Evermore Software Tuesday announced the English version of Evermore Integrated Office 2004, a direct challenge to the domination of the Microsoft Office suite of desktop applications.

Unlike the Microsoft Office suite, Evermore Integrated Office is a single program that stores all related text, worksheets, business graphics, and so on in one binder, using a single file format (.eio), though it can read and write to all Microsoft Office file formats. Written in Java, it runs on Windows and Linux, and versions are in development for the Macintosh and Solaris platforms.

A quick demo of the project showed that it possessed most of the key functions of Microsoft Office, and it's Data Object Oriented Repository System (DOORS) enables a "Paste Link" command that significantly eases synchronizing data across large projects.

Evermore Integrated Office was created by Evermore Software, in Wuxi City, China, which has been selling a Chinese version of the product for more than year. While most observers said that it was unlikely to challenge Microsoft Office in the U.S., it could gain significant market share in China. Leases will be available in May for $99 per year.