Copying office 2003

[SgtMaj]

Re: Copying office 2003

Licensing with Microsoft is not quite that simple, my friend. Depending on per seat\per user, MESA and about 100 other agreements (Volume, OEM, Open, Etc) you need to read the agreement first, or call MS at 800-426-9400.

Your best bet is to see if you workplace has a volume agreement that either allows you to buy software for home use (Microsoft offers Office 2007 Premium for employees at my company for less than $30) or to install it and use at home for free alltogether. Each agreement is extremely different, and not per user.

Yeah, I was only talking about the home user liscensing agreements though... the standard one that comes with the software when you buy it from a retailer.

 

[i386]

Re: Copying office 2003

Just to clarify the legalities of it...

If you have purchased 1 liscensing agreement, you can legally install it on as many computers as you like, so long as only one of them is running the program at any given moment. If you want to use it on more than one computer at the same time, you will need to purchase multiple liscensing agreements. Of course that is difficult to impossible to enforce, but is something to keep in mind, considering that the fines can reach a quarter million bucks per copy. But so far, Microsoft has been pretty good about not going after the little guys, and just concentrating on businesses (the RIAA could learn a few things from them).

Here's the pertinent part of the Office 2003 retail license agreement...

1. GRANT OF LICENSE. Microsoft grants you the following rights provided that you comply with all terms and conditions of this EULA:
1.1 Installation and use. You may:
(a) install and use a copy of the Software on one personal computer or other device; and
(b) install an additional copy of the Software on a second, portable device for the exclusive use of the primary user of the first copy of the Software.
1.2 Alternative Rights for Storage/Network Use. As an alternative to Section 1.1(a), you may install a copy of the Software on a network storage device, such as a server computer, and allow one access device, such as a personal computer, to access and use that licensed copy of the Software over a private network. You must obtain a license to the Software for each additional device that accesses and uses the Software installed on the network storage device, except as permitted by Section 1.4 of this EULA.
1.3 License Grant for Remote Desktop. You may use remote access technologies, such as the Remote Desktop features in Microsoft Windows or NetMeeting, to access and use your licensed copy of the Software, provided that only the primary user of the device hosting the remote desktop session accesses and uses the Software with a remote access device. These remote desktop rights do not permit you to use the Software on both the device hosting the remote desktop session and the access device at the same time.
1.4 License Grant for Remote Assistance. You may permit any device to access and use your licensed copy of the Software for the sole purpose of providing you with technical support and maintenance services.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Copying office 2003

Installed Open Office, checked out the word processing, spreadsheet, and power point. Make me wonder why would anyone pay for MS Office when you can get this stuff for free. If you don't needs Outlook then this is the way to go folks. Is there an open source outlook type program out there?

 

[Xcusme]

Re: Copying office 2003

Is there an open source outlook type program out there?

Yup, Thunderbird....(for one)

 

[i386]

Re: Copying office 2003

Installed Open Office, checked out the word processing, spreadsheet, and power point. Make me wonder why would anyone pay for MS Office when you can get this stuff for free. If you don't needs Outlook then this is the way to go folks. Is there an open source outlook type program out there?

For Windows? Not quite in my experience.

Essentially, Outlook is Email, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and Journal. For home use, most people need Email, Contacts, and maybe a calendar.

Outlook Express in included with Windows but only has Email and contacts (via the Windows Address Book).

My recommendation, try Mozilla Thunderbird. Like Firefox it's a basic program but made so that "the community" can write add-ons for it to give it more features. So what you end up with is a streamlined application that only has the extra bells and whistles you want. It also has a really good spam filter built in that learns as it goes. To add the calendar feature, simply install the Mozilla Lightning Calendar addon and you've got a pretty decent Outlook replacement.

Firefox & Thunderbird: www.mozilla.com
Lightning Calendar: www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/

For Linux users there's a program that's pretty close to Outlook called Evolution. I prefer Thunderbird over Evolution personally.

More info and screenshots: www.gnome.org/projects/evolution/

*** I just found an open source project building a Windows version of Evolution:

shellter.sourceforge.net/evolution/

I haven't tried it but it sounds promising.