Office 2003: Will you upgrade?

[Collin]

Hey fellas,

Check out this review of Office 2003 beta!
Office 2003: Should you upgrade? Yes, if...

Thats for those of you/us that use MS Office

[Chris]

Just when I'm getting used to Office XP :-\ I'm not even fully utilising the features of Office XP (as I'm sure most users aren't as well), nor did I see a huge difference/benefit over Office 2000. I suspect that unless I get a complimentary boxed product, I won't be using Office 2003

To illustrate my point about the typical user not fully utilizing Office's features, here's an extract from the article Collin mentioned:

"However, to get the real benefits from Office 2003, you'll need at least one new server, some power-user skills, and the persuasiveness to talk your coworkers into changing the way they work together and your IT department into supporting the whole thing." :

See my point?

[jamrock]

I have to agree with Chris.

Microsoft Office is a mature product. There is nothing more to add unless some new, innovative technology comes along.

I was forced to upgrade from Office 95 to Office 2000 because Microsoft made the file formats incompatible. If they don't do something like that again, I will only use the new version if it comes pre-loaded on a machine.

Microsoft Small Business costs only US 100.00 on a new Dell so many people just add it to the package.

[Nastrodamus]

Well,

what if you can download it free???

:

hhmmmm........

[jamrock]

The problem with downloading stuff for free is that you never know what kind of trojans, worms, spyware, etc. you are downloading as well.

In recent times, hackers have gone to legitimate sites and replaced downloadable programmes with doctored versions.

I have started to verify the signatures of the open source software that I download, whenever the option exists.

[Cultus]

Thank God for Open Office. I will only use Office 2003 if my company decides to buy it. And if I can open its file formats using Open Office, then hell no.....to Office2K3.

[pigeonflight]

I'm not sure how the upgrade path would work from OpenOffice to MS Office 2003 (actually to be called Office 11).

Fact is, I get my work done pretty well with OpenOffice and it's a free download from http://openoffice.org

As for the pirating thing. Everytime someone pirates software it undermines the growth of legitimate, free and open source software solutions.

[Collin]

Admitly, I am one of those persons who use MS Office.. has been doing so for quite a while now... ;D tried Wordperfect few years back did not like it... so went back ot MSOffice.

I looked at OpenOffice a few months back but have not spent time using it at all... but have been shipping it on every machine that I have sold... ;D

As to whether I will go out and purchase Office 2003?? thats a big unanswered question todate..... I just started using OfficeXP so what do I have to gain???

I figure if I get comfortable with OpenOffice that I may never purchase another MSOffice Suite!! LEts hpe that happens eh!!

[Gillion]

[quote author=pigeonflight link=board=5;threadid=504;start=0#msg4640 date=1051580579]
I'm not sure how the upgrade path would work from OpenOffice to MS Office 2003 (actually to be called Office 11).

Fact is, I get my work done pretty well with OpenOffice and it's a free download from http://openoffice.org

As for the pirating thing. Everytime someone pirates software it undermines the growth of legitimate, free and open source software solutions.
[/quote]
Fi real... but I must say most jamaican's CANT POSSIBLY AFFORD the software prices MS is asking can they ??? What are they to do ?
Use Linux and freesoftware... ??? Think of my slow learning friends... when they don't have the dancing paper clip to "help" what will they do ??? Its easy to knock pirating because WE (you and I) have and CAN use the alternative. Most average people cannot excercise this "freedom" so dem tief it. Stealing software can't under mine the OSS. At least I don't see how. $17,000 dollars is still a lot of cold hard dirty cash.
As for all the people who believe in NOT upgrading their MSOffice because it works... what happens when MS decides to change the file format and you can't open the tonnes of documents you get from people using the NEWER versions of Office... what then ? Are you going to tell them "Please save in office xp format ?" Its a viscious cycle.

I have a theory... I believe in a thing called (1) software apex and (2) Feature stuff.
For example... notepad on windows. It works right ? It does one thing right ? It does it VERY well and doesn't crash. It is at software apex.. the peak of its original design concept. Notepad hasn't changed in what 8 years. But then you add email functions... what is it then ? Just like MSWORD... Its a word processor a VERY GOOD ONE it was at apex, but then they began stuffing it and added scripting and macros and multimedia embedding and the kitchen sink and the ability to wipe your *** after potty. So what is it then ? a wordprocessor plus ???

It no longer does what it was concieved to do... it does more...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suppose I was in the bussiness of selling notepad for Windows. My version hasn't changed for over 8 years. The same 3.5 floppy that it came on still works and there are boot leg copies of it world wide !!! how will my company stay afloat... Release notepad 2.0 "New with mp3 playing features !!!"

But wait... !!! no one will upgrade because Notepad 1.0 still works.. too damn well.. and the file format is standard with 2.0... so what do I do ?
I corner all the PC makers and FORCE them to sell 2.0 and to enhance my leverage I change the file format... now anybody reading note pad 2.0 documents with 1.0 will have japanese fonts printed ...upside down... muhahahaaaa
They must upgrade in order to "keep up" I make a profit selling 2.0 for more money because notepad 2.0 has an MP3 player buil into it... so now you can type and play music. But wait... I have a bug in notepad 2.0... some snotty nosed nerd boy found this bug and published it online... what the hell is he trying to do to me... after calling my lawyers and threatening this young boy to blacken the sky over his house with litigation I consult my spin doctors.

The spin doctors produce a wonderfull tale... "The 2.0 bug has been verified by our quality specialists and we will repair this bug in service-pack 97... which will come out 2 months from now. We advise you not to use the patch the snotty nosed nerd made... we aren't sure about its quality." So you wait 2 months. They release service pack 97.. but wait... you have to register... and notepad 2.0 wont install it if your PRODUCT KEY isn't right... so... we register. And install sefice pack 97 which comes with 100Megs of patches for notepad... thus turning it into a browser.
Months later I get a financial report... notepad 2.0 salse have dropped... the market is flooded with it... I need new software to sell... Notepad is already a browser and digital *** wiping utility so what else can i have my programmers stuff into it ???
I have a brilliant idea... change my liscene agreement with notepad 3.0 This means that when you buy notepad 3.0 you have to pay for every time you press the letter 'e' on they keyboard muhahahaaaa
E is the most common letter in english languages and you have pay for every PERSON in your office that uses it... multicopy liscenes brilliaannnttttn.
Just to make sure people buy 3.0 with its new EULA I'll change the font technology, and then force computer makers to sell notepad 3.0 or i'll tripple the prices on them... and anybody who is anybody in computer sales has to HAVE notepad as a software offering for their products. Wonderfull
So I muscle the manufacturers.. within a year 3.0 sales have sky rocketed, my tech service deptartment has been flooded with emails and calls about "not being able to open 3.0 documents with 2.0 and the stubborn 1.0 users complain about their computers exploding when trying to open a 3.0 document... fannnnataasssticcc.

Now along comes Wordpad 1.0 from another company... it does all that my software can do... damn... what do I do... they don't have the exhorbitant prices mine has... and they have MORE features.... wordpad 1.0 can... gasp... burn CD's
Therefore I (a) buy out Wordpad Ltd.
(b) Litigate them to hell with threats about copyright on the use of the keyboard to enter text in a digital document
(c) STUFF MY SOFTWARE with a medical tool to cure the common cold
Now with option (c) nobody ever gets cured... but the feature is there... my app is now 1 Gig in size and I also included CD burning and I created my own CD burning format... doing away with iso standards and to unsure upgrading... I change the file format... AGAIN !!! smashing idea... I don't know where my management comes up with this stuff. Notpad 4.0 is now out and I have 4 verions of my software in computers world wide... my computer makers are crying because no one is changing machines,
"The old ones still work !" they cry...
simple fix... notepad 4.5 needs more RAM... more RAM TYPE 2 not RAM TYPE 1... old machines use RAM TYPE 1, excelent !!!

At the end of the day, I am fat, rich, my stocks are high because wall street uses notepad software... Wordpad is losing money because they can't read my 4.x format and I wont give them the API and under the new DMCA they better not find out how, or I will have my lawyers molest their kids. And I can charge Wordpad Ltd millions per copy if they want compatability with MY software, and my NEWEST EULA includes the right to selfdestruct if you type the words alternative software in the builtin browser bar, or if you install Wordpad. I am GOD !!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apex and Stuffing... very interesting tehories. So let me know what y'all tink ? how do we as a poor people pay for this.?

--Gillion

[Collin]

WOW!

Thats a bit!! Makes sense though it one stop to follow it... its a concept that I had thought of but man... not in such dept !!