Microsoft Office for Linux to be Launched in 2014

Microsoft is taking a “meaningful look” at releasing a full Linux port of Office in 2014. A Linux version of Office could be released sometime next year, possibly soon after the debut of the Android build.

Citing Michael Larabel of Phoronix, who in his turn talked to a Microsoft official on the matter, the report reveals that a full Linux port of Office is already in the works and could see daylight in 2014.

While this isn't the first time we hear about Office for Linux, Microsoft's decision to release such a version would pretty much make sense, especially because the company is working on an Android build. As we're sure you know, Android is based on Linux, so it shouldn't be too difficult to bring Office on desktop distributions.

The problem with this new Office flavor is the concept behind the Linux platform, the one that attracts users thanks to the open source license. An expensive Office productivity suite might not fit in this environment, so it remains to be seen if Microsoft's efforts to port the app to this platform would pay off.