Wii sports will at least give me a chance, and ultimately I’m hoping to get the whole family involved. I’ve already mentioned the golf to my Nana.

But in the meantime you may have noticed the punning title of this piece, which quite frankly is the only reason I’m even writing this. Sadly however it is not at all original, but has prompted a top run down of Wii inspired puns. So, without further ado lets hand over to the wonderful google.

Songs:
Wii three kings 128
Wii don’t need no education 377
Wii wish you a merry christmas 722
Wii are the champions 30,100
Wii will rock you 173,000

Pop Culture:
wii are the knights who say ni 0
Wii salute you 129

Other:
wiily bad 17
wiily good 217
wiidom 236
wiiaction 537 Bouyed by a C++ input library
wiifund 1,480
swiit 19,100
wiitard 19,500 See wiitarded
wiiner 53,800
wiitarded 90,500 I’m disapointed that this one is so high, but I can’t say I’m surprised. The internet is not best know for its sensitivity.
wiitar 298,00
wiimote 6,830,000 Well this one is practically official

This list is obviously far from complete, partly because its nearly half past one on Christmas eve and I can’t spend forever thinking up puns that may or may not have been made. I will however add to this and I welcome subissions, which will be credited to the first submitter (On the off chance that someone actually reads this and cares).