The Lemon Fool

Having just bought a new laptop I thought it's time to upgrade from my trusty copy of office 2013 which cost me £59 about 4 years a go and so I thought let's have a bash at office 365. It's only £59 . . . . . and then you notice. It's £59 a year, every year.

Screw that. I can live with my old copy just fine.

And I then I thought it's not just software that's moving to a rental model is it? Leasehire for cars springs to mind.

I have tried, and so far failed, to move my wife on from her trusty Office 2003, which is still going strong despite the move to Windows 10, which it allegedly can't survive. I did attempt to tempt her with Office 2010, but she said that was too modern for her tastes.

My problem now is that I can no longer help her to solve problems with Word, because I can't remember how the 2003 controls work any more. So the next time she accidentally hits Alt and sends the document default in 36 point Olde Englishe italics with strikethrough, and arranged in three stupid columns to the page, I can look forward to an hour of head-scratching while I figure that little lot out.

FWIW, you can still get full lifetime ownership of MS Office 16, for sums that vary from £80 down to £16 (https://bargainsworldstore.com/products ... windows-pc). You are, of course, buying only an activation key - don't ask me how they do that legally, but I've bought keys that have worked in the past.

It's all a long way from the 1980s, when I paid out a hefty £400 (in 1980s money! ) for a US database that would crash every four hours. These days I get the free use of Office 365 through my main client, which allows me up to five full downloads. But of course, that might mean they can spy on my Outlook usage? Watch me not care. All the edgy stuff goes out on Thunderbird.

BJ

I am still using Office 2000. I have not, as yet, thought of a convincing reason to change.

Julian F. G. W.

There can be situations where you need the more recent software to read things which are sent to you encrypted by the most recent software.

johnhemming wrote:There can be situations where you need the more recent software to read things which are sent to you encrypted by the most recent software.

If I upgrade now in anticipation, my new software might be out of date by the time I get such a file.

Julian F. G. W.

johnhemming wrote:There can be situations where you need the more recent software to read things which are sent to you encrypted by the most recent software.

For Microsoft products, you can often get a reader that will enable you to read the new formats and, if necessary, convert them back to your trusty old format. I've found the same thing with third-party Excel readers that will get you past the digital divide.

BJ

johnhemming wrote:There can be situations where you need the more recent software to read things which are sent to you encrypted by the most recent software.

Encryption depends on algorithms and keys. Not software.

Software that encrypts so that it can't be easily decrypted by (your choice of) other software is called ransomware.

or just use a free alternative to office of course.

didds

or just use a free alternative to office of course.

didds

We have Microsoft Office at work but I have the free Open Office at home and on my Netbook. I keep meaning to change to Libre Office because I heard it's a bit better, but in the last 5 years, I can't remember having a problem.

Steve