>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5/26/2005 11:41:05 PM >>> >putting everything that an office uses in one >program (from web browsing, to taxes, to payroll) is silly.
In the short term, given time and people constraints, yes definitely. In the long term as software continues to become more modularly interoperable, lack of such features will mean the death of a program. If all you want is basic document creation, typewriters work pretty well too. Today most people want more, and that growth has never plateaued. It's a process that's been going on for decades, and calling it silly will not dissuade it. Firefox's successful extension model is a fairly good example of how to make it work today. Provide a core product that "everyone" needs as a foundation, and allow said users to plug-in the other features as needed. Per your above example, People with accountants are unlikely to need tax-related features, but others well. Perhaps there could also be something purely for tax accountants themselves. If OOo had optional features that catered to the needs of lawyers it might make some think seriously about switching from WordPerfect, which is very popular in that group of users. etc. etc. Few people seem to want a product that has EVERYTHING, but most people do want a product that has everything they need. As everyone's needs are different, providing a customizable product that can optionally cater to anyone is the only solution. It means no one has to deal with the unneeded bloat OR the lack of a feature that's essential to a person at a given time. --Kevin
