Softmaker Software GmbH, a German Office wannabe, has taken out after open source darling OpenOffice, saying it’s not good enough to score against Microsoft and proposing its own widgetry as a substitute.

The company has just put out a public beta of its Software Office 2008 for Linux, which includes what it calls a Word-compatible word processor, TextMaker, an Excel-compatible spreadsheet, PlanMaker, and a new PowerPoint alternative, Presentations.

Softmaker faults OpenOffice as slow, and says its Microsoft file format compatibility is dicey and its user interface crowded.

It claims its own software reads Microsoft .doc, .xls and .ppt files without a hiccup, without changing charts or objects and without losing formatting.

It also claims features not in Microsoft like PDF export and an ability to run off a USB flash drive without being installed on the hosted operating system, a skill it figures is handy in Internet cafes.

It says it leaves OpenOffice in the dust speed-wise, which translates into superior performance on the new netbooks such as the Eee.

See www.softmaker.com.