For a long time I’ve resisted using Microsoft’s ubiquitous word-processing software. Recently however, circumstances dictated that I simply had to get a copy of Word.
When Jessica and I went to the Mac Expo in London a few weeks ago, we were both interested in having a chat with the representatives from Microsoft. She was interested in upgrading her existing suite of Office programs (which came with a single-user licence which rules out me using her copy). I was interested in just getting a standalone copy of Word for Mac.
Now, since originally purchasing her Office suite, Jessica has started studying again at the University of Sussex. Microsoft offer a version of Office 2004 for students and teachers that costs considerably less than the standard edition. It also costs considerably less than the standalone Word application.
At the Mac Expo we had a chat with one of the Microsoft people. He listened to us explain what we were looking for. He had just one question which he asked cautiously:
"Um… married?"
We responded in the affirmative whereupon he told us that our problems were solved.
It turns out that the student and teacher edition of Office 2004 comes with three licences. Not only that, but those licences can be used by anyone in the same household as the student or teacher who actually purchases the software.
This information came straight from the horse’s mouth which is just as well because you’d never find out from the horse’s website.
One short trip to Amazon later and Jessica and I are both sorted. I now have a full suite of Microsoft applications running on both my Macs. The lamb lies down with the lion… well, Panther in this case.
Anyway, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy Microsoft’s Office suite and you happen to live under the same roof as a student or teacher, you can save a pretty penny. Pass it on.