In a move that might be the beginning of something interesting, or the end of IT in Houston, the city has decided to stop using Microsoft's Office products in lieu of SimDisk, a web-based package offered by a local (to Houston) company.

The agreement will cost the city $9.5M and will put the 13,000 city employees online with the system first, to be followed by service for up to 3M city residents.

CNet has a good article about the move.