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Microsoft I will use torrents (just joking)

12 points by FridayWithJohn ↗ HN
I bought Office 2013 which doesn't come with a DVD (you need to download it only after signing into your "Microsoft Account"). Sadly this doesn't always work as can been seen here: http://pastebin.com/GFWT1pC0 After a long battle with Mary from Microsoft our chat goes like this:

john: I think I will just download this software instead from a torrent site

john: at least that way I can get it

john: I can then just use that code if it asks for it

Mary: Obviously, I cannot comment on that.

Mary: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

john: yes

Mary: Yes

john: Please ask Microsoft to keep DVDs with their products, or provide URLs to download the software

john: thanks

2 comments

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hardwaresofton
oh yeah, isn't that amazing? Absolutely ridiculous what Microsoft is doing with Office.

You also cannot install 2013 on any other account/computer (yeah, ONE account per ONE computer) as far as I have heard. I'm sticking to 2010. forever. Next step might just be Libre/Open Office

ScottWhigham
Wow - I guess I missed the news that MSFT is not selling these in DVD format anymore [1]. I hate that. As a customer, it's a catch 22 of convenience and inconvenience. The "pro" is that I can download it anywhere, anytime. The "con" is that there's a lot more work on my part now. Download speeds aside, I still have to (a) learn (and remember) how to download it, (b) find where it was downloaded to, and (c) remember to back it up/copy to another location because my "privilege" to download it only is for one year (typically). Oh sure, to you and I those are trivial tasks but to our parents and grandparents, those are far from trivial tasks. I suppose MSFT is saying, "IT departments are the ones who should be installing this, not regular folk."

[1] http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/29/3927866/office-2013-pricin...