Office & productivity software forum: Poll: Would you subscribe to Microsoft Office?

No. I have an objection to paying for something I purchased this year, again and again during subsequent years.

Actually, I don't RENT anything.

Nope. Nada. Zip. totally NOT!

... sending it to Micro$loth. Libraoffice is a clear market leader---AND---it works!

For me, a one man band, Kingsoft and Open Office work just fine. For cheap, I'd do the Microsoft thing. But I only really need word processing, not all the other stuff. Rent me Word for 2.99 a month, and I'm probably in. (I still miss WordPerfect)

I use to use MS Office for a long time, however as i am slowly making that transition over to Linux, and opening my mind set to open source, i am finding a lot of great software packages that are FREE and do the exact same thing that MS office does!, Either on Windows or Linux. Now why would anyone pay a sick amount of money for this? there are many different choices to use. and they all can save the files as a MS formats for those who still want to use the Dark Side!

- Open Office (Windows or Linux)
- Libre Office (Windows or Linux)
- Kingsoft Office Suite ( Windows)
- SSuite Office - Excalibur Release (Windows)
- Softmaker FreeOffice
- IBM Lotus Symphony (discontinued but still free) (Windows or Linux)

And for those of you who still want a cloud based app. you can use these free resources.

- Google Docs / Google Drive
- ThinkFree Online
- Zoho

I find most people I introduce some of these apps too are so use to Microsoft Office, that they tend to be scared
to use a new application, but after about an hour of just messing with the new Office App, and explaining the $0 cost! they become at ease and use it just as they did for MS Office.

Everyone in my family from grandparents to kids have been using Kingsoft Office Suite (Free) and Google Docs
and we have not touch MS Office in over a year.

Thanks for posting the list. However, I would not recommend SSsuite office. It is a sort of malware and I only hope that I cleaned up all the garbage it put on my machine.

The only way so many people flat-out say they'd not pay $99/yr is because they currently pay nothing. Either they have no idea what the legit licensing cost is because someone pays it for them in the form of an enterprise license or they have a pirated copy.

Yes, there are other free compatible versions of Office-like suites out there, but there's something to be said about universal compatibility. When I've not had access to MS office and had to use one of the alternative freebies, I've wasted more time (and billable hours) trying to get those products to yield deliverables in formats that are 100% compatible with what the client expects.

A $99/year subscription fee with cloud storage and support is a friggin bargain. Wake up you freeloaders nothing is free! If you've ever been in the software development business you'd know how challenging and time consuming it is to develop and support enterprise-wide software packages that you'd laugh at the highly affordable $99/year price tag.

*Soapbox Please*
I got TIRED! of paying for the same thing over and over and over and over again.
and like most people are tired of paying for bugs, hackable holes, virus/trojan prone MS products.

This "NAY SAYER" pays nothing and uses the free applications , am I at risk? absolutely! but for the cost of 0$
I will take that risk , I would much rather spend $0 dollars than $300 to $1000's of dollars on a product that still get viruses, worms, trojan and security holes. It's like you are paying for the problems.. NO THANK YOU! and i think you find a lot of people will agree with me on this.
PS! (I have no worries on my Linux systems and NO blue screens)

So, for those of us who actually know how to use other products find them to be just fine. and " My" clients and Co-Workers are not complaining at all. In fact I have a couple of clients that have switched because they are tired of the over price scandal of a glorified notepad product. There has yet to be one document that i could not format the same way that MS Office did. Spend a little time and effort on the free ones as you once did on MS Office and you find a playground of fun and free of frustrations, not to mention a buck saved in your back pocket.

*Steps off Soapbox*

I've got a Lotus 2000 smart suit somewhere, it STILL has a few things that office is missing
I think I'll re-load it on desktop

To me, this is a no brainer. I am about to purchase the Sony all in one Computer and was going to pay $120 for home and student 2010 version for $120. I will read up on this to make sure I understand it but intend to leave the office 2010 off my order now and buy the subscription instead. I run 3 computers at home -- 2 with earlier versions and one with office 2010.

This would save me a bunch of dollars in the long run even at $99 a year.

I have a mid 90's version and even in the early 90's I discovered, with every new iteration of Word and Excel, they had a knack of adding more and more "improvements" (complicated pieces of rubbish that took longer to use than the time they allegedly saved). I'd be forced at work to accept the new product and it would take days to find all the "improvements" and turn them off through options.

So, even though the products I have include outdated Word (one of the worst programs in history which I didn't buy, I was given it) it still does what I need less pathetically than any new version is likely to. And I know every work around for it's failures there is to know.

(Don't get confused about "You just don't know how to work it"..... I'm a document drafter and business analyst so I am heavily engaged in Word and Excel. Just not a person who has time to play with features that offer nothing.)

My tablet is Android (Linux)
My phone is Android (Linux)
My HP laptop OS is Mint 14 w/Mate (Linux)
My graphics software is Gimp (Linux)
My office suite is LibreOffice (Linux)

There is a whole universe of free software out there and I have no problem being compatible with the M$ drones out there that are blindly giving away hard earned money.

Not only would I refuse to pay for a "subscription" to use the latest version of Office, I wouldn't even use it if it was free! Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Works 4.5 (originally designed for Windows 95!) do everything I ever need to do, and then some. I am happy with the interface in these programs, and I know how to quickly and easily access the commands and features which I use. Furthermore, I already own these programs (so no need to shell out more $), and they work fine on my new PC's with Windows 7.

I don't like the interface in the newer versions of Office (2007, 2010, etc.) and I can't think of any reason to "upgrade" so I can then waste money for a new license, and waste time learning how to use it.

- Yes, for me it's worth the money! especially with all the ancillary services thrown in.
It would probably cost as much or more to buy.
I was amazed to read the results to date, these people either work for corporations or the government, or they pirate it off...