What if there was alternative for Microsoft Word that would install and open in 6 seconds, read and write Microsoft Word .doc files and run on Macintosh, Microsoft Windows or Linux computers? And oh yeah, it was FREE so consumers didn't have to pay $499 for Microsoft Office. I'm excited to announce that day is here.
Before I go into specifics, let me give you some background about how it all came about. Two years ago, I received an email from a guy named Hisham. I usually get a couple of emails a week from someone with a big idea, but I got the sense that there was more to this one. He told me about his idea to offer a service like CNR (a popular Linspire feature that installs programs with one click) for all computers. He wasn’t talking about a software installation system, but rather a new way to build and deliver software using the power of the browser. This would mean that the latest software could be delivered directly to any computer with an Internet connection almost instantaneously.
Since he's in Germany, I agreed to a meeting in Brussels, Belgium where I was attending to other EU business. We met in a dark, smoky hotel bar, which lent an air akin to a spy novel rendezvous. Hisham pulled out a laptop and did a quick technology demonstration. Within a couple hours we formulated a plan to revolutionize the way consumers acquire and use PC software.
You can get music, movies and news with a single click, but if you need a major software program you have to drive to a store and waste the better part of a day and a significant sum of money to get to a point where you can use it. The same technology companies that have made it possible to deliver just about anything else with a single click on a computer haven't done the same for software. Microsoft and others seemed locked into a 1980s style of business largely because their monopoly has insulated them from competitive pressures to change.
My plan is to replace bloated, expensive PC software with a system that dynamically loads software to your computer when you need it and at no cost. Want to write a document? One click and you'll have a word processor at your fingertips. Need to create a financial model? Click, and a spreadsheet program is at your service. The software will always be up to date and run on any Mac/Win/Lin computer.
With this mission I quietly formed a new company last year and set about realizing our first products. I became the CEO and have been working with my team to build our cornerstone applications, the first of which we're launching today.