It looks like KingsoftOffice 2007 — emphasizing Microsoft Office compatibility — is going to launch at ¥4,980.
Looking back, my university professor was firmly anti-Windows, which meant we were encouraged to use OpenOffice. My graduation presentation was done with no PowerPoint.
OpenOffice is undeniably strong on being free, but compatibility has never been perfect — some formatting can get garbled. That said, comparing old versions with current ones, compatibility has improved significantly.
For personal use or non-critical document work, I think it’s an excellent choice.
For business use, though, imperfect compatibility remains a real challenge.
An interesting product to keep an eye on.