If all you need is "a" text processor, spreadsheet program, and slideshow program, then go ahead and use another text processor, spreadsheet program, and slideshow program. There's plenty of them out there. Office is a bit more complex than you make it out to be there. The integration between office programs (ability to edit excel graphs within word for example) and features like sharepoint server, office is quite a bit more than just those things though. Simple documents, spreadsheets and presentations don't require office, though some may find office easier to use. But for complex things, it does its job well, and may be worth the price.

Furthermore, office home and student (the version which costs $150) can be legally installed on three computers at once. That's a mere $50 per license, which makes it a good deal for families. It's also often on sale at both retail and online stores - right now newegg has it for $105. That's $35 per license. Which is barely over your stated price of $30. Maybe not such a bad deal after all, eh?

Portland, Oregon actually has implemented something similar to this. They created iPhone and Android applications for reporting potholes, broken glass in the street, graffiti, clogged storm drains, etc. Each report is tagged with GPS coordinates (which the user can precisely choose on a map, to show where exactly the problem is), and can include photos, videos, and text descriptions of the problem. The app then shows all the reports you have submitted, and whether they have been dealt with yet. It's pretty nifty, but it would be even better if non-smartphone users like myself could also submit reports via MMS.

So in other words, WSUS? Currently it's only meant for corporate users, but it would be great if Microsoft would release it as a module for Windows Home Server, so home users could have that functionality.

You know, you can also spend moderate bucks on a PC with a metal case with better performance for a lower price than a macbook (pro) and remove the two stickers yourself. There are lots of crappy PCs out there, but there are also some very nice ones that still cost much less than the Apple equivalent.

If competing companies can enter, Kaspersky should submit their Packin' the K rap. I'm sure that would make for great publicity.

Not quite what I was referring to, but a clever reinterpretation ;)

Really? It's hard to find anything harder than the dihydrogen monoxide from around here...

Well, google's already supporting it... 1 hellameter in kilometers

Incorrect, good sir! Visual Studio 2010 Express Edition is free!

Incorrect, practically speaking. If you really want to use Office 2003, you can. Buy Office 2007, and exercise your downgrade rights to install Office 2003:

Which 2007 Microsoft Office system suites are eligible to downgrade to Office 2003 suites?
Customers who have licensed Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 are eligible to downgrade to Office Professional Enterprise 2003 and all previous versions as described above. Customers who have licensed Microsoft Office Standard 2007 are eligible to downgrade to Office Standard Edition 2003 and all previous versions of Office Standard Edition.

(From Microsoft Downgrade Rights Chart.)

No, piracy is not like breaking into a car. It's worse. It's like stealing a baby, and you're a horrible person for endorsing it!

Regarding power savings - that is a good point; thanks for doing the math for us. Based on your calculations, it's not worth upgrading just for the power savings. However, the OP was saying that upgrading your processor results in you wasting more energy. Granted, energy is used in the production process, but if you're going to buy a new processor anyhow, it's not going to hurt your electric bill. As for cheap processors... a brand-spankin' new Pentium Dual Core E5200 is $65, and is faster than an E4300 was, at 2.5 GHz vs 1.8 GHz. The bus speed is the same, and the E5200 is on the 45nm process vs the 65 for the E4300, so you'll see additional performance and power savings from that. Still doesn't make it worth upgrading for the power savings, but really it's not hard to find a fast, cheap processor.

Do realize that your P4 consumes a lot more power than a previous-generation (65nm) Core 2 Duo, and in some tests even more than a Core 2 Extreme. Modern 45nm chips use even less power. So really, you're dumping money down the power/heat drain by not using a newer processor. Even if you don't need the speed, it makes a difference in terms of the electric bills. Your point about electricity is completely and entirely invalid.

The heat issue goes both ways, too. Portland, OR recently started using LEDs in all of the street lamps, slowly fazing them in as the old incandescent bulbs fail and need to be replaced. Last winter during a huge snow and ice storm, they noticed that a lot of the LED street lamps couldn't be seen. The old warm incandescent bulbs would get so hot that they would melt all of the snow and ice off of the lamp cover. The new LEDs are so efficient that the snow doesn't melt, causing them to not be as visible when it snows. Fortunately it rarely snows much here, so it's not a huge concern, but it's funny how the inefficiency of the old lamps was actually a benefit nobody realized.