It's hard to turn down free software, and with that in mind, Google has continued its assault on fortress Microsoft with even more free applications, according to a report in The New York Times. This time the search giant has free downloads of Sun Microsystems StarOffice, a productivity suite designed to compete with Microsoft's Office.

While Google has offered other free software downloads that compete with Microsoft's products, StarOffice is believed to represent an increased level of competition from Google because the suite is expected to meet the demands of business users who had previously eschewed the stripped-down free offerings.

"Google understands that their own docs and spreadsheets are aimed at lightweight users and small businesses," said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies. "Google's move to do this with StarOffice signals more of an effort to go after serious business users."