Office 14 Delayed

I’m amazed at the steady progression of Office versions; it’s obvious businesses by the new versions, but I know companies and end users still using Word 97.

Steve Jobs is 54?

Not for much longer…

Let’s see;
Office 14 – more bloat, “improvements” nobody seems to care about, incompatible with previous versions forcing an upgrade, minimal cost $200 / computer.
Open Office (www.OpenOffice.org) – does everything MS Office does. Full MS Office compatibility, ease of use, supported on multiple OS’s – like Windows and Linux, cost $0, use anywhere and everywhere

Like Windows, MS Office has outlived it’s usefulness in terms of cost and trustworthiness (security)- for me anyway. I have slowly migrated to Ubuntu (32 & 64 bit OS – free; there are other equally as good Linux distros available for free) – use Windows for a few items not directly supported by Linux – yet – this is more a case of my finding the application necessary (free) and installing it. When Windows 7 ($150 – $300 per computer) hits the streets – my copies of Windows goes out the window.

The point is not Windows bashing, but rather consider your options and weigh the cost. Do not follow Microsoft’s cue blindly. Think. Is the Microsoft path worth the price?

#6,

To my annoyance I had a business computer burn up over the weekend(It was a pentium 3 computer, so what… thats 5-6 years old?). Um, if I cared enough, I could probably make it work again on the cheap.

I hopped on newegg, ordered a new computer, got the new computer special version of Office. It should arrive at my office today.

The longest part of my install in the field will be taking it out of its box, and plugging all the little bits in… Er scratch that, that store is a hour and half drive. The longest part of the install will be driving to and from the location.

Oh and we are currently in the process of migrating away from Google Docs and to Office with a WebDAV service provider. (It turns out a plain old WebDAV server was a better fit for us than sharepoint) Those of you who have tried using Google Docs among more than a few users will understand why we are leaving Google Docs.

The closest thing to that sort of replacement schedule is an Apple computer running OS X. Linux isn’t on my radar. But this whole replacement, software as well, will cost less than the lowest end Apple computer. The $300-400 dollars I am spending on Microsoft software is well worth it if you consider my time, and the premium I was have to pay to make sure my computer properly supported Linux.

As soon a Linux offers a upgrade path as seamless and easy as windows is the day Microsoft should worry. But that isn’t today.

#9,

I have two asterisk systems that I use to do key systems on the cheap. I know what linux is, and what it is good for. I make sure to check out the desktop version du jour at least once or twice a year. I agree Linux is changing quite a bit over time. However, I disagree that it is getting better.

On the other hand, Microsoft is now pimping their new voip key system at people just like me, and you know what? I am perplexed. However, I know better than to go with an early version of a Microsoft product when I have a working thing already in place. I will check it out when the sales reps offer to buy me dinner if I switch.

Has linux ever gotten you free lunch?

#6 I like and use OO, but full compatible with Office, is not.