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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has tried to bully and cajole users into getting aboard the subscription train, but the large number of users with out-of-date anti-viral protection suggests users are resisting.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.'"
I am not paying a leasing fee for software, thanks.
Dad: Merry Christmas kids!!!!
Kids: What did you get us?
Dad: We now have a 1 year family subscription for a web-based word processor!
Kids: YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!
Better known as 318230.
Because users actually prefer MS Office and are willing to pay for using it?
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.
Here's the thing: LibreOffice is by far best when you use its native formats. Weird, huh?
First an interface that no body likes ...say hello to blocky windows 8 than a screw you charge for Office. Bill come back! The captain is steering into the reefs!
Awww...screw it just go open source, spend half an hour learning the in's and out's and be free!
Word 2003 still works just fine...
Most home users barely use many of the features of these tools to begin with, they won't see the value of paying $100 a year for this. That's a lot of money to many people.
>Here's the thing: LibreOffice is by far best when you use its native formats. Weird, huh?
Here's the thing: Normal people who want documents from you don't use LibreOffice's native formats. Weird, huh?
Open Office Base is an alternative to Access. I even used it at work to open an Access 2007 file (we didn't have Access with our version of Office) and it opened it well enough for me to read it into a spreadsheet.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
It is kind of funny how the marketing departments of big software companies think we actually look forward to 'updates' which annoy us and waste our time. Now I actually breath a sigh of relief when my BlueRay player gets past the moment where it may insist I have to spend 5 minutes 'updating' before I can watch my movie. I can't imagine wanting to pay $100 in return for being hassled with updates I don't care about. Apparently, they haven't figured out that people very well might pay $100 to never be bothered with them.
Having animations, color changing, custom fonts, interactive features, and other things will make your presentation unusable. What you write it in doesn't matter at that point.
Let me know when Libre Office doesn't horribly mangle my PPTX files.
I believe that any MS file format that contains an 'X' in the extension is experimental and that is most likely why Libre Office has a problem. Use another file format and you probably won't have any problems.
Since when is "public safety" the root password to the Constitution?
In real work we use Libre Office to convert old WordPerfect and Microsoft Office files to a newer version. It handles old Microsoft Office files better than the recent versions of Microsoft Office.
( I work as digital archivist / documentalist )
> In the real world
Look: that argument was compelling up until just a few years ago. I'll grant you that, especially back in the old StarOffice days (gack, gag), then on to OpenOffice.org. But speaking for myself -- freely admitting that your mileage will vary -- I haven't had trouble opening anything in LibreOffice for a couple of years now. Including some fairly sweet PPT presentations.
Besides, Microsoft has tried to introduce the "subscription" model before. They'll probably back off of it after they get deluged with complaints. Again.
(Or -- this is my real fear -- they'll go after things like Libre and KOffice with the patent hammer.)
Cogito, igitur comedam pizza.
Sadly I think this will actually work out for microsoft. This is the same sort of thing happened with MMOs. The thing is, you do something like this and drive away 2/3rds of your customers... so what if the remaining 1/3 is paying 10x the price for the same product. And what's going to happen here is people will get windows for "free" with their computer. They'll put all their files and such on it and then after 6 months or so... bam... can't access any of their important documents and the only way to get them back is pay microsoft $100.
If you are doing PPTX at home for work, shouldn't work provide you with a copy of MS Office? Maybe I'm being silly, but I don't do powerpoint at home to impress my friends and family.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is pretty much a textbook example of sour grapes.
Slashdotter #1: "My software can do everything your software can do."
Slashdotter #2: "Your software can't do x."
Slashdotter #1: "Yeah, but... but... doing x is stupid anyway, and only for losers!"
#DeleteChrome
Unfortunately, editing a *.docx in LibreOffice and saving it tends to fuck it up. I speak from experience.
"It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity."
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?