23 replies to this topic 1 votes

[arachnoid]

Based on customer feedback we have changed the Office 2013 retail license agreement to allow customers to move the software from one computer to another. This means customers can transfer Office 2013 to a different computer if their device fails or they get a new one. Previously, customers could only transfer their Office 2013 software to a new device if their PC failed under warranty.
While the licensing agreement text accompanying Office 2013 software will be updated in future releases, this change is effective immediately and applies to Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013, Office Professional 2013 and the standalone Office 2013 applications. With this change, customers can move the software to another computer once every 90 days. These terms are identical to those found in the Office 2010 software.[/indent]

http://www.zdnet.com...200/?s_cid=e539

[Growled]

They really didn't have a whole lot of choice considering the uproar. Good move by them, though.

[Anaron]

Good. I held off from upgrading for this reason alone. It shouldn't have been done in the first place though.

[arachnoid]

It does however put their yearly subscription into question after, all why would you pay for that when you can buy it outright?

[francescob]

arachnoid, on 07 March 2013 - 09:27, said:

It does however put their yearly subscription into question after, all why would you pay for that when you can buy it outright?

Because an office 2013 license is still for a single PC unlike 2010 that could be installed on 3 machines or previous versions that could be installed on 1 desktop and 1 laptop.

[arachnoid]

Yes you have the advantage of up to 5 PC installs for say a family but over the lifetime of your system will not the outright purchase work out cheaper per unit?
That and if you miss the yearly fee Office stops working has at least me looking for old license conventions.

[HawkMan]

francescob, on 07 March 2013 - 09:43, said:

Because an office 2013 license is still for a single PC unlike 2010 that could be installed on 3 machines or previous versions that could be installed on 1 desktop and 1 laptop.

The license is also the FULL office package, including outlook and publisher, and you get extra online storage. and full access to online office.
and of course the license is for office 365, not for office 365 2013

[Torolol]

if you're wish to repeatedly install the newest version of office whenever they available, office 365 is the way to go,

otherwise if you're content with exisiting office,
and do not wish to submit yourself to Microsoft planned obsolescene scheme,
choose Office 20xx.

[francescob]

HawkMan, on 07 March 2013 - 10:53, said:

The license is also the FULL office package, including outlook and publisher, and you get extra online storage. and full access to online office.
and of course the license is for office 365, not for office 365 2013

They could even subsidize a car in the subscription but I still don't see how forcing everybody to pay for all that because they crippled all other licenses can be good, very few people need more than word or excel. Also I don't really think that logging in to all your emails/documents on some random public computer that only God knows how much malware could run is a good idea either.

[arachnoid]

So given the license changes whats the advantages and disadvantages from each license version that people see?

[HawkMan]

francescob, on 07 March 2013 - 11:22, said:

They could even subsidize a car in the subscription but I still don't see how forcing everybody to pay for all that because they crippled all other licenses can be good, very few people need more than word or excel. Also I don't really think that logging in to all your emails/documents on some random public computer that only God knows how much malware could run is a good idea either.

web based editing isn't going to be affected by malware on the computer though. viruses aren't going to infect the web based editor

as they no longer crippled anything, they removed the 3 user license, that's all. but the single user license is now the same as it was.

arachnoid, on 07 March 2013 - 11:26, said:

So given the license changes whats the advantages and disadvantages from each license version that people see?

Depending on the country of residence, the best option is to buy an old 3 user office 2010 copy and upgrade it. if you live in a civilized country with consumer protection, MS is not allowed to "ugprade" you to an inferior product. So in most of europe they will have to offer you a 3 user version of 2013. while I believe in the US you get upgraded to 365.

[francescob]

HawkMan, on 07 March 2013 - 12:41, said:

web based editing isn't going to be affected by malware on the computer though. viruses aren't going to infect the web based editor

I wasn't talking about the editor: when you log on office live with your outlook account you have access to all your emails and skydrive documents so I don't think that opening your personal documents on some random public computer most of which still are full of java and other crappy software that could have let in an infinite amount of malware can be a good idea. I also don't understand all this craze of people not bringing their computers with them, the people I see using public computers are almost exclusively technologically illiterates, everybody who actually works on computer brings their smartphone or laptop with them.

HawkMan, on 07 March 2013 - 12:41, said:

as they no longer crippled anything, they removed the 3 user license, that's all. but the single user license is now the same as it was.

The previous retail license was for 3 devices while the new one is only for 1 device so if you have more than one computer (almost everybody does) you need to pay a license for each even if they're all yours. Many other companies have moved to per-user licenses especially now with app stores and people owning several devices while Microsoft instead has actually moved backwards, back to a per-device license straight from the 1980s. Even Apple once you buy OS X, iLife or iWork or buy a macbook/imac that comes with them grants you a license for all your other devices and everybody knows how much they're attached to money.

[AR556]

Glad they reversed their decision, but they'll attempt it again at some point.

[francescob]

AR556, on 07 March 2013 - 13:06, said:

Glad they reversed their decision, but they'll attempt it again at some point.

This is the second time they try locking licenses to a single device, this same story repeated with Vista.

[HawkMan]

francescob, on 07 March 2013 - 13:02, said:

The previous retail license was for 3 devices while the new one is only for 1 device so if you have more than one computer (almost everybody does) you need to pay a license for each even if they're all yours. Many other companies have moved to per-user licenses especially now with app stores and people owning several devices while Microsoft instead has actually moved backwards, back to a per-device license straight from the 1980s. Even Apple once you buy OS X, iLife or iWork or buy a macbook/imac that comes with them grants you a license for all your other devices and everybody knows how much they're attached to money.

No, previously they sold both 1 liense and 3 license versions, they have not crippled anything, just removed the 3 license version.
your example sort of fails on a few important details though. the MS 5 users license can be used by multiple people on 5 computers at once, by 5 different people. the Apple license you compare it with is per person.

there's nothing backwards about this, just different ways, and for most people the MS version makes more sense, for those that the 365 license don't then the device license makes more sense.

And while they previously had a 3 device license, (it was actually 3 devices 1 person if you read the license correctly) it was very impractical insofar as reinstalling and such goes.

Also the Vista thing was an OEM license and that's how OEM licenses are supposed and always was supposed to work.

AR556, on 07 March 2013 - 13:06, said:

Glad they reversed their decision, but they'll attempt it again at some point.

no, they'll simply phase out the regular non 356 versions come the next two versions. well technically they already started a gradual phasing out.