So -- where can you buy OEM versions of this cheap? Is this legal? Don't feel like paying $200 for Office right now.

My father borrowed my Office 97 CD -- then loaned it to someone he worked with and forgot his name (sigh). I'd laugh if I didn't have a crash that required a reformat. I have no WP now.

The question is: Do you want Office XP? You might be better off with 2000 (or even Office 97).

Ebay.

--- Alan

www.9software.com

Good prices on MS OS and Office products.

-DavidCPA

To be honest, I haven't seen much in Office XP that makes me want to open my wallet and replace 2000. It looks pretty much like the same old, same old. If it comes on my next system, so be it, but I'm not buying it before then.

If you're really stuck, you could try downloading that Star Office suite. It's free and I think is supposed to be compatible with MS Office.

Sun's got it. I think they offer it simply to spite Microsoft.

Anyone taking classes at Indiana University or their affiliates get all MS products for $5 per disc (OEM). I take some night classes at IUPUI (that's Indiana U. - Purdue U. at Indianapolis) and got Office 2000 (4-disc version with FrontPage, etc), WinME, and Visual Studios 6 (8 discs --- Visual Basic, J++, C++, etc.) all for $65 a few months ago. Office and Windows XP will be available soon if they aren't already. I was under the impression that a lot of universities had struck such a deal with MS but perhaps not. Anyone know of any others in the U.S. that have such a deal?

That's a pretty nice deal. Heck, sign up for a class, get your student ID, buy the software, and then drop the class. Heh.

Does the license specifies that once you're no longer a student you can no longer use the software?

Yeah, it's pretty sweet. Here's the list of products available:

Office XP

Office 2000 Professional

Office 2000 Premium

Office 2000 Premium Release 2.0

Office 97 Professional

Macintosh Office 2001

Macintosh Office 98

Windows 95

Windows 98

Windows 98 Second Edition

Windows Me

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows NT Workstation 4.0

Front Page 98

Front Page 2000

Visual Studio 97

Visual Studio 6.0

I suppose one could sign up and then drop out, although going through the registration process if one is not already enrolled at the university could be a lengthy and tedious process --- I don't mean registering for individual classes but applying for acceptance to the university. I found this on the web site: "When they leave IU, if they have Microsoft software installed on their computer, they will own the license for the current product releases. In order to upgrade to new versions or get release patches after leaving, they must register ownership with Microsoft (below) and obtain a certificate. This registration must take place while the student is still an eligible affiliate, before leaving IU. Requests for a license certificate after the student has left IU will not be granted."

The web site is here: http://www.indiana.edu/~msela/

Todd

The clever things about it is that both sides get something from the deal. The students get nearly-free software and MS gets thousands of people entering the workplace every year who know only MS software.

Todd

my brother goes there (IUPUI) - gets me all the MS stuff cheap. yay.

- mike - cheap microsoft stuff. that's the way i LIKE it. -

I love WinXP with a passion previously known only to Mark Asher and his copy of Flying Heroes, but OfficeXP leaves me cold. I don't think anyone would be missing much by sticking with Office 2000 or even Office 97, though the latter is getting a bit long in the tooth.

"Anyone know of any others in the U.S. that have such a deal?"

If you attend classes at or are in any way affiliated with a college or university, you can usually get an "academic edition" of productivity software at a steep discount, often through the school's bookstore. The academic edition is usually exactly the same as the "commercial" package except that there's printing or a sticker on the box or jewel case stating that it's for "a qualified educational user" only. I got Office 2000 Professional and WordPerfect Suite 8 that way for the best discount possible: Free. I just had to sign an agreement stating that I was affiliated with an accredited academic institution and that I'd use it for educational purposes.

"long in the tooth"

Much like the expression "damn your eyes" I'd love to know where that came from...

-Andrew

After you get fired form CGW, you will learn. It's because your gums receed (and bleed)! :>

Look it up in an encyclopedia -- it's true!!

greetz

Those are some good deals. Now I feel like the MS store is ripping me off charging me $40 for Office professional and $25 Win9x! Dang!

Where do I register a complaint.