MS new policy - license dies if computer dies

[Peru]

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... PC_forever

[Bob]

MS is clearly trying to push small business and consumer Office users to a subscription model. I'm glad I'm an Open Office user. Of course, MS isn't the only one pushing to convert users to a subscription model. Adobe has clearly changed the Creative Suite product licensing terms to push the Creative Cloud offering.

[_Paz_]

What does 'open office' user mean, Bob?

[Chuck Engels]

Open Office is a program similar to Microsoft Office and it is free.
It can open, edit and create documents and spreadsheets just like Microsoft Office.
It isn't perfect but it is free to use

http://www.openoffice.org/product/index.html

[Dave McElderry]

Another question asked whether, under the retail Office 2013 EULA, customers could move the suite -- and its license -- to a replacement PC when the original was lost, stolen or destroyed. Microsoft reply: "No comment."

I just had a client have a computer stolen which had a brand new copy of Office 2010 installed. Of course if it refuses to validate the registration when reinstalling on the replacement computer we will pursue this with MS. Since it's 2010 I don't anticipate any problems, but it sure does make me not want to recommend/purchase Office 2013. I'm not at all happy with the whole "computing in the cloud" thing.

[Bob]

The OpenOffice suite is currently at version 3.4. In an interesting turn of events, IBM has decided to donate their office suite (Lotus Symphony) to the Apache OpenOffice project and portions will be incorporated into OpenOffice 4 when it is released later this year. It just keeps getting better.

[roadsideron]

You might want to look into the debate regarding Open Office vs Libre Office. The originators of Open Office broke away from it when they no longer offered it as open source. The originators then started up Libre Office and it is progressing much faster and much better than Open Office. The free open source office software that is preinstalled on Linux distros is Libre Office, not Open Office.

Version 4 is out for Libre office:

http://www.libreoffice.org/#0

[Bob]

That's open to debate -- which is ongoing, actually. "Better" is a very relative term and is in the eye of the beholder. LibreOffice is a "fork" of OpenOffice. "Fork" meaning it is based on the same base code as of a particular release and then independently developed, and diverging, from there. The split had as much to do with Oracle acquiring OpenOffice as anything. However, since that time, Oracle has given up that ownership and given it to the Apache Software Foundation where it is very much still open source.

There is a basic philosophy difference between LibreOffice and OpenOffice. OpenOffice has had fewer releases with less new features but more stable code while LibreOffice has had more frequent releases with more new features but is perhaps not as stable. LibreOffice is a good fit with Linux. The people who run Linux distributions tend to be more technologically adept and more willing to put up with a little inconvenience to gain access to more capability. I think the typical Windows user will be better off with OpenOffice. But, let me be clear. I'm not taking sides. Since they are based on the same code base, there is a lot of simularity. Which appeals to you will depend on your requirements and outlook. Feel free to look at both.

[George Tyndall]

[ just had a client have a computer stolen which had a brand new copy of Office 2010 installed. Of course if it refuses to validate the registration when reinstalling on the replacement computer we will pursue this with MS. Since it's 2010 I don't anticipate any problems, but it sure does make me not want to recommend/purchase Office 2013. I'm not at all happy with the whole "computing in the cloud" thing.

We had a discussion not long ago on this board regarding OEM versions of Win7 vs. the boxed version, which can be installed on as many machines as one wishes, albeit one at a time.

As a result of that discussion, I bought the boxed version of Win7 with Service Pack 1, plus spare hardware components for the machine in my signature (motherboard, processor, video card) precisely because I do not care for the direction the computer world appears to be moving.

As of just now, it appears that the moment has arrived to change my C drive (see my other post), which I have both a mirror image and a clone of--and am about to find out whether either functions (assuming we agree that my problem is a dailfed C drive).

[_Paz_]

Open Office is a program similar to Microsoft Office and it is free.
It can open, edit and create documents and spreadsheets just like Microsoft Office.
It isn't perfect but it is free to use

Thanks for the explanation, Chuck. I've used Notepad and Wordpad from time to time but find them both to be lacking. I was not aware there is a good, free program out there.

I used Word 2000 for the longest then upgraded to Word 2010 quite recently. Word 2000 in OS Win 7, Ultimate, would no longer alphabetize a list and although it will open and function pretty well, it will not close without having to go through Task Manager. Anyway, looks like it will be the last one for me.

I"ve wondered if I was the only one who didn't think it was/is such a lovely idea to have all my files stored on someone else's server, programs too. Frankly, I don't like it a bit. I don't have a single, specific reason, I just don't like the idea of it. Perhaps I'm too fond of being as independent as I can be.

Paz

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

I'm still using Office 2007. For my needs I see no reason to upgrade so as long as it keeps working......

Regarding the cloud - doesn't even enter my thinking as, out here in the wilds of rural England (that means just two miles from the nearest large town which is itself part of the conurbation of one of our largest cities, Manchester) we get around 2Mbps download and 350Kbps upload speed. So the cloud is out of the question, leaving aside the points that Paz raises.

[AllieB]

Just read in another forum (Germany) that this should only be in the USA. According this post, unfortunately also in German, Microsoft Germany spokesman said that when an German computer dies you have to call a specific tollfree number which gives you a new key and or activitions code.

According to that spokesman in the USA are other licences valid than those in Germany.

[George Tyndall]

For my needs I see no reason to upgrade so as long as it keeps working......

Ditto that.

[TreeTopsRanch]

Looks like MS is slowly discouraging its user base from purchasing their products. First it's Win 8 that is designed to be used on tablets, now this stupid licensing procedure for it flagship product.

[Peru]

For my needs I see no reason to upgrade so as long as it keeps working......

Ditto that.

I'm still using MS Office 2000 Pro.