[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Office 365 vs. Office 2013: Should you rent or own? here

[skylinkdave]

Note that there is no "own" when it comes to software. When you buy software, you are merely buying permission to use the software. Ownership always stays with the software publisher.

[gatoegrad]

And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST!

[psykee]

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And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST!

Wrong. The Home and Office version of 365 includes desktop versions of the software so it doesn;t matter whether you;re online or not.

[tonybradley]

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And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST!

Office 365 includes the full desktop version of Office 2013 Pro. It doesn't require you to work online. If you are using the Office On Demand feature from some other PC that doesn't have the Office suite installed, then I suppose you are subject to Internet interruptions.

[JoeNC]

The "productivity suite" model is played, as far as local software goes. It has always been more of a way to pitch bigger, more expensive software bundles to those who didn't really need all the features by presenting it as a "bargain," compared to the (inflated) prices of the individual applications.

It's not 1990 anymore. Microsoft needs to sell Word, Excel, etc. individually at reasonable prices, and leave the bundling to the online services. I highest days of freebies like OOo and Google Drive, and low-cost, single purpose apps for Android, iOS, and OS X, Office installed locally looks like a dinosaur.

[RobertSchiele]

There's also a free alternative, LibreOffice. I too bought and used a couple of iterations of Microsoft Office, and it was a good product. But LibreOffice, which I use exclusively now (and have for some years) has nearly all of the same functions, does the same things in nearly the same ways, and never costs a cent. If interested, Google it.

[AngeloNeroladakis]

So you pay $ 100 a year for the full package per year. so if I only use Word and excel for $140 for as long as I own the CD, doesn't it make sense to just buy the CD? I only have one PC.

[txfeinbergs]

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And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST!

Why don't you try actually researching the product you are supposedly knowledgeable about so you don't come off looking like a Google shill.

[MrHistamine]

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There's also a free alternative, LibreOffice. I too bought and used a couple of iterations of Microsoft Office, and it was a good product. But LibreOffice, which I use exclusively now (and have for some years) has nearly all of the same functions, does the same things in nearly the same ways, and never costs a cent. If interested, Google it.

I've had better results with Kingsoft Office. You can get the whole suite, or each program individually. The basic versions are free; I think upgrading to the pro version is around $60-$70 (for the entire suite) if you need additional features.

Back on topic; they really should come down on that Office365 subscription price. It's pretty inexpensive if you use all 5 licenses; but, if you've only got one or two PCs in your household, it can be a tad-bit costly (especially if all you need, are the basics). It'd be nice if they allowed for lower prices via a contract-based discount (similar to the cable and cellular companies). If they can get the prices reasonably low, and the contract terms are fair, I'd be willing to sign up. Until then, I'll stick with my ancient version of 2003. :-)

[robgman]

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And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST! Office 365 includes the full desktop version of Office 2013 Pro. It doesn't require you to work online. If you are using the Office On Demand feature from some other PC that doesn't have the Office suite installed, then I suppose you are subject to Internet interruptions.

[robgman]

Actually, I think Office 365 is the same as Office Home & Business 2013, NOT Office 2013 Pro.

[robgman]

Quote

And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST! Office 365 includes the full desktop version of Office 2013 Pro. It doesn't require you to work online. If you are using the Office On Demand feature from some other PC that doesn't have the Office suite installed, then I suppose you are subject to Internet interruptions.

[robgman]

Nope, Office 365 2013 is the same as Office Home & Business 2013 NOT Office Pro 2013.

[Seabass]

Prices may increase increase. They could also start to chargeing for features that are included this year.
This deal only makes sense if you have more than 1 computer and if rates stay the same.

[HannMo]

My wife is a (semi) professional author. Can someone please explain which Office license she needs to be legal? I'm not sure that Home and Student would suffice.

[JJonAutomation]

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My wife is a (semi) professional author. Can someone please explain which Office license she needs to be legal? I'm not sure that Home and Student would suffice.

Anything that is not personal use requires a business licence of Office. Non-Profit Organizations, casual work, anything that will be sold or paid for by someone else, all require something other than the Home & Student or Home Premium licences.

[jasonbrianhall]

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And if you're in the middle of an important document or spreadsheet, or wish to access one and you're internet service goes down? TOAST! Wrong. The Home and Office version of 365 includes desktop versions of the software so it doesn;t matter whether you;re online or not.

Eventually, you will have to reauthenticate and if you're internet is down (moving, in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., traveling), you won't be able to continue to work until you find a wireless hotspot or a RJ-45 connected to the internet.

[idrisdragon]

QUESTION:

I read this as I am exploring the same issue, espcially now that the price of the desktop versions is becoming prohibitive. I came across this quote:

"The desktop version can perform various tasks that the cloud version may not perform. For example, it may not be possible to carry out a word count or even to perform tasks such as ‘find’ and ‘replace’ while you can successfully do this using the desktop version. Also, with Office 365, Excel cannot run charts or macros." http://www.computern.../microsoft-365/

Is this true: and what are the repercussions? These are for me fundamental features without which I will look elsewhere. Oh for Office 2003. (what on earth was it changed for, to this childish new unfriendly user interface (which big brother does not permit to be changed?)

[brainout]

idrisdragon, on 08 May 2013 - 10:44 AM, said:

QUESTION:

I read this as I am exploring the same issue, espcially now that the price of the desktop versions is becoming prohibitive. I came across this quote:

"The desktop version can perform various tasks that the cloud version may not perform. For example, it may not be possible to carry out a word count or even to perform tasks such as ‘find’ and ‘replace’ while you can successfully do this using the desktop version. Also, with Office 365, Excel cannot run charts or macros." http://www.computern.../microsoft-365/

Is this true: and what are the repercussions? These are for me fundamental features without which I will look elsewhere. Oh for Office 2003. (what on earth was it changed for, to this childish new unfriendly user interface (which big brother does not permit to be changed?)

MS Office 2003 and prior are still available through Amazon. Usually they are used but you can cull through them to see which ones you want. I've got two more copies in my shopping cart, but might go back to Office 2002, as Outlook is better prior to 2003. The Outlook 2003 is a nightmare. I hate it.

These will install in Win8 or Win7. I have 2003, 2002, and 2000 installed on my three Win7 machines. I didn't yet install Win8, but others here in the forum argued with me when I told them that per MS, Office prior to 2010 wouldn't install in Win8. They were right, and the info that I got from MS own websites and MS Answers forum was wrong.

So go shopping in Amazon. Look for MS Office 2003 or prior in like-new condition, carefully read the descriptions to avoid the academic, student, and OEM editions, look only for retail. And if you want more flexibility, opt for 2002, as 2003 contains severe restrictions which you can override, but you have to pay VERY close attention to the Windows Updates that occur almost every day, on MS Office 2003, if using Win7. (Some of those updates remove functionality and flexibility from 2003.)

To others: idrisdragon is right about core functionalities like word count, being removed from later versions of MS Office. This is one of many reasons why most of the financial/legal/accounting community won't 'upgrade'. MS is destroying its own flagship product, with every new version. Sickening.

This post has been edited by brainout: 09 May 2013 - 02:12 PM