It's truly amazing how much money Microsoft pulls in from what is, in relative computer terms, ancient software. For most applications and software you purchase and buy online, if it's more than two years old it's worthless. This rule doesn't apply to Microsoft, though, the latest version of it's Office suite is nearing three years old now, and Windows XP, still the most popular OS by far, is almost SEVEN. The reason for this is that you're basically forced into owning these hobbling, wrinkled old testaments to mediocrity to do your work, right?
Wrong. Well, you're still sort of forced to own Windows if that's all you've ever used, but for Office there are alternatives. Better alternatives. FREE alternatives. Alternatives like OpenOffice, which does everything Microsoft Office does and is way cheaper. By way cheaper I mean it doesn't cost anything. Compared to the current retail price of Office 2007 ($150 for the academic version) that's a pretty suite deal (ha ha, see what I did there?).
You can download OpenOffice for naught a penny here:
www.openoffice.org
If you own a business and want what basically amounts to the corporate version, you can get it for $35 a license (wowza!) here:
www.sun.com
Oh, and if you're just trying to replace Outlook there's a great, free alternative out there for you as well. Thunderbird, by the makers of Firefox.
www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/
Oh, and just a moment of gloating: I was totally right about Conficker. LOL. Okay I'm done.
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