On: LibreOffice downloads on the rise as users look to avoid subscription costs

[LeoPanthera]

You actually can still buy Office. It's quite expensive though.

I suppose it always was.

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=2113574&CLCID=0x10...

[dreamcompiler → LeoPanthera]

Here's what Microsoft won't tell you: If you buy standalone office and it is not allowed to phone home to Microsoft at least once a month, it stops working. This can happen if you use it on a disconnected computer or you just have a reverse firewall rule blocking microsoft domains.

[eddythompson80 → dreamcompiler]

I’m not sure that’s true. Last Office I bought was “Home Edition 2016” and it’s been running on a machine that doesn’t have internet access since 2017 without any issues.

[dreamcompiler → eddythompson80]

My standalone copy of Excel (which is the only member of the Office suite I use) is version 16.54 for MacOS "© 2021 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved."

If I block it from accessing Microsoft domains in Little Snitch, it goes into readonly mode after about a month. Opening a hole in the firewall lets it start working again. Previous versions from several years earlier didn't do that.

[Lammy → dreamcompiler]

Fuck 'em — pirate that shit with a clean conscience https://massgrave.dev/office_for_mac#office-activation

[chii → eddythompson80]

2016 is almost a decade in the past. The phoning home thing hasn't really taken off at the time.

[eddythompson80 → chii]

Microsoft doesn’t release an Office version every year. They technically released 2019, 2021 and 2024, but they have all been “Office 16” versions. As far as I could tell they are more or less “service packs” + random improvements/small features on to of the 2016 base. I was planning to upgrade last year but life got in the way and I only use that machine in the deep winter. Do you know what release they introduced that in?

[js2 → LeoPanthera]

I recently helped my sister upgrade from an extremely old MBP that couldn't upgrade past 10.13 to a pre-retina MBA that couldn't upgrade past macOS 12. Her ancient version of Office from the MBP wouldn't run on the MBA.

I was unable to figure out how to download/purchase a version of Office from MSFT that would run under macOS 12[1]. But in my searching, I ended up here:

https://github.com/alsyundawy/Microsoft-Office-For-MacOS

So she's now running a volume-licensed version of Office 2019. MSFT seems to tolerate not necessarily legitimate volume licensing I guess as these have been floating around the internet forever.

[1] e.g. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/what-...

[BobaFloutist → LeoPanthera]

My go-to strategy still seems to hold up: https://www.g2a.com/search?query=microsoft%20office

[Izkata → LeoPanthera]

> I suppose it always was.

I have a very vague memory that is was $200 in the 2000s, so if accurate the price has gone down.

[vunderba → LeoPanthera]

That's honestly less than I would have expected. I still have an old copy of Microsoft Office 95 though I no longer have the hardware with which to run it. Ditto a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS6 which I believe was the final version before they went full on subscription.

[chii → vunderba]

i reckon these software ought to run fine in a VM, perhaps running something like windows xp. Unfortunately, with photoshop, the hardware drivers for the various drawing tablets will probably not function (or remain available).

[raffraffraff → chii]

Also work on a brand new Linux with wine.

Actually come to that, my wife has Windows 10 and runs Photoshop CS2 occasionally.

[goosedragons → raffraffraff]

I tested PS7 on ARM64 Windows and it ran fine even. A little blurry on the high DPI display though.

[spl757 → LeoPanthera]

I hear https://ms.codes/ sells office and stuff.