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Re: [LUG] CCC Computer refurbishment

 

Grant Sewell wrote:

> Compatibility?  With who?  With yourselves in 15 years time?  Not too
> sure about how Microsoft feel about that.  Integration into what?
> Supportability... personally I wouldn't want to have to support a system
> that so clearly has a UseBy date on it that's only a few years away.
> Affordability?  They will have to retrain their staff in MSOffice 2007
>   
And no doubt 2008, 2009, ad nauseum.  Also MS products have a nasty 
habit of not being backwardly compatible, so if you save a file in, for 
example Word 2007 format, the chances of it reading in 2003 are not 
especially high.  Hell when I was doing support we had all kinds of fun 
with people using Outlook and Outlook Express with disappearing 
attachments because they weren't compatible with each other.

IMHO the compatibility argument is a non-starter because as soon as one 
organisation upstream 'upgrades' their software even staying within MS, 
everyone downstream has to follow suit or start receiving files they 
can't open.  Better to change now to an Open standard that at least can 
be upgraded in the future either free or at minimum cost.

Kind regards,

Julian

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