Is Microsoft Office Adware?

An anonymous reader writes "Office may fall under Microsoft's own definition of adware. It links to third-party commercial add-ons, includes up-selling promos, requires cookies for certain functions, and collects technical information. While this is like a normal day on the web, should the commercial office suite be held to a different standard and possibly be considered adware? The article also notes that clicking advertising links in Office will bring up Internet Explorer, regardless of whether or not it is the default browser. We discussed Microsoft's decision to turn Works into adware a few months ago.

Sounds OK to me

[Ritchie70]

This is the low-end PC market. Knocking $40 off the manufacturer's build costs is probably major for them in this market. I know, Open Office, etc, but Works 7 (the last one I've seen) is actually pretty decent for what most people use, and the naive user who's buying these PCs just knows "Microsoft" for "Officey" stuff.

I would have been glad to get a free shrink wrap Works a few years ago. My mom was sending me documents in Works Word Processor format and I had to go buy Works to read them. Trust me, teaching "Save As . . . scroll down to Word... " wasn't practical with her at the time. It was a lot less painful to just go buy Works.

Finally, I hate to tell you, but the Works 7 Word Processor isn't actually that bad. It looks exactly like Word did a few years ago, and has all the features most people use.

I guess we need to consider...

[stubear]

...Leopard to be adware as well. My copy came with links to iDisk/.mac and trial versions of iWorks with a few files that default to opening in Pages to get you hooked. While I can get rid of iWeb and iWorks, I cannot get rid of the iDisk link in the connect to menu item. Now that I think of it, iTunes is part of this whole adware strategy as well. Then there's Quicktime. Don't have the Pro version? Apple is going to tell you what you're missing in the menus by ghosting list items and putting a "Pro" tag next to everything. Personally I find this far more deplorable then a few links in what amounts to nothing more than an interactive/context sensitive help "palette". While many rabid anti-MS geeks on Slashdot might not find these links very helpful, some typical office workers will (and I'm sure Microsoft has the user studies to back this position up, unlike the typical Slashbot that has only anecdotal evidence they like to compare to actual data).

Sliverlight Prompts

[artgeeq]

Sure, why not? I have been using Microsoft TechNet for a while now, and I kept getting these pop-ip prompts to install something called "Silverlight" just about every time. I have to use TechNet to do my job, so I finally just relented and hit the "OK" button.

Maybe Microsoft should come up with a new logo program: "Microsoft adware Aware"

Re:OOo

[ShieldW0lf]

Because it's not a joke. Microsoft are selling out their client base to third parties while they continue to have a client base. They've got multibillion dollar back room deals, they're being paid to put everyones PC under a centralized lock and key system, and if they succeed, they'll get a percentage. It's not like it's a secret.

It's been a trend for years. Worse then even MS..

[CFD339]

..is Intuit. Each year if you upgrade your Quickbooks, Intuit spends more effect and intrusiveness trying to up sell you on features and services related to their software. It has become so infuriating that I refuse to upgrade until I have no choice at all, in hopes someone will come up with something better that is functional enough to make me happy.

Re:Don't think so

[sticks_us]

Yes, exactly. TFA actually includes a similar example (btw, who knows what kind of kickback scheme is behind this,
but you can bet there is one). You throw in the fact that calls home with usage/tracking data, and you know what?
We're technically talking about something very similar to adware.

Of course, most joe-sixpack people don't care. This suggests that there's some convergence of advertising and
application functionality in our future (see also: Google Apps)

Fur realz?

[mattsgotredhair]

FTA

On Microsoft.com, Sandi Hardmeier, MVP, concludes her adware definition, "Ads are not bad by themselves but they become a problem when they are unauthorized. Unfortunately, many adware programs do not give users enough notice or control." In Office, where is the "notice or control"?

I don't use Office, so after reading this [slashdot.org] post and viewing the identical page [microsoft.com] that supposedly contains the adware, it's pretty clear that this article is just fud. You have to click for the ad's to even be displayed! How is that not control?! Seriously... an article from OpenOffice.org Ninja? How is it not going to biased?!

Re:Of *course* not!

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever since installing zone alarm several years ago, I always wondered why MS Word, PowerPoint, etc were always trying to get to the internet. I didn't think they were adware. I thought just spyware. Now I know. DUH

Re:Don't think so

[contrapunctus]

(I don't use MS Office (or Windows) anymore and I try to not use anything MS)

I remember buying MathType in 1997 or so because I found it in Word. I was grateful as I wouldn't have known about MathType otherwise (then).

I guess my point is that it was helpful (for both me and the third party) since it led me to find a program I used a lot from a small 3rd party.

I hated having to find programs ($20 or $30 for something I needed to use once so I didn't do it) though that did what Office should have been able to do (I really can't remember what now but I remember being really angry because they were simple things).

Re:Don't think so

[Anonymous Coward]

What joe-sixpack is going to use equations in Word? What joe-sixpack actually knows this feature exists? Those that use the fairly slow an annoying built in thing may not know there is an alternative without this. For those who actually need to use equations on a day to day basis use things like matlab and mathematica.

Re: What MS wants to own

[ConceptJunkie]

Almost everything Microsoft does makes a whole lot of more sense if you look at it from the standpoint that they hate their customers, but still want their money. I have never worked with products that exude more of a sense of contempt than those from Microsoft, and Vista is possibly the best example.

Re:OOo

[thestudio_bob]

I'm not a Microsoft fan, never have been, but this is a prime example of what happens when you put a sales person in charge of your company. Balmer either lacks the vision of what the customer wants or is choosing to ignore it. He seems to be pimping out the company every chance he gets and I think the customers are finally starting to get turned off by what he's bringing to the table.

Bill Gates is an uber-dork, but at least he brought some passion and vision to the company and seemed to think about the customer every once in awhile.

Re:Article/summary is FUD for at least one point

[rcastro0]

I opened up Word 2007. Typed in a URL. Right clicked, selected "Open Hyperlink" and you know what?

It opened in Firefox. Once again, Slashdot hasn't verified the info they decide to publish. Perhaps it opens IE for some people - I'm using Vista, so maybe the URL handler has a subtle difference to XP. In any case, the article is still flawed.

But is the article really flawed? Tell us, did you check what the info published was about, "clicking advertising links in Office will bring up Internet Explorer"?

This is what I did: I opened up Word 2000. I chose the "Help"-"About..." menu item. I clicked on the "Technical Support" button. A help window came up, containing a link to an online support site. I clicked that link. It took me to a microsoft site, full of ads. Up until this point it was not clear whether I was looking at a web site through Firefox (my default browser) or through IE7. Then I clicked on the MS Advertisement for "Microsoft Silverlight". Behold! IE7 opened the page... even though my Firefox is my default browser!

When I tried what you did, which is opening up links embedded in a Word document, I had the same result as you. But then again, the phrase you are picking on talked about advertising links, not embedded links.

Re:Search the internet

[msoftsucks]

Better yet, write iexplorer.exe to call firefox.exe. That's what I do. Any attempts to call IE either through a shortcut, or from within an application (Quickbooks does the same. It's more adware than the latest Office) will cause Firefox to fire.

Re:OOo

[rtb61]

A classic example of this was when IE used to redo the favourites in the 'Media' bookmark and add in those entries for companies who paid an advertising fee. Very annoying, I remember rather than continually having to delete those entries I did not want, I created a Multimedia heading and simply deleted the Media heading at every new upgrade, well, at least up until replacement with firefox.

Then their were the wizards to facilitate your Internet connection that would only work with ISP who had paid an advertising fee to M$.

So really it is nothing new, same old M$ just screwing over the customer at every opportunity ;).