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WPS Office, formerly known as simply WPS (Word Processing System), is a product developed by (China) as an alternative to Microsoft Office
aimed at the Chinese market. WPS Office 2002, released in 2002, was considered by many a serious competitor to the dominant Microsoft Office (MS Office)
Simplified Chinese edition for its much lower cost and an interface that perfectly replicates MS Office's. Many local Chinese governments including
Beijing and Guangdong licensed thousands of copies of WPS Office immediately after the People's Republic of China (PRC) joined the WTO
(World Trade Organization). Shanghai, however still opted for more expensive MS Office.
In 2002, WPS Office 2002 surfaced as the next version of WPS Office and added to its bundle an email client. In a move hailed by many, WPS Office 2002 cloned the MS Office's user interface to the very last detail and as a result dramatically reduced the amount of retraining required to migrate from MS Office. However, critics labeled the strategic move as "the death of software innovation".
When the PRC joined the WTO, the Chinese look to rid their state-owned computers of pirated software. Kingsoft won big contracts and licensed, to many local Chinese governments including Beijing and Guangdong, thousands of copies of WPS Office. Shanghai, however, was unmoved by the low cost of WPS Office and still opted for the more expensive MS Office.
WPS Office plans to branch into Linux in the near future, announcing the development of WPS Office V6 as a multiplatform product early 2003.
Will WSP 2003 be better than MS Office 2003 ?
More info:
"The house of Blues"
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