Got 'The real office'

[Sakura]

Microsoft really has a problem with OpenOffice.

First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you,
then they fight you,
and then you win!

Microsoft, the world's most expensive standard software company, is giving away their Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate edition to any student studying at one of their accepted universities, including mine. Price: EUR 52.- including tax. This is not the "Home & Student" thingy you get for less than EUR 80 but the full version including all the business stuff, membership of the office club like "Office Live Workspace" and so on. According to the license it also allows you to upgrade your machine or buy a new one and reactivate the thingy a few times.

At 52 Euro I think the price is just right because you get Access which is a really good database for small sized projects (e.g. keepng statistics for papers) it also has a MS SQL server which I'd like to use for version control of my documents.

They call it 'the Ultimate Steal' in german they translated it to 'the Real Office'... ("das Wahre Office") that implies the existence of other, preferably 'unreal' office packages. Guess marketing will change this translation ASAP...

OpenOffice will still provide me with automated XML services and the wonderful batch conversion feature to create pdf files. I hope my two pets get along well

[Hiki]

Very nice. I hope your two pets get along too

[Zeratul2k]

They did something similar in my university once. They just said "bring blank DVDs and we'll burn you a copy" (yes, microsoft people actually said that) but I don't know what versions they were, since I didn't assist. I mean, why would I want a copy of something I had downloaded months ago?

[Sakura]

That was word + excel and hopefully not the full Ultimate. I'd enroll in your university instead...

[Zeratul2k]

Just talked to a friend who did went. It was mostly a PR campaign for .NET (since we mostly use Java) and they offered, besides Office 2007 Home and Student 2007, a unlimited-time trial of SQL Server and Windows Server 2003. Also, of course, the .NET DVDs. As I said, nothing I hadn't downloaded months ago (had to download the .NET DVDs for a networking simulation software that uses it. I'm still ruing that day)

[Sakura]

Me and Olray used .NET DVD's for coffee cup holders. By the way... coffee... .... MMMMHM!

[Hiki]

I only like Starbucks coffee

[Sakura]

My place smells like starbucks right now... mmmhm mooore coffee. *adds some catnip*

[Hiki]

Starbucks... *is jealous*

[oldwrench]

Hmmm, just made some very good Gevalia dark roast coffee for breakfast. Gevalia has a number of good coffees. Last night went to the Calfiend for supper. They brew great coffee. It was ladies night, they had an $8 plate of chocolate deserts, I had to get one for the wife............. Ooooooo was that good.