CodeWeavers reports
Gone are [...] the days that we hopelessly tried to register Microsoft Office 2013. You read that right, people. [On November 2], we successfully registered Microsoft Office 2013 in a CrossOver 16 alpha build. We [can] also:
- Open, create, edit, save, and print Microsoft office documents
- Activate a copy of Microsoft Office 2013 [with a] product key or a 365 subscription
- Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project
"Everyone at CodeWeavers is incredibly excited to see Microsoft Office 2013 installing, registering, and running in CrossOver. After four years of continued development, we are preparing to deliver support for the 2013 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project in CrossOver 16 (due out later this year). And we hope that our development will continue making strides to include support for Outlook 2013 and Microsoft Office 2016 in the coming months." -- James Ramey, President
(Score: 2) by zafiro17 on Monday November 07 2016, @05:40PM
This opens up a few opportunities for my family. We bought a new Mac Mini for the Missus in July, and it's been underperforming on both Sierra and El Capitan. The new Mac hardware is underwhelming and I'm thinking seriously of changing it out for a non-Mac (worse, we bought it in July 16 but it reports as "2014" - WTF?). Win10 is out of the question. I was leaning heavily toward ChromeOS plus a subscription to Office365 (she requires Winword for her work), but there, the idea of subscribing to software makes me sick. It's not right. There's a no cost version she might be able to use, but that one complicated document makes it risky. Maybe I could set up a Mint Linux box with Crossover for her. A year ago this would have been a no-brainer: get the wife a new Mac Mini and the latest MS Office and call it a day. Given the latest Mac hardware and the usual MS shenanigans, I'm not happy about it.
I might give this a try. Would save us a ton of money at the least - I could even run Linux on an older Intel Mac Mini we've got kicking around. If not, a Chromebook plus Dropbox and Office365 would be about right. I struggle to see what other benefits Mac software is bringing her these days (iphoto - not really, itunes, not really) given the premium we're paying for the hardware.
Rock on, CodeWeavers.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07 2016, @07:01PM
Crossover is subscription-based software. So it will make you sick.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07 2016, @07:20PM
Yes, I wasn't really understanding where this cost savings was coming from.
Someone has to pay for the MS licensing, and that's via a magical cloud of subscription services in this case--paid for by the end user or company representing the end user.
(Score: 2) by zafiro17 on Monday November 07 2016, @07:24PM
You are right.
I can't stand the idea of paying repeatedly for the same thing. I'd rather pay $200 up front than $20 a month for ten months.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 3, Informative) by zafiro17 on Monday November 07 2016, @07:27PM
Wait a minute, I just checked the codeweavers website. You buy it, you own it. It's the SUPPORT that only lasts 12 months. You buy Crossover and it's yours, no subscription needed.
Wish I'd looked at the website before responding a minute ago. Where's the edit button? :)
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 2) by zafiro17 on Monday November 07 2016, @07:53PM
Actually, the more I look at the site, the more confused I am. Maybe it /is/ pay per month. That's what it looks like when you go to check out. You're buying a 1 month, 6 month, or 1 year subscription - is for the use of the product, or support?. The whole website right up until that moment looks like you buy it, you own it, then whammo at the checkout you're buying a 6 month product. What does that even mean?
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 1) by Atreidin on Monday November 07 2016, @08:12PM
I'm pretty sure it's free updates and support for 6 months.
(Score: 5, Informative) by zafiro17 on Monday November 07 2016, @08:56PM
So, I wrote the company, and got an instantaneous response - nice work, team. Here it is:
Someone mark this post informative so it floats to the surface, and ignore my previous three vacillating posts :)
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 07 2016, @11:05PM
First, CrossOver 16 isn't available yet; it's still alpha.
(That's the original meaning of "alpha", where the pre-release product doesn't leave the department that's developing it.)
...and, as been mentioned in the (meta)thread, CodeWeavers is very good at upstream, so their improved code will make it back to the WINE project quickly.
(WINE is GPL'd.)
So, it shouldn't be too long (or too long after CrossOver 16 is released) that this stuff appears in a (totally gratis) WINE release.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]