Microsoft Word

[Adrian]

Office Compatibility Pack

[F]

A grandchild can be useful in situations like this. If you don't have one, can you 'borrow' one?

[GB]

Have you installed the add-in to let you read/write docs from later versions?

[Part Timer]

What's wrong with 2003 and the conversion pack (free) to open .docx files from later versions? I hate the newer versions without the proper menus.

[GB]

See Adrian's post - he even gives you a link to the add-in. Helpful lot round here. :)

[Nightjar]

On 16/12/2013 18:29, misterroy wrote: ...

It is a bit of a steep learning curve if you are thoroughly used to the older versions, but I quite like the new layout, now I have got used to it. Office 365 allows me to store documents in the cloud and work on them equally well from home or at the office.

Colin Bignell

[tim......]

That's not actually true

One of the most "locked down" and expensive programs any giant corporation ever releases required a unix box to run

The cost of software is a function of what people are willing to supply, not the box that it runs on

tim

[John Rumm]

... and one should also point out that office 2013 does not run on anything older than Win 7

[Martin Brown]

Why? What essential features are you lacking or do you enjoy being tormented by the ribbon? Office 2003 was a good vintage.

Office 2007 was a complete dog and best avoided. 2010 was bearable.

Only if you already have copies. You might well be better off buying Office 2013 just to get Word there are better discounts. ITR having seen it on Amazon recently for less than you have found for just Word.

[alan]

If you work for a large company that uses LOTS of copies of Microsoft Office your company may have a deal with Microsoft. I got a legitimate licences copy of 2013 Office for a few pence under £9 (for personal use only).

You may need the appropriate passwords/keywords from your place of work.

[Bob Eager]

Look at Kingsoft Office: free version and cheap upgrade if you want a bit more.

[RJH]

Quite so - I paid £15 IIRC. But of course it helps if you're a student or have a loose connection with education.

They're generally excellent. However, if you rely on it - and I do - the freebies are too unreliable when converting MS products.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Like Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office, etc? I'd be willing to bet there are more free apps available for Windows than Linux. But I'll leave you to do the counting.

[tony sayer]

+1!

[John Rumm]

The so called "home and student" versions don't usually do any checking to see if you meet the terms. The academic or university versions normally have to be bought in a two stage process with proof of student status.

[Rick Hughes]

If you go on-line you can buy a student license for a LOT less, all you have to do is tick box to confirm you are studying something - and license does not expire.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes Libra Office and Open Office by that mob called apache. Both are now integrating their code so java Access bridge is not even needed for blind use. I'll certainly be going that route I think as Microsofts intention in the long term to make all their apps on line only is putting me off having their stuff. Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

they just run BETTER on Linux ..

[Andrew Gabriel]

People (particularly businesses, which are most of the remaining Windows users at this point in time) have got wise to being forced to upgrade to each new release, and that severely dented Microsoft's revenue stream. Switching to a pay-per-use model restores a more predictable revenue stream, or so the theory goes. Quite a lot of the businesses I've worked for over the years would never allow things like document editing to be performed out in the cloud (although they probably conveniently forget the thousands of unprotected laptops they have floating around the world).

[The Natural Philosopher]

Bavaria officially a windows free zone now...

I have visions of Movember equipped Austrian corporals muttering 'Ze NSA can't see me as I type my master verk'...