Google, recovering quickly from legal threats to Google Print and political disputes over Taiwan on Google Maps, is moving on to a software project in collaboration with Sun -

The companies announced that they would “explore opportunities” to promote and distribute each other’s technologies — including Google’s search toolbar and OpenOffice.org, an open-source Microsoft Office rival based on Sun technology.

Details were scarce, beyond a plan to offer the Google tool bar along with Sun’s Java technology. But the announcement generated speculation that Google could be aiming to distribute OpenOffice.org through its widely used Web site or offer a Web-based version of the program, potentially boosting competition for Microsoft Office.

(Source: Seattle Post Intelligencier)

The idea sounds very mid-90s to me - I recall Sun trying to get a similar project off the ground when Java was at its prime. Web-based applications were quashed by the lack of adequate broadband and Java issues, amongst others.

But with the advent of wikis, tiddlywikis, basecamp, blogs, social software, etc, is providing OpenOffice online (potentially) no longer relevant?