Microsoft is not going to release a version of its Office suite software for open-source rival Linux, although the company is actively studying how Linux works and how it can integrate with the platform, a Microsoft representative said Wednesday.

"The simplest way I can answer the question is that Microsoft is 100% focused on Windows," said Nick McGrath, director of platform strategy for Microsoft in the U.K. "We have no plans at this present moment in time to deploy or build a version of Microsoft Office on Linux."

McGrath participated in a roundtable debate on whether free software development leads to proprietary software or if the flow works in reverse at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo that started Wednesday in London. The lone representative from Microsoft, McGrath handled a fair amount of ribbing from emotional open-source advocates who used the forum to question how Microsoft plans to deal with what advocates say is increasing market share of the Linux platform.

Open-source software allows anybody who has a great idea to "stand on the shoulders of giants," whereas in the commercial world it has to be patented, the underlying infrastructure has to be licensed and the idea has to be tried, said Mark Shuttleworth of the Ubuntu Foundation.

"From an innovation point of view, they [a company] have to have every bright idea, they have to get it right every time, and it costs them a lot to do it," Shuttleworth said. "Whereas in the free software world, we do take an evolutionary approach, and we know over time that evolution beats intelligent design, right?"

Shuttleworth wasn't the only one who forecasted hard times for commercial software developers. But Matt Asay, director of open-source strategy at Novell, said rather than focusing on why Microsoft isn't developing programs for Linux, developers should be focused on customer value.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.