ajaxWrite is a powerful word processor that can read and write Microsoft Word formatted documents. Anytime you need a word processor, need to open a .doc file or edit a .doc file, simply point your Firefox browser at ajaxWrite.com and in seconds a full-featured program will be loaded. For 90 percent of the people in the world, the need to buy Microsoft Word just vanished. This won't make Microsoft happy, but software users should be very excited that software just got cheaper, immediate and modern.

But ajaxWrite is just the start. We have a library of applications we have been working on to replace most of the standard PC software titles. Every week we will launch a new sophisticated program on Wednesday at 12:00 PST on ajaxlaunch.com. These programs will push the boundaries of what people believe is possible today with web-delivered software. These programs look and operate much like their traditional software cousins, but are cross-platform, loaded dynamically, and are available to users at no charge. I'm convinced if you try a few of these products you will understand how the software business will fundamentally change.

The impact of this shift in how software is delivered to users cannot be understated. First and foremost, we're blowing up the economic model that companies like Microsoft and Adobe have built their empires around - selling packaged software for big dollar amounts. Software is transforming into a service more akin to web mail, news, IM and VoIP where the basic offering is free. That doesn't mean that the companies behind these services don't make money, but that the way they make money will changes.

Secondly, software is constantly improving. Rather than living with a software program for 3 years until a new version is released, these programs are constantly being updated with features, bug fixes and security enhancements seamlessly delivered invisibly each time the program is launched. As your reading this, users are trying out ajaxWrite and giving us feedback in the forums. The changes and fixes are almost immediately implemented so the next ajaxWrite user sees the benefit.

Because these programs utilize browser technology and push some processing to servers, they can be small, which minimizes hardware requirements. Typically new versions of desktop software fatten up and soak up all available PC performance and run slowly on older PCs. ajaxWrite is moving in the opposite direction. It's a slim 400K. You read that right - its size is less than one megabyte, which means it runs equally well on a low-powered laptop as well as a high-powered desktop.

As you probably surmised from the names ajaxLaunch and ajaxWrite, we are using AJAX technology to deliver this software magic. But unlike other AJAX efforts that have produced web-based programs with awkward user interfaces, our programs look and operate like traditional software applications. Therefore, there is no need to learn a new interface with awkward buttons or browser-based interfaces.

I encourage you to try ajaxWrite.com from Firefox 1.5, or newer, and experience the future of software firsthand. There's no cost. No registration required. Nothing to install. Not even an email address is required. We've constructed a FAQ at ajaxLaunch.com which will give you more technical details. Please also take a minute to share your perspective in our forum about this and other AJAX software that we'll be unveiling.

-- Michael

Michael L. Robertson is the founder of four organizations: Linspire, MP3tunes, SIPphone, and REEF. He is also a principal investor in Sadie's Children's Photography, a popular portrait studio for Hollywood-style children's portraits.

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