MS Office 2013 Pushing Home Users Toward Subscriptions

An anonymous reader writes "Ars reports that Microsoft has announced pricing plans for Office 2013 that include a subscription-based model for home users. There will be a $100/year Home version that can be shared by up to 5 users and a $150/year Small Business version. 'Subscription software of one form or another has proven popular in the enterprise (whether it be cloud services, like Office 365, or subscriptions to desktop software, such as Microsoft's Software Assurance scheme). But so far it's a rarity in the consumer space. Anti-virus software has tried to bully and cajole users into getting aboard the subscription train, but the large number of users with out-of-date anti-viral protection suggests users are resisting. ... As another incentive to subscribe, and one that might leave a bad taste in the mouth, the company says that subscribers will be given unspecified "updates" to add new features and capabilities over the life of their subscription. Perpetual licensees will only get bug fixes and security updates.'"

Comments

Good news for Libre Office!

[Beardo the Bearded]

Well then, I'll just leave this here:
Download Libre Office. $0, $0 a month. I think you can swing it.

Re:Good news for Libre Office!

[Anonymous Coward]

LibreOffice is good when you're doing simple text and pictures on a background.

Now try using it when you have animations, color changing, custom fonts, interactive features, and other things in your PPT files. It will make your presentation unusable.

Re:Good news for Libre Office!

[LordLimecat]

... with a bad economy, with money tight, most businesses are looking for a way to trim a buck. Just because your particular firm isn't willing to spend the (minimal, in most cases) effort on a migration that will literally save your company tons of money, don't think that all of us think that way. We certainly don't.

The last few times I tried that, apparently the users got sufficiently pissed with OpenOffice's oddities that they just went out and purchased Office 2007 anyways. Being a technical guy, I can put up with a fair bit of grief before I loose my cool at my computer; apparently your average accounting / legal employee tends to be much less tolerant of that kind of change.

So the best of luck to you, but dont be surprised when those savings turn out not to be worth it to the CEO.

Re:Guess I am learning Libre Office

[Anonymous Coward]

Humorous. If you have to learn libre office you clearly haven't used a word processor before. Microsoft Office is not significantly different (at least older versions) than Libre Office. Unless you've only picked up word processing since 2007 or so and it was with MS Office then you've already got the skill set to use Libre Office. There are just a few slight differences for basic word processing tasks.

Re:Guess I am learning Libre Office

[Baldrake]

And fortunately you need go no further than TFM to find out that you don't have to. Subscription is just an option. You can still buy outright if you want.

Re:Libre Office

[drooling-dog]

Because it's not advertised on the Tee Vee, and because MS can afford all of the FUD and astroturfing it needs to keep people in a state of confusion. After all, it's "not ready for the desktop", just like Linux.

Re:Guess I am learning Libre Office

[jhoegl]

I am actually talking about scripting and macroing in Libre.

Two words

[Dyinobal]

Google Drive.

Seriously if you've not checked out googles iteration of google docs (and their attempt to compete in 'the cloud') you should. 5 gigs free space on the cloud, plus built in web based office suite, all free.

Though from what I understand it costs more than the old google docs subscription models did. If you decide 5 gigs of space isn't enough for you. But it would seem they have added value to it with the rather convenient google drive program

Google Docs

[Teckla]

Predictably, there are already lots of mentions of Libre Office.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that Google Docs (free) meets my meager needs. You can even download copies of your documents, in several different formats, to store locally.

Highly recommended unless you have advanced needs.

Re:no thanks...

[jaymz666]

To open Microsoft Office Word 2007 .docx or .docm files with Microsoft Office Word 2003, Word 2002, or Word 2000, you need to install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats and any necessary Office updates. By using the Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system, you can open, edit some items, and save Office Word 2007 documents in previous versions of Word.

Re:Support for Access databases on Linux.

[pwizard2]

Libreoffice can open the *.docx format just fine;

Unfortunately, editing a *.docx in LibreOffice and saving it tends to fuck it up. I speak from experience.

Re:Libre Office

[Shompol]

and their grandma can use it" ... (as long as someone carefully administers that box for them) is rarely mentioned.

Windows boxes also need to be administered. Their administration also involves routine cleanup of "toolbars" and trojans and other crap that either installs itself, or with some help from a clueless user, and then the whole thing comes to a grinding halt once every two years due to malware, FAT shortcomings, or getting completely hijacked by some Trojan that blatantly demands a payment "to protect your computer". Thus, Linux administration is cheap and hassle-free compared to Windows, and your point is moot and void. There is a currently a shortage of neighbourhood kids who can help with Linux, but that is not what you were talking about, you meant that Windows does not require administration at all, didn't you?