I agree brian and to be honest I am all for the recycled market now especially since it costs a bundle to get office.

There is even a trick to buypass microsoft activation for your keys for the grey market now.

I wouldn't usually do that but no user can afford 200 for home and 400 for small business and 138 bucks a year for a subscription here is just to steep unless you had an income.

Now if I worked in any company using office most of those have home use which technically means you have it for life or at least while you work there and maybe for a bit after.

To be honest for the price unless you are buying it recycled or otherwise or if you are just paying full for it, or use it constantly, for myself the easiest way round it is to just not use it entirely.

I have used jarte for a number of years now.

I don't need a spreadsheet, or powerpoint program and if I did, I'd use a free office, I am allready using a free email program, I don't need a publishing or database program as such, and I have a calculator.

My testing work needs email, and a web brouser all of which cost me nothing and are opensource.

My wordprocessercost me 35 dollars and that was optional but has the bennifit of spellchecking.

I havn't touched office for the last 10 years and I don't miss it.

At some point I need to touch office briefly and thats to convert some old documents I have to something I can open in jarte and its only cooking related materials.