Fair play. I enjoy PC gaming with a mate or two over LAN with laughter and beer (and lots of shouting, generally). This has always been the thing that consoles have over PCs though.

It's definitely an interesting one. Part of me wants the latest i7 hardware and an awesome graphics card and to play the latest games. Another part is getting bored with "stuff" and is more concerned with experiences and people. On that basis, a Linux box to service all my "day-to-day" computing needs and work as a pseudo media centre and a console, seems a much more interesting and friendly combo. It's substantially cheaper too. Hmmmm......

If Linux could game like a PC and had wider support, it'd be a no brainer. But it can't and doesn't and so the debate continues......

I've spent around £200 on software in the last six months...Most of which, if I had found an open alternative I'd have used that...
Sometimes closed source is just better, often open alternatives will do the job.

The only open source software I use is Firefox at the moment. I started using it when IE6 was around, primarily for tabbed browsing, and now for a couple of the add-ons, particularly all-in-one gestures, web developer and ad-block plus.

I hope Office 2000 will work on Windows 7. If not my Dad's getting Open Office. I'm not wasting money on a new MS office version.

MS Office 2000 wasn't supported on Vista - Outlook email was thrown out with the bath water, because of poor security (XP as well). I think it should still work, but it isn't supported any more.

Office 2000 works perfectly on Windows 7. I'm using Word right now to type up some IT work. Mmm, describing the motion tween function on Macromedia Flash 2004.

Well its free, obviously. I've used Open Office and even forced the missus to use it and its ok. She moans sometimes about the formatting when moving from OO to MS Office and back etc but what the hell, its free.

At what point does free become outweighed by the extra work involed in re-formatting the documents?

I like OO.o, but when I need to work with other people who use MS Office, there is no real substitute at the moment.

The missus isnt very competent at the best of times on IT. Add to being brought up on MS Office at work/Uni and chuck in some miss-matched formatting on her OO docs and you've got one moaning whinning girlfriend "why cant I have Word" etc etc.

Free software and moaning girlfriend .Vs. expensive software and easy life?

I know what i'd prefer lol

(Although I still havent bought her office to be honest. I might get her the student edition as she's currently technically 'learning' at a Uni through her work.)

Ultimate Steal - Office 2007 Ultimate Edition - £40.

http://www.microsoft.com/student/discou ... fault.aspx

WOW, im getting that!!

There isn't a student version anymore. It was relabelled "Home and Student", you get 3 licences for under a tonne and you can use it at home, you don't need to be a student any more.

See Linux's post. Ultimate 2007 for under £40. There's Windows 7 Pro for £30 too. I wonder if you can install it on more than one pc.........

Office is licensed for two machines - one desktop and one laptop.

Excellent! She gets it on the laptop, I get it on the desktop. Cheers fella.