Microsoft is discontinuing its venerable Works program, an entry-level productivity suite for home users, and replacing it with Office Starter 2010, which will contain advertising, PC World reports.
The announcement means the end of Works, the neglected stepchild of the Office family that Microsoft kept in the basement for some 20 years. Often preinstalled on home PCs, Works was a decent productivity tool for basic chores, like family budgeting and homework assignments. It had its quirks, however, such as forcing you to save a document in the Works format, even if the file had previously been saved in another format.