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Microsoft's New Office App for Windows 10 is Coming To All Office Users For Free (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the expanding-offerings dept.

Microsoft has been looking for ways to simplify the way users log into Office and find their documents via its Office.com portal. On December 19, the company is taking another step in this area by introducing something it's calling simply the Office app for Windows 10. ZDNet: This new Office app is the successor to the existing "My Office" app that's already available to Windows users. Starting today, Windows Insider testers in the Fast ring can download this new app to test it and it will roll out to all Windows 10 users "soon," officials said. My Office allows users to find and install all their Office 356 subscription-related components from a single place. It allows users to view and edit their recent documents, find tips, see their subscription benefits and more. The coming free Office for Windows 10 app can be used in conjunction with any Office variant -- Office 365 Commercial, Office 365 Consumer, a perpetual version of Office (like Office 2016 and 2019) or the web-based Office Online.

33 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. What the F by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What the F is this crap?

    1. Re:What the F by thebes · · Score: 1

      Fox broadcasting, down three and three eighths.

    2. Re:What the F by zlives · · Score: 1

      for when you have disabled telemetry but still want to be tracked.

  2. Can we opt out? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    Not really interested in that feature. Is it optional?

    1. Re:Can we opt out? by WCMI92 · · Score: 1

      You will like it, comrade. Opting out is not in the interests of the party.

      --
      Corporatism != Free Market
  3. More 'cloud' bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    FFS keep your own goddamned documents in your own goddamned computer.
    Also delete Windows and install Linux so you're not being spied on constantly and having control of your own hardware subverted.

    1. Re:More 'cloud' bullshit by DarkRookie2 · · Score: 1

      Waiting for 2020 for that. I am giving Proton another year.

      --
      http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
  4. Paid advertising, huh? by BLToday · · Score: 1

    It’s an app to manage your subscriptions from Microsoft. It better be free. This is like saying the Steam application is free for download.

  5. Wow... a wholly separate app to purchase office by the_skywise · · Score: 1

    Why not use... Oh I dunno... the MICROSOFT STORE? That POS app that should be the store front for all downloadable windows apps but is next to impossible to use to actually FIND anything (let alone purchase).

  6. Not free by DarkRookie2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It is not free. It requires the Store and a MS account.

    --
    http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
    1. Re:Not free by Ashthon · · Score: 2

      The app comes bundled with Windows 10, so it doesn't require the Store to download or an MS account. However, if you don't have a subscription to Office 365 or a copy of Office, then the app merely acts as an advertisement for Office and does nothing at all of value. It's just another piece of adware to go with the many other trial apps and promotions that are installed by default in Windows 10.

    2. Re:Not free by dkman · · Score: 1

      Office 365 already has a page that lets you install these things. The problem is that it doesn't "mix" with regular installs. For instance you absolutely under no condition can install your copy of Visio 2016 after installing the Office 365 Office apps (Word, Excel, Access, etc). So we're stuck using local copies for everything because the Office 365 Visio costs extra.

      MS installs do the most asinine things.

      --
      I refuse to sign
  7. Free? by Sooner+Boomer · · Score: 2

    Great! I'm running XP and Office 95. Send me my CD!

    --
    Chaos maximizes locally around me.
  8. Re:Free? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    Disk Storage is more expensive then your privacy?

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  9. I just want an Office light. by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
    No Web Integration, or collaborative services.
    If someone emails me a document I can open it up, edit it, or create a new document and save it. I just want the feature that came in office 2007 (Office 95 actually but I want to open the new file format)

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:I just want an Office light. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sure sounds like you want LibreOffice.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    2. Re:I just want an Office light. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      That is why I have. I don't have any problems with it at all. However every once in a while Ill get that document that is formatted oddly. But I think it is mostly to do with poor quality of fonts in Linux compared to windows.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:I just want an Office light. by mcswell · · Score: 1

      Actually, virtually all fonts these days _can_ work on both Windows and Linux (and MacOS). The only issue you're like to find (this is probably what you're referring to) is fonts that are proprietary to a particular operating system. Some Windows fonts are proprietary, although if you're willing to pay for them, some can be bought.

      SIL is of course another good provider of high quality fonts for both Latin-based scripts (with better coverage of non-ASCII code points than most other Latin-based fonts) and especially for non-Roman scripts. (Disclaimer: I was once an SIL member.)

    4. Re:I just want an Office light. by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      More like Microsoft Works.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    5. Re:I just want an Office light. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      How about office 97? That was the last version I remember that wasn't bloated into cruftsville, or was that crufted into bloatsville?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:I just want an Office light. by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Yes, that was nice and is lightning fast on modern hardware. But the OP wanted an office light with a limited amount of applications. Office 97 has more than that, hence my thought about MS Works.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  10. Well... saw this coming. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    Comment excerpt from "Microsoft Is Readying a Consumer Microsoft 365 Subscription Bundle"

    The only way this works is if the product is free for the user and they subject you to ads and steal your personal info even more and even then you have to compete with google's office suite.

    Looking forward to learning about who they they are selling your info to.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  11. Still too expensive by saltydogdesign · · Score: 1

    Cancer is also free. Doesn't mean I want it.

    --
    // This is not a sig.
  12. Libreoffice - It Won't Trap You by BrendaEM · · Score: 1

    it's great software. it's free. It's cross-platform. https://www.libreoffice.org/

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
    1. Re:Libreoffice - It Won't Trap You by Excelcia · · Score: 1

      Doesn't run on iPads, iPhones or Android phones or tablets nor is there any web hosted version.

      There are viewers for every platform. I have an editor for Android, I've never investigated iPhone, from lack of interest. There are most certainly a web hosted versions for ODF document editing.

      We don't want or need MS Office any more.

      The world of personal computing is much larger than just desktop applications.

      I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt a pressing need to edit an office document on my phone. I think all but one was making a presentation slide as a lark. No one is going to do serious word processing on their phone. Then again, a spreadsheet is useful, and calc has served quite well on my phone.

  13. Re:Free? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 2

    At least you're running something stable and quick. Having to wait for software to open on my W10 work machine is downright annoying. *double-click* Wait. Wait. Wait. Processing... Wait. Wait. Wait. Open. Wait. Now we're ready to go.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  14. Re: Not all. by Stephen+Palbuddy · · Score: 1

    The mail app + Outlook.com if it's not in there.

  15. Re:Just use an older version. by mcswell · · Score: 1

    "I don't need PowerPoint since I use Godot." I was going to ask you to enlighten me, since I had never heard of Godot for presentations. But gimf.

    But if you use TeX, why not use Beamer? Do you need the ability to animate your presentations?

  16. Re:Broken Garbage Software by mcswell · · Score: 1

    There ought to be an after-market in licenses and CDs for Office 2007 (or whatever the last version before the dreaded Ribbon was).

    Of course there's LibreOffice...

  17. Re:Uninstall by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Sure the files can be deleted. But MS will keep pushing the shit back on every day, just as they do with the other adware bundled with Win10. Eventually they will also start to refuse start of Windows if any of its key components, such as Candy crush, XBox live or Office advertising app, were deleted by user.

  18. Real Microsoft Office by kurkosdr · · Score: 1

    I am always amused by all those "Baby Microsoft Offices" apps that Microsoft puts out online and in various app stores. Everyone using Office knows that there is The Real Microsoft Office (the Windows Desktop app), which is guaranteed to open documents perfectly (macros, animations, binary blobs, scripts and whatnot included), and "Baby Microsoft Offices" which are not guaranteed to do that. And for that reason, most people use The Real Microsoft Office exclusively. BTW I am not in favour of putting junk (like the stuff I mentioned) above in documents, but if you are sent an important document having them, you have no choice but to open it. By not having a clear XML standard, Microsoft has painted themselves in a corner.

  19. If users need help logging on and finding files by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

    If users need help logging on and finding files and Microsoft is building desktop apps to help them do that then they must be doing something really wrong. I can't say as I've never been on there. I don't have a lot of need for office applications and when I need something done I turn to either the Apple apps (Pages and Numbers) or Libre Office.

  20. Oy Vey by Joshs922 · · Score: 1

    Yay! A trendy new free app to help me give all my personal data to someone else so I can start renting it back from them!