Microsoft is driving me insane!

[DanielsWorlds]

Ok so I just spent $70 dollars and about 45ish mins attempting to get Office for my computer for school. This, I have learned is a process I deeply regret doing. I go to the MIcrosft website, which looks very similar to Apple's site 8 years ago, so we're off to a bad start already. I click through trying to find a way to get a copy of Office. I find this Office 365 thing. I vaguely remeber hearing somthing about this but have not seen it in person, and still havent. I look at the packages and deals for students and stuff like that. I come to realize that I pretty much have to "buy" Office on a subscription service. I flash back to my days playing WOW and I honestly didn't find that $15 a month was a reasonable price for them to charge and they had to run servers, were releasing constant updates and new expansions, and attempting to moderate a massive amount of people - all while entertaining me.

 

I see no reason why Microsoft needs to charge $10 a month for a program that lets me put words and pictures onto a screen and let me print it. If they did my English paper for me then sure I'd pay the money; but short of that I find it ridiculous that they charge so much and I am not given the option to buy an older vearson of Office for cheaper or even the same price. I did find out latet that you can do an annual license for $70.  They make this sound like it's not a subscription service, but it still is. I will still be renewing and paying over and over for a product that I already have. Sadly even with all my moaning i need Office for school.  I cannot function without it. So I had to cough up the money for the monthly sub. But it can't end there. I have now purchased Office and they sent me an email verification, a process I have already done several times, and I cannot find a simple download link anywere on their site. The fact that this process is so time consuming and unintuitive is just idiotic. How on Earth can they be allowed to continue to have a monopoly on this kind of service and throw people like me through loops and get away with it. I understand Google Docs. is out there, but the adoption of it is very slow and my school will not allow me to do my assignments in Google Docs.

 

After an hour of work and actual money spent i still do not have any thing to show for it and that just drives me crazy. If you know where i can go to download Office that would be very helpful and if you have gone though a similar experience, please let me know because I feel like this is just ridiculous.

 

 

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I Feel like a lot of the issue with Office and to a certain extent with Windows is that Microsoft expects people to upgrade every time there is something shiny and new out. This is completely unrealistic. there are elementary schools every were still using Windows XP and running Office 2000 because in the end if you are just sending emails and typing docs. and PowerPoints that’s all you need. Microsoft expects us to want a new version of Office very year or two when most everyone agrees that Office 2003 would do just fine for 90% of people. They put money and man hours into making a new version of Office that no one wants or needs and they expect a ludicrous amount of money for it.

[Jerakl]

FYI you get excel, powerpoint, word, and one other I can't remember.

 

 

My school has moved to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) so there's a lot of laptops. We use google classroom and all the teachers tell me
"INSTALL GOOGLE CHROME" and I won't because it uses more battery life. But I can still use google docs. I needed the monthly sub anyways for stuff like excel and powerpoint. My family pays for it anyways. It would be a little more of an issue if I was a uni/college student and money was tight.

[Semper]

https://officesetup.getmicrosoftkey.com/

So far as I know, this is where you go.

 

I believe you can outright buy the office suite, too, with Home and Student.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/home-and-student/

 

The subscription based model that they've adopted is exactly why i'll be using 2010 until they change their ways.

[cae]

Looked into LibreOffice? Microsoft moved to a subscription based service to curb piracy, similar to how Adobe offers Photoshop now.

[Superspeed07]

Why didn't you just get Office 2013 instead of office 365?

[Cryptonite]

yeah, if I didn't have office 2007 I'd probably pirate whatever if I was forced to use that specific program, but the main reason micro$hit keeps a monopoly is because of the non tech arses running corporations and business firms such as schools. There are a lot of free alternatives that companies simply don't allow to be used.

[qwertywarrior]

you could have bought office professional on amazing for around 34 euro

trusted seller

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Office-2013-Professional-Plus-1-PC-/251618541596?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_186&hash=item3a95a2401c

[DanielsWorlds]

I looked on there site and tried to find Office 2007 or 2010 cuz of this stuff but i can't seem to find it so in the end after my month of office expires that i've alredy payed for ill probably go to Frys and get a disk copy becouse this is just silly.

[DanielsWorlds]

https://officesetup.getmicrosoftkey.com/

So far as I know, this is where you go.

 

I believe you can outright buy the office suite, too, with Home and Student.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/home-and-student/

 

The subscription based model that they've adopted is exactly why i'll be using 2010 until they change their ways.

Thanks I FINALY found it and after trying to verify my email 3 times, the first 2 didnt get to me for some reason, I was able to get my download link.

[DTV998]

I've just pirated it...way too much money for a 15 year old kid

[b45op]

Now Office 365 has its own aim and for that it is ok, for instance say you have a business, office 365 can do your email and all your office apps... handy but not really the most cost effective. the plus is that you always have the latest version of what ever you are using the downside is again subscription. 

 

I think they will be moving more onto this scheme in the future but look at office 2010 or office 2013 of which I know you can buy the standalone disks this might save you next month

 

Alternatively if you don't need the cutting edge in document productivity have a look at LibreOffice its open source and doesn't cost a cent. I used it for many years before I was able to get office 2013 through work.

[Koffehh]

Imo open office is the next best thing and its free. Shame yoy didnt know about this before aswell is libre

[ForsakenLive]

I use Libreoffice, you have no excuse to not to. Don't bother with OpenOffice, just go to Libreoffice right away.

[seiny]

I've just pirated it...way too much money for a 15 year old kid

Piracy is not cool

[b45op]

I use Libreoffice, you have no excuse to not to. Don't bother with OpenOffice, just go to Libreoffice right away.

 

 

Imo open office is the next best thing and its free. Shame yoy didnt know about this before aswell is libre

 

The only problem with both Libre and open office is that they are both a little dated in regards to features. granted this is not a great deficit but to some it might be so it is worth bearing in mind. still for the most part they work and do the job.

[Guest Generallee]

I never bought Office

 

I mean, it's like buying Winrar

[DanielsWorlds]

I never bought Office

 

I mean, it's like buying Winrar

I use 7-zip

[ForsakenLive]

The only problem with both Libre and open office is that they are both a little dated in regards to features. granted this is not a great deficit but to some it might be so it is worth bearing in mind. still for the most part they work and do the job.

Openoffice is the dated one, after Oracle helped the LibreOffice project it has been doing pretty well, with new features on the graphic side of things, even with 3D Models. Sure not all the fancy stuff you can do with the latest version of Windows office are there, but you can totally get the job done with it; specially if the OP wants it for the school.

The only area where I wouldn't use LibreOffice is on professional papers that are going to be printed on a book/magazine to be published, as it lacks tunning and can end up on a unpleasant very expensive surprise.

[c3p0]

http://www.openoffice.org/?redirect=soft Does the same, costs nothing

[Le Lion de Barreras]

Ouch OP. What people said here, try OpenOffice or LibreOffice. God, I can only hope Microsoft doesn't make Windows 9 a subscription based OS like they did with Office.

[b45op]

 

Openoffice is the dated one, after Oracle helped the LibreOffice project it has been doing pretty well, with new features on the graphic side of things, even with 3D Models. Sure not all the fancy stuff you can do with the latest version of Windows office are there, but you can totally get the job done with it; specially if the OP wants it for the school.

The only area where I wouldn't use LibreOffice is on professional papers that are going to be printed on a book/magazine to be published, as it lacks tunning and can end up on a unpleasant very expensive surprise.

 

yeah agreed Libre office is the better of the two by far, but I had to laugh when I heard of the 3d models in documents, when is the last time you needed that when writing a letter.

 

Tell me about the not using it on professional things, Pro tip don't write your CV out in Libre office and then send it to recruiters who all pretty much fumble about with word. it kind of looks like someone just spat the words on the page. fixed that blunder quickly. 

 

 

Ouch OP. What people said here, try OpenOffice or LibreOffice. God, I can only hope Microsoft doesn't make Windows 9 a subscription based OS like they did with Office.

 

If windows goes subscription based I am doing the final switch to Linux, games be damned, I am nearly driven to that point anyway.

[Le Lion de Barreras]

If windows goes subscription based I am doing the final switch to Linux, games be damned, I am nearly driven to that point anyway.

 

Yeah same, well until pull they plug on 7. I'll just upgrade to 8.1 until they pull plug on that. And well, basically we'll be in the same boat with Linux. I just hope I haven't jinxed this in some way. It's just those rumors around it. I don't like it.

[DanielsWorlds]

Yup i'll be staying on Windows7 pretty much tell they drag me away from my burning computer.

[b45op]

Yeah same, well until pull they plug on 7. I'll just upgrade to 8.1 until they pull plug on that. And well, basically we'll be in the same boat with Linux. I just hope I haven't jinxed this in some way. It's just those rumors around it. I don't like it.

 

I have been running in a dual boot for about the last year, both on my home and work machines. the only sticking point for me is really the windows only games for my home pc and for work well its a mostly windows environment so bleh.

[Le Lion de Barreras]

I have been running in a dual boot for about the last year, both on my home and work machines. the only sticking point for me is really the windows only games for my home pc and for work well its a mostly windows environment so bleh.

Yeah, hopefully Steam still running support for Linux more developers could put a bit of an effort for Linux ports. But Windows is pretty much one of the only OS out there that has the most bigger library on games.