Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

consumerrights.wiki

331–340 of 401 posts

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it me or are people too eager to "one track mind" everything into AI? If I had said thirty years ago that Microsoft would remote disable old copies of Office asking you to upgrade, literally no one would be surprised. This is standard MO for Microsoft, even in a world without AI.

"literally no one would be surprised" Microsoft 30 years ago was the gold standard for bending over backwards for backward compatibility. For the proposition that once you have purchased one of their products, you didn't have to maintain any further relationship with the company. This behavior is strictly the new 2010s Apple-like microsoft.

Lol, Microsoft has always had sunset periods. They just weren’t great at remote licensing. They would have totally disabled old versions if they could much earlier.

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which probably allows them to skirt legal liability... After all, a computer with the date set to 2021 will still function...

Yep. Scummy, even for Microsoft. Too bad their EULA blocks class action. They were selling it until October 2021, so it's not some ancient system. By building a time bomb into it, they misrepresented what was effectively a $50/year subscription as if it were a $229 purchase. Should be a slam dunk case, but it won't be.

I didn't know you could block class actions just by stating it in the TOS for a product - thanks for the tip!

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If "going after" means continuing to give them more and more money, one might question what you actually mean by "going after" ...

"Going after" means enforcing the law against them. Nothing more, nothing less.

In this context 'enforcing the law' means letting them get away with (via token inconsequential fines or the like) and then giving them even more money.

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"literally no one would be surprised" Microsoft 30 years ago was the gold standard for bending over backwards for backward compatibility. For the proposition that once you have purchased one of their products, you didn't have to maintain any further relationship with the company. This behavior is strictly the new 2010s Apple-like microsoft.

Yup. Evil is gonna evil. I may be forced to use MS at work but at home I dont let their software past my router. A buddy of mine stayed for a few days while his place was being fixed. "Hey, why are my updates not happening?" "Oops, I forgot to tell you that all MS servers are inaccessible via the wifi."

I’m trying to understand your threat model. Microsoft software is allowed to access the network and communicate with peers on the internet, with the exception of its source of security updates?

Struggling to see anything but more risk with no benefit with this security posture.

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#337
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't ask to talk to Microsoft representatives anymore, you invoke the code for the right of parley.

Aye, but the Pirates' Code is more what ye call guidelines than actual rules.

By the time you are made aware of it though, you are already part of the crew.

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#338
It's clear they don't want stand-alone Office anymore. One gets the feeling, given how Windows has devolved, that they'd like to rid themselves of all desktop software so they can focus on the backroom, perhaps because the data they could acquire is tastier.

Re: Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion

#340
post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're working on it, they've recently stopped allowing the Australian government to be treated a single customer. [1] While each agency still gets the same whole of government pricing for the next five years, I worry the next step is to make each agency negotiate their own individual licences, which squeezes the smaller ones with no bargaining power. [1]: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/fed-gov-faces-major-m365-lice…

More incentives to move off MS products. MS sales and marketing are just geniuses! I hope one day they will eat the consequences.

We've been waiting 40 years for that "one day". I wouldn't bet on it. :(
Post reply on HN