Finally pushed too far (MS Office)

[ejp626]

I guess I knew this day was coming, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I had a catastrophic failure on my computer (the battery on the motherboard completely died, the bios is shot, etc., etc.). After a certain point it just isn't worth it. I needed something immediately, so I got a cheap Acer. Well, first there is no way to escape Windows 8.1, which I loathe. Second, I still use Office for a large number of applications, since I move stuff back and forth from work. Well, you no longer can buy a less invasive Office product. You must supply an email account to activate (so the number of fake MSucks email accounts has proliferated) and to top it off, you are only renting the software for a year.

So I will transition my files to Open Office or Office Libre and then be done with it.

I'm going to be stewing over this for a very long time.

[Niko]

if you leave the MS Office world anyway, you might contemplate switching from Windows to Ubuntu as well... (I did so involuntarily two years ago and will not go back - it's closer to classical Windows anyway)

[mjzee]

Or get a Mac... Office 2011 for Mac is still available for purchase, no subscription needed.

[ejp626]

if you leave the MS Office world anyway, you might contemplate switching from Windows to Ubuntu as well... (I did so involuntarily two years ago and will not go back - it's closer to classical Windows anyway)

It is tempting though the main office is not switching over, so I'll have to be very sure whatever I do is fully compatible with *.docx and *.xlsx files. I've got a year to research it. Who knows -- I might even have a different job in a year.

[sonnymax]

Or get a Mac... Office 2011 for Mac is still available for purchase, no subscription needed.

[Scott Dolan]

Or get a Mac... Office 2011 for Mac is still available for purchase, no subscription needed.

I'll certainly never go back to Wind'ohs.

I had no idea Office was subscription-based now. That's just ludicrous. But, it's hard to avoid as it's the most airtight office suite on the market. Apple certainly doesn't have anything to challenge it.

[ejp626]

I had no idea Office was subscription-based now. That's just ludicrous. But, it's hard to avoid as it's the most airtight office suite on the market. Apple certainly doesn't have anything to challenge it.

It's been coming for a long time now. Many programs are subscription based. I expect a lot of push-back but the problem is too many people like me, that just grabbed the software without really looking and thus already gave them our money. It is going to take a significant uprising to change anything.

After all, there were legions of IT folk who steered their mid-sized companies away from Office when this new email verification thing came on board, but it hasn't made Microsoft blink. Still, trying to put this pinch on individuals may be one step too far. I hope so, but I do plan to find a better solution come next March.

[mikeweil]

I switched to Open Office many years ago, never had any problems, as you can save everything in Microsoft formats if you have to share files with others.

[Hardbopjazz]

Yup, and it costs less.

[BFrank]

FYI - I don't like Windows 8.x, either, but you can work in the more familiar "Desktop" mode (looks just like Windows 7). There's a setting to make it boot up in that mode, too.

[ejp626]

FYI - I don't like Windows 8.x, either, but you can work in the more familiar "Desktop" mode (looks just like Windows 7). There's a setting to make it boot up in that mode, too.

I'm slowly restoring it to something like functionality but there really isn't anything I would count as an improvement and a lot of downsides to this new system. Definitely not a happy camper.

[BFrank]

Windows 8 makes more sense if you have a touch screen or pad, and aren't using a mouse.

[ejp626]

Windows 8 makes more sense if you have a touch screen or pad, and aren't using a mouse.

I am sure it is fine for tablets, but what genius forced this system down the throats of us remaining desktop/laptop users? Everyone clearly has said this was a terrible mistake (to only have a single operating system across incompatible devices), but they went forward with it anyway.

I have generally stayed on the sidelines of the Mac/PC war (with only some Microsoft-specific grumbling) but this set of changes is so offensive to me that I am going to break away from Office and not look back. In fact, I am so upset, I'll have to investigate whether I really could go over to Linux or if it is just too much of a headache, given what I still need to do in my work life.

[Scott Dolan]

Apple isn't perfect. It definitely has its flaws just as Microsoft does, but the varying level of those flaws are rather jarring. I avoided Apple like the plague for well over a decade, but a combination of Wind'ohs Vista and Dell Computers finally pushed me over the edge. And I'm glad they did! I've happily surrounded myself with Apple products for the past five years now.

I know a few who swear by Linux. I've messed with it a little in the past and it always struck me as a perfectly competent OS. Software support is about the only issue I know of when it comes to Linux. If you have to remain PC-based, I'd highly recommend you give it a shot. If nothing else, restore your Windows machine (if that's a possibility), and partition your hard drive so you can run a dual boot system with both Windows and Linux. That way if you find that Linux doesn't support certain softwares that you are accustomed to using, you'll always have Windows to fall back on.

[ejp626]

I started on Macs and used them for many years, but then I had many very complex programs at work that had to be run via Windows. At the time Windows for Macs was not acceptable. It's probably closer now, though I'm still not sure if it is for SPSS when processing a few million records for example. I guess the difference is that my work laptop can handle the really detailed, complex programs, but I still need to shuttle reports and presentations and such between home and work. So Open Office is at least theoretically possible, as is Linux.

I just don't like the direction Apple is going with almost no optical drives on its machines, as I think it reflects a fetishizing of form over substance that I think far too many Apple designers fall into.

[jlhoots]

I'm no expert.

I love my iMac.

Important to know that I don't do any "work" so all of the technical issues raised don't affect me (AFAIK).

Edited March 2, 2015 by jlhoots

[GA Russell]

I read just a couple of weeks ago something that I didn't know - that Apple Mac doesn't make much effort to ensure that its OS upgrades will handle programs that are more than four years old.

[BFrank]

If you're taking work home and it's Windows-based, I think you're asking for trouble by using anything other than Windows. It may not seem obvious at first, but you will undoubtedly encounter compatibility issues that will be just as frustrating (if not more so) than whatever problems you already have. It could be Excel formulas or Word formatting or Powerpoint animations, but something will rear its ugly head - you can count on it.

[JSngry]

Windows 10 (yeah, they're skipping 9 altogether) is supposedly going to take the pain of 8 and make it all go away.

But WTF? is this about Office being subscription only? Like, I see this shit for sale a full price and all that's in there is a freakin' KEY and it's only good for one year?

I still have installation discs for Office 2007, both of suits my needs perfectly. Remind me to never let them go.

People used to tell me that I was a sucker for paying for software...maybe I am now.

[Chuck Nessa]

I gave up on Windows a few years back but keep one PC going because my music collection is on it. Since they stopped supporting my current OS, the hackers are killing me. Time to recycle that Dell and be done. Ann had a Windows 8.? machine and it is complete crap.

[Dave Garrett]

I started on Macs and used them for many years, but then I had many very complex programs at work that had to be run via Windows. At the time Windows for Macs was not acceptable. It's probably closer now, though I'm still not sure if it is for SPSS when processing a few million records for example. I guess the difference is that my work laptop can handle the really detailed, complex programs, but I still need to shuttle reports and presentations and such between home and work. So Open Office is at least theoretically possible, as is Linux.

I've worked with a lot of consultants on ERP systems (Oracle and SAP) in the past few years, and a significant percentage of them favored MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops, but they were all running Windows virtual machines within OS X using VMWare or similar tools. Of course, you still have to pay for a Windows license to do this, and I'm not sure how acceptable the performance would be with large SPSS data sets in such a scenario, but assuming those aren't insurmountable hurdles, you'd have all the advantages of a Mac while still being able to run most any Windows program without worrying about compatibility issues.

[Aggie87]

I am sure it is fine for tablets, but what genius forced this system down the throats of us remaining desktop/laptop users? Everyone clearly has said this was a terrible mistake (to only have a single operating system across incompatible devices), but they went forward with it anyway.

I suspect their goal with the introduction of that OS was to "dazzle" everyone into upgrading their hardware to touchscreen technology. Force an iteration of PC sales. Obviously it didn't work too well.

[sonnymax]

I just don't like the direction Apple is going with almost no optical drives on its machines, as I think it reflects a fetishizing of form over substance that I think far too many Apple designers fall into.

Not a problem:

Samsung Electronics Ultra-Thin Optical Drives

[mjzee]

I just don't like the direction Apple is going with almost no optical drives on its machines, as I think it reflects a fetishizing of form over substance that I think far too many Apple designers fall into.

Not a problem:

Samsung Electronics Ultra-Thin Optical Drives

Yup, I use one of those; they work fine.

[Scott Dolan]

I read just a couple of weeks ago something that I didn't know - that Apple Mac doesn't make much effort to ensure that its OS upgrades will handle programs that are more than four years old.

That's true with iOS, but I've seen no evidence of that with OS X.