RickInOz

I have just installed a copy of Microsoft Office 2007 onto my laptop. So how much did this software cost me?

£300 perhaps, the RRP for Standard or Small Business Edition; or maybe even as little as £70, the RRP for the Student and Academic Versions. The latter doesn’t sound too bad, but these are the limited versions with few of the bells and whistles. Instead I have a copy of the Enterprise edition, which normally retails for £450. To repeat the question - how much did I pay? The paltry sum of £18. That’s right, less than 5% of the RRP.

Just to rub it in further, I’ve installed Office 2007 over a copy of Office 2003. And that copy also cost me only £18.

By now I’m sure you will be thinking that these are illicit copies downloaded from one of the many file-sharing networks. Instead I assure you that these are entirely legal licences shipped directly from Microsoft themselves. Am I priviledged or have I stumbled onto some dark secret? Not so - I have simply cashed in on Microsoft’s Home Use Program. If you too have an employer who has a multi-user licence, then you may also be entitled to this bonus. Ask the IT department to investigate the option as many either are unaware of it or simply can’t be bothered to make it available to employees.

So here is an opportunity to get a fully functional copy of some expensive software for next to nothing. Which of course begs the question - if Microsoft can afford to sell copies so cheaply, why don’t they drop the price for everyone?