It’s not easy to confuse Microsoft with Google at the best of times, but you may be excused for doing so with a new MS offering.

When I started Syntagma Media, bookkeeping and accountancy were real problems. We bought a couple of expensive packages — Quickbooks and Sage — but both were far too complex for a simple content business selling only ad space online.

Nowadays we rely on professional services, but for bootstrapping startups a quick, easy and FREE startup accountancy package would be a blessing.

So who’s going to provide this yummy piece of kit, Google? Maybe, but Microsoft got there first and it’s part of its Office suite. Wonders never cease.

Thanks to Rick Segal for the hat tip. Download Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 here.

Rick, of course, has form when it comes to free business offerings. See Syntagma’s piece here from November 2005.