Corel offers WordPerfect for free

Corel has made available a beta version of its WordPerfect Lightning software for free, in a bid to attract users into buying the advanced commercial version.

The 20Mbyte download can be installed on a local desktop. The software links to Corel’s website, offering the ability to share documents online using collaboration services. The application’s small size allows it to be transported on a USB stick or other storage device from one PC to another.

Users can organise, view and edit content, although creating more professional-looking documents requires the use of WordPerfect Office X3, which costs £247 from Corel.

The release of the Lightning desktop-web software follows Google’s recently launched range of online office applications and Microsoft Office 2007.

In a new report by Forrester Research, Forrester principal analyst Erica Driver, noted that the popularity of web-based office applications would be determined by whether users are willing to trade reduced functionality and privacy for the convenience of software as a service. 

Download Corel WordPerfect Lightning

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