Linux gets its very own WordPerfect

Corel plans to test the waters later this month for a Linux version of its WordPerfect productivity software.

A Corel representative said the company's online store would begin selling a "proof-of-concept" Linux-native version of WordPerfect starting April 15. "This pilot project is designed to determine the feasibility of developing future Linux versions of WordPerfect or WordPerfect Office," the representative said.

Corel previously produced a Linux-native version of WordPerfect 8, released in 1998, and offered a Linux-translated version of WordPerfect 9 in 2000, when Linux was still a cornerstone of the company's broader strategy.

Corel has since backed off Linux, chewed through a $135 million bailout from Microsoft and went private last year in a $98 million buyout by a San Francisco venture capital firm.

The company has also shed several business units and laid off employees to focus on what the new owners consider its two key business segments: graphics software and WordPerfect.

WordPerfect made some notable market gains a few years ago when major PC makers began preloading it on their low-end models, but the deals didn't create much profit. The company plans to begin selling the new version 12 of WordPerfect later this month, promoting tools and interface enhancements that make it similar to Microsoft's market-dominating Office.

On the Linux side, WordPerfect will primarily compete with Sun Microsystems' StarOffice and its open-source offshoot, OpenOffice, which has made widely publicised gains lately with government customers.

David Becker writes for CNET News.com