Home users get a break too. I\u2019ll quote prices from ebuyer.com, a UK retailer with generally keen prices. Office Home and Student 2007<\/a> comes with 3 licences for \u00a364.59 plus VAT \u2013 that\u2019s just \u00a321.53 each before tax. Now let\u2019s ride the escalator. Business prices start with Office Basic 2007 (just Excel, Word and Outlook) OEM edition<\/a>. \u00a396.09. OEM means you are only meant to buy it with a new PC, and the license is only valid for the PC on which it is installed; it dies with the PC. Office Small Business 2007 OEM<\/a> is perhaps reasonable at \u00a3122.70 plus VAT \u2013 you get Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word and Outlook.<\/p>\n How about an upgrade package? Office Standard 2007 Upgrade<\/a> (no Access) is \u00a3175.41 plus VAT. Getting pricey; but then again Office Standard 2007 complete package<\/a> (legal in any scenario) is \u00a3269.01. You want Access too? Your best unrestricted deal is Office Ultimate 2007<\/a> – Access, Excel, InfoPath, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word, Outlook, OneNote, Groove \u2013 at \u00a3314.39 plus VAT. <\/p>\n Curiously that costs less than what the customer probably asks for \u2013 Office Professional 2007<\/a> – Access, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word, Outlook but no OneNote or Groove, which comes in at an eye-watering \u00a3397.50 plus VAT.<\/p>\n Ah, but you should get a site license or even Software Assurance. Believe me, it is not much less \u2013 unless you are a megacorp or government department and negotiate a special deal.<\/p>\n Just to put this into context, I can get a basic PC with Linux<\/a> for just \u00a3119.14 plus VAT \u2013 pic below in case you don\u2019t believe me \u2013 and an HP office-ready PC with XP Pro<\/a> for \u00a3204.24 plus VAT. <\/p>\n If Office were specialist software with a niche market, I could understand the high prices. But this is commodity software; everyone uses it. In what universe it is worth \u00a3397.50 \u2013 and I\u2019m sure you could pay more if you worked at it \u2013 more then three times the price of a PC which (after adding Windows) would happily run it?<\/p>\n You\u2019d be an idiot to pay that, of course. Except \u2013 what choice do you have? If you accept the terms of Microsoft\u2019s strange OEM license, which means that the software is not applicable to an existing PC \u2013 and that of the Home and Student license which forbids \u201ccommercial use\u201d – then you are stuck with prices from \u00a3269.01 and up. Though given the popularity of the OEM editions I suspect that many people take a liberal attitude, or consider that they are \u201crefurbishing\u201d their PCs (which is allowed).<\/p>\n What this means is that the most conscientious or financially careless buyers are paying a price which strikes me as unreasonable. I can understand Microsoft\u2019s reluctance to change this situation; but in time it will have no choice.<\/p>\n What\u2019s a reasonable price for Microsoft Office? An impossible question, of course. It\u2019s mostly decent software (with the exception of Outlook 2007 and its disgraceful performance problems). It has its foibles, but is the best office suite in my opinion; and given the importance of office software to most of us, having the best is … Continue reading Microsoft Office is ludicrously expensive<\/span> ![](\"http:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/images\/cheappc.jpg\")
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