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Microsoft

CNET Touts 'Massive' Microsoft Office Deal: 91% Discount on a Lifetime License (cnet.com) 80

Posted by EditorDavid from the chained-to-the-Office dept.
Meanwhile, over in the Microsoft ecosystem, CNET reports: You can ditch the subscription (with recurring charges) and snag a lifetime license of access to Microsoft's Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher and Access for just $30...

That's back at the lowest price we've ever seen, and a whopping 91% off the usual price of $349.

However, this deal expires in just a few days, so be sure to get your order in soon.The offer, from StackSocial, applies to both the Windows and Mac version of the software.

Now, you can always opt to use the free online version of Microsoft Office (which has far fewer features). But compared to the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that costs $10 per month or $100 per year, this downloadable version is a phenomenal bargain.
The Mac deal ends today, but the Windows deal extends through December 28th, according to CNET's article. "The two big caveats: You get a single key — which only works on a single computer — and there's no Microsoft OneDrive Cloud Storage included."
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CNET Touts 'Massive' Microsoft Office Deal: 91% Discount on a Lifetime License More

CNET Touts 'Massive' Microsoft Office Deal: 91% Discount on a Lifetime License

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  • Wow (Score:4, Funny)

    by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:39PM (#63156966) Homepage Journal

    What a massive discount on something I don't want.

    Microsoft is infamous for altering the deal, and their format documentation says "do what we do here". Thanks, but no thanks.

    • What a massive discount on something I don't want.

      Microsoft is infamous for altering the deal, and their format documentation says "do what we do here". Thanks, but no thanks.

      In addition, many (most?) people are still using Windows 10, which goes EOL in two years, many on older systems that don't/can't meet the Windows 11 (arbitrary) hardware requirements, though many could still run it unsupported, and will have to buy new hardware to "upgrade" to Windows 11 to keep using that discounted Office suite with official support ...

      I'll be migrating to Linux full-time and LibreOffice -- though I still need a good open-source replacement for Publisher, maybe Scribus. I just finishe

      • Scribus is quite good as long as you can break your work up into small pieces. If not, use something else, as it will choke and then probably explode.

        • A friend of mine owns a publishing company and uses Scribus to do the layouts for his newspaper as well as stuff like flyers, business cards and other miscellaneous print jobs. It works fine.

          • A friend of mine owns a publishing company and uses Scribus to do the layouts for his newspaper as well as stuff like flyers, business cards and other miscellaneous print jobs. It works fine.

            As I noted in a previous reply, I'm using Publisher for greeting cards, so that will (hopefully) work out for me. I think the latest version of Scribus has some support for Publisher documents, so perhaps I won't have to (completely) re-do existing work.

          • A friend of mine owns a publishing company and uses Scribus to do the layouts for his newspaper as well as stuff like flyers, business cards and other miscellaneous print jobs. It works fine.

            It's great for jobs with not too many pages, but jobs that I've done on a Mac IIci (MC68030@25MHz) with 5MB FPM DRAM in PageMaker are literally impossible in Scribus with 8 cores (FX-8350) and 32GB of DDR3. The software just explodes. The functionality is very good, but the performance is frankly atrocious, and it fundamentally cannot handle pressure. If I have a DTP job of any size to do, I am absolutely going to use InDesign. (CS2 in a VM, in my case.) For a poster, or a flyer, Scribus provides unbeatable

        • Scribus is quite good as long as you can break your work up into small pieces. If not, use something else, as it will choke and then probably explode.

          Thanks! I'm using Publisher for greeting cards, which seem like they would fit that description, so that will (hopefully) work out. I think the latest version has some support for Publisher documents, so perhaps I won't have to (completely) re-do existing work.

    • Microsoft is infamous for altering the deal

      In what way? Point to Microsoft altering the deal on single purchased licenses. And please email it to me so I can read it on my 10+ year old copy of Outlook which works, is licensed for and acts exactly as it was advertised back when I got it.

      No you get exactly what is stated. MS doesn't alter deals on purchased software. It alters deals on subscriptions which is an entirely different thing.

  • Why Does This Sound Phishy? (Score:4, Informative)

    by theshowmecanuck ( 703852 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:45PM (#63156972) Journal

    If this was offered on Microsoft's own site, I might buy it (even if figuratively speaking). But it's through someone else's site.

     

    • Why is this sane scam promoted every tine MS pushes it. We know it for one lavish. Non transferable. So every tine you want to buy a new machine you have to wait for this scam offer to come around v

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by irp ( 260932 )

        Yes, they very explicitly states it is "ONE-TIME PURCHASE FOR 1 PC". I was borderline considering it, but my current PC is from 2009 and due for a replacement, probably next year (I have replaced 'wear parts' i.e. ssd/hdd and gpu). But the point is that the 'lifetime' in this case is ~ 1 yr, so... no.

  • A "lifetime license"? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Hans Lehmann ( 571625 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:48PM (#63156974)
    A lifetime license that only works on a single computer. So, in other words, the license only lasts for the life of that computer, typically no more than five years?
    • If you moved the SSD and licensed Windoze for new hardware, would that be a work-around, since you're still using the same 'doze install?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by spudnic ( 32107 )

      It's $30. You won't even remember spending it. And if it helps me out a couple of times on my home PC where I have issues loading some crazy document for work, I'm fine with that.

      Merry Christmas!

      • $30 is a lot for some of us.

        • $30 is a lot for some of us.

          And yet you'll blow more on beers and pizza when you watch the game at home on a weekend.

          • I don't watch meatheads jumping each others' bones.

            • He didn't way what kind of game it was, it could be a video game, the Excel world championships (for cash plus masochist bragging rights), the livestream of a D&D session on youtube, etc.

          • Beers and Pizza for a weekend TV binge have vastly more inherant value than a lifetime subscription to Microsoft Anything.

      • So your logic is that you have a spare $30 in your pocket you are willing to throw away because your work doesn't give you the tools to do your job?

        • So your logic is that you have a spare $30 in your pocket you are willing to throw away because your work doesn't give you the tools to do your job?

          Or they are self-employed or perhaps left their work laptop in the office and got pinged for something high-priority after hours.

          Regardless of their situation, $30 for having a full copy of Microsoft Office on hand is a good value for many of us that sometimes need to open the odd Word document or Excel sheet without having to resubscribe to 365 for a month.

          • Except it's not as useful as a full copy of Microsoft Office. First, it's for the online version, which is crap. Second, the license is not "lifetime", it is tied to you computer not to an account; you won't be able to migrate it from Windows to MacOS or Linux for example despite being browser based. Third, it's the online version. I know I mentioned that earlier but it's such a big drawback that I mention this twice.

            Ie, right now if you've got a copy of Office 95, you can *still* use it.

            • It's not browser-based; I don't know for sure where you got that, but I have a hunch that it came straight out of your ass.

              It is technically tied to a single computer (though a quick call to support can bypass that), but a transferable home & business license is $300 and computers last 5+ years these days, so who really cares? This is no different than OEM licenses that MS has sold for their products for at least 20 years. Sure, you can still use Office 95, but who would want to? The shelf life of soft

              • Maybe I confuse "lifetime license" with subscription? Because why say "lifetime" if there's no subscription involved? And if there could be a subscription, that wouldn't be for the installable application, that would be weird, no?

                • And if there could be a subscription, that wouldn't be for the installable application, that would be weird, no?

                  Perhaps because it's a poorly worded headline or maybe in this age of subscription-based software, tech journalists working for mediocre websites like cnet think it necessary to call out that the license doesn't expire, unlike that licence for JetBrains products I fork out for year after year (though to be fair that does come with a perpetual fallback license).

                  Regardless, an Office 365 subscription also allows for installing the native versions of Office apps in addition to the browser-based versions. Micro

      • Of course I'd remember that. If I were using Office applications daily, then daily I would be screaming "I want my $30 back!"

        Anyone who uses Office of their own volition, without being required to by their employer, needs to do some shopping around.

      • Re:A "lifetime license"? (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Waccoon ( 1186667 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @11:27PM (#63157690)

        It's more an issue of not becoming dependent on something you can't trust.

        I know of a vendor of graphics software that regularly has fire sales of their suite for $30 or so. However, any change to your PC might trigger a licensing problem, including upgrading your RAM, and if this happens, you're on the hook to buy a new license at the full price of over $200. Sure, you can always wait a few months for another fire sale, but if the software is part of your livelihood, you need it NOW.

        Seriously, I wish people would wise up to this nonsense.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by piojo ( 995934 )

        It's $30 for a fake product. It carries the Microsoft Office name, and it includes the word "lifetime", but it actually delivers neither, if the way you interpret those words is an application and your own lifetime.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by piojo ( 995934 )

          To expand on my comment, it doesn't matter if it's cheap. It's a scam. Most people won't want to buy it unless they specifically need a single-computer license and don't want native applications.

    • Something tells me that you're not going to get free upgrade rights, either. So, when the support ends on your "lifetime" license of Office 2021 a few years from now, you're done.

      Donate the $30 to the LibreOffice project, however, and they'll make sure that you have unlimited upgrades for your ACTUAL lifetime and not just the lifetime of the product and the single PC running it.

    • My Windows PC is a virtual machine. Since 2010. It got upgraded to Windows 10 in 2020.

      The bad deal is running Windows on silicon.

    • A lifetime license that only works on a single computer. So, in other words, the license only lasts for the life of that computer, typically no more than five years?

      You can move the license to a new computer but you have to call MS customer service. It's a huge hassle.

  • So if I replace my computer can I move the liscence? Or is the lifetime here the lifetime of the computer? Even if I am keeping my computer forever, eventually new versions would require OS updates that were not available on my computer.

    Or is it my lifetime? I kinda doubt that since how would they track that I didn't transfer it to someone else?

  • *Buying* a software license is deal? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Nahor ( 41537 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:49PM (#63156978)

    1. It's sad that nowadays buying some lifetime license of some software is considered a deal. This used to be the norm, before that subscription scam.
    2. It isn't clear from the article but given the ads like image in the middle of it, you're buying Office 2021. So it's really a lifetime-but-soon-obsolete license. So it's not quite comparable to a subscription (but then you can buy a lifetime license for the next version is still come up ahead money wise)
    3. And of course, LibreOffice is also a lifetime license but for $0 and also upgradable for $0 (but please donate if you can afford it).

    • 1 ... yep, that's one of the awful aspects of ubiquitous Internet ... it allows megacorps to do micropayments for every God damn fucking stinking thing. And now the disease is even infesting cars ... $10/mo for heated seats that work. Makes one wish for a second Carrington Event.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      1. It's sad that nowadays buying some lifetime license of some software is considered a deal. This used to be the norm, before that subscription scam.
      2. It isn't clear from the article but given the ads like image in the middle of it, you're buying Office 2021. So it's really a lifetime-but-soon-obsolete license. So it's not quite comparable to a subscription (but then you can buy a lifetime license for the next version is still come up ahead money wise)

      You can buy an Office license from Microsoft for $300.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by MeNeXT ( 200840 )

        A home and most small business users can get everything done with LibleOffice or even with a simple text editor. If office software is a fashion statement then definitely get the subscription.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by anegg ( 1390659 )

        I've been running MS Office 2016 on my Mac using a similar deal from 2016 or 2017, so about six years. That license survived moving from one Mac (a 2015 iMac) to my current Mac (a 2020 iMac) without any problems. The 2016 version is getting a bit long in the tooth due to MacOS changes, and Microsoft is no longer issuing any patches for it, so it will eventually stop working.

        Now I've laid out a whopping big $30 and I have the 2021 version installed locally on my 2020 iMac and will probably continue using

    • 1. It's not. This lifetime license is always available and you can buy it directly from Microsoft's website. The deal here is the alleged discount (counterfeit keys).
      2. Honestly I'm not sure how they should make the fact you're buying Microsoft Office Professional for Windows 2021 (tm) any clearer. I mean every mention of buying Microsoft Office Professional for Windows 2021 (tm) already has it listed as Microsoft Office Professional for Windows 2021 (tm) and even the picture shows Microsoft Office Professi

  • No OneDrive is a feature (Score:3)

    by devslash0 ( 4203435 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:51PM (#63156984)

    So I get a standalone version with mydata NOT leaking into their cloud. How is that a detriment?

    • You'll get a standalone version, but it will STILL try to cram at least a "trial" of OneGrive down your raw craw ... you'll still have to opt-out by removing the clown account and clicking "Save to Computer by Default."
    • If you have a Microsoft system, your system is constantly leaking data to Microsoft. Smartscreen for the OS and web browser, in the name of security, are constantly sending data about what you're downloading, what sites you go to, what apps you're running/installing, etc. to supposedly help keep you safe while MS collects all that data and does who knows what with it. You can try to kill parts of it with local and/or group policy, but you cannot completely kill it (just like the other telemetry they colle

  • So we're back to selling software outright? The only question is, can M$ change the deal with DRM and lock you out of the apps that you bought. Anyway, this is still better than a monthly subscription ... I hate wallet vampires that rob me monthly, $10 at a time.

    Also note that (1) piracy (2) LibreOffice are free and more functional that their "free" online "product" (which also steals your data and slurps it into the clown ... I mean cloud).

    • I'm almost sure MS will at some point call the product obsolete and lock you out. Remember the MS Zune? But depending on how long this Office version remains supported, $30 may still be an OK deal. Just don't believe the "lifetime" bullshit.

      Personally, I have switched to LibreOffice years ago and have little interest in even looking at MS Office anymore.

  • Underlying deal's been around for months (Score:3)

    by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @02:58PM (#63156998)

    I've been seeing the underlying deal (Office Lifetime for $50 or somesuch) for quite a few months. I'm pretty sure that's from Microsoft directly. I suspect MS has decided there won't be any future non-365 (non-subscription) Office releases, and this is just one last attempt to draw a little more cash from people who have no intention of subscribing.

  • Not from Stacksocial or MSFT but third party (Score:5, Informative)

    by tekram ( 8023518 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @03:05PM (#63157016)
    According to some deal sites, these are not legitimate:

    Buyer beware, these are not legitimate keys, and can be deactivated anytime. You will be out $30 when that happens. Also keep an eye on your credit card statement as people have complained about fraud after dealing with the seller (StackSocial is not the seller, a foreign 3rd party is) You can easily check if these are retail keys after installing and activating. Microsoft gives you the instructions on how to do this here:

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en... [microsoft.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by EvilSS ( 557649 )
      Yep, some people who bought these under another recent "deal" got MSDN keys. Those will be revoked at some point. Also looks like they are selling the same keys to multiple people, with lots of complaints that they keys they get have used up their activation already.

    • Re:Not from Stacksocial or MSFT but third party (Score:5, Informative)

      by rsmith-mac ( 639075 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @03:47PM (#63157060)

      Yep. It's a scam. Specifically, reselling keys that are not for individual retail sale (MSDN, etc), and which Microsoft can (and will) deactivate at any time.

      To quote a post from over at SlickDeals last month:

      Another promo from the shaddy NerdUsed global install-code finder. He functions through many marketplace sites (GameSpot, PC World, StackSocial, FastKeys, SoftKeyWorld, Click2Save, AppleInsider, etc.). His mailbox address is in the U.K. and complaints go through his Telegram account.

      He's finding keys through any means possible (MSDN user development license banks, etc.). The deals are short-term, via seemingly 'credible' sites (GameSpot, StackSocial - even though they are just transaction hubs) and then he moves on to another marketplace site for a promo, often using a different method of codes.

      More recently, he's selling codes through the financial marketplace hubs of 'credible' newspaper and TV news media sites. His mailbox is in the U.K., but we know he's operating out of a non-English speaking country.

      https://slickdeals.net/f/16193... [slickdeals.net]

      Whether it's a city newspaper site, PC World, ZDnet, MacWorld, etc., they're all struggling to survive with an online model to replace their declining print (ad) revenues. So many of them have setup online marketplace sections that are online versions of their old classfied sections. They recognize the high profitability and low overhead when using the eBay model. Many cost items can be contracted out, including site management and credit card processing. They can firmly state that they have no ability to monitor the authenticity of claims made in their advertized products and services, nor the companies that promote them.

      Whatever the product or service is, they're grateful for any small percentage of the transaction to contribute to their survival. Sellers (no mater how shady) gain a real sense of credibility and endorsement, even though it's not given. However, all these item sellers can promote the fact that they appeared in PC World, MacWorld, etc. Meanwhile, personal customer details flow directly through to the actual seller, regardless of where they are located.

      https://slickdeals.net/f/16080... [slickdeals.net]

      It's the same as buying keys through Kinguin and the like.

    • ... these are not legitimate keys ...

      Office 2021 ProPlus Retail must be downloaded from a Microsoft Account (OneDrive, Outlook/Hotmail) and then activated via a Microsoft Account. So Microsoft sees the product key before the buyer has any software to install.

  • LibreOffice is 100% free.

  • I just got excited, and then scrolled to the end of the article and there comes the disappointment. This does not include OneDrive storage, which is the only useful part of the package.

    The rest of MS software is quite unnecessary, either at all or because there are plenty of free (both OSF and just non-paid) alternatives, many of which work better on other platforms and are less bloated to boot.

    • Not being shoved to use OneDrive (put your data on someone else's computer) seems like a good thing, not bad.

    • I just got excited, and then ... comes the disappointment [t]his does not include OneDrive

      This is the best part. Hopefully it's entirely missing from the installation, since it cost me some little trouble to rip the code out of my Windows.

      There are lots of data sharing/syncronization solutions out there now. Things like syncthing [syncthing.net] are your friend for keeping all your data on infrastructure that you own. And vulnerabilities like this one [slashdot.org], which infect all Windows authentication methods, are just one of the reasons why this is less of a good thing and more of an imperative.

      It is not a matter of

    • The benefit of the MS Office software is the ability to handle their wacky file formats correctly, more of the time than other software. You are best served by using the same office version, but barring that your second best bet is to use a later one. Using LO to read those files is a distant third. It's all well and good when they are simple, but in many other cases they will be incorrectly presented.

  • Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot to donate to the Document Foundation this year...

  • Remember the old saying ... (Score:4)

    by RitchCraft ( 6454710 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @04:19PM (#63157116)
    If it sounds to good to be true ... it isn't. When M$ is involved it never is. LibreOffice on the other hand is the office package you are looking for.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • I got MS-Office for $10 some years ago, one of these special deals.
    It was okay until I had to rebuild my computer. That was a nightmare. I was on the phone all day to MS support, getting transferred around, having to give them my serial number, over, and over, and over. I finally had to give them complete control of my system, and it took them several hours to get office re-installed.
    I will stick with LibreOffice. I can just download and install all I want, for whatever reason, with no hassles.

    • I remember when I first started reading RMS's opinions on Free software. One of them was that it is better to use less functional Free software than it is to use more functional restrictive software. My internal response was, "Fuck that shit! I'm going to use the software that's the most functional!"

      As time went on, the owners of that restrictive software started doing more and more intolerable things. As a temporary workaround, I spent time learning how to get by with less functional Free software. Over ti

    • I will stick with LibreOffice. I can just download and install all I want, for whatever reason, with no hassles.

      Haha. With LO the hassles only start when you try to use it. I finally had to buy MS Office because LO was a complete disaster for many of my use cases, and they had no interest in fixing any bugs I reported.

  • For anything I do for myself I use LibreOffice, LaTeX (when it needs to be pretty) and other superior tools. If my employer wants to use inferior MS crap, then it is their responsibility to pay for it.

  • That I have no need for any of that stuff - otherwise, it would be a good deal.

  • Invalid keys (Score:3)

    by RegistrationIsDumb83 ( 6517138 ) on Sunday December 25, 2022 @09:15PM (#63157528)
    Just bought this and two things: 1) Key is invalid and 2) wow, Microsoft is pushing accounts hard. Had to search hard to find their CDN link for download, and then Microsoft apparently forces you to login just to see the key is invalid. Had to get that info from their activation vbs script via command line. Fuck shady resellers and fuck Microsoft... I got exactly what I deserved for trying to give either money.

    • You didn't give money to Microsoft so it seems so very strange that you would say fuck them when they are a completely uninvolved 3rd party.

      Oh you need to use an account to access their service? *shockedpikachuface*.

      • Oh you need to use an account to access their service? *shockedpikachuface*.

        Microsoft used to sell software [licenses] outright, once upon a time. You installed them, you got some updates if you tried hard enough, then they moved on to a new version and you didn't have to buy it. Remember those times? I still use Office '97 (via Wine) to accomplish some tasks. It works very well, it is absurdly fast except at those things at which it is absurdly slow (if you paste the wrong content into it, woe is you) and it does most of the things I want to do with genuine Office. Mostly I use LO

  • I am not talking to fellow readers, but the editors...

  • This is a scam! Why doesn't it say so in the story title?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jlv ( 5619 )

      Title should be "CNET Touts Scam on Microsoft Office License, But We Didn't Fall for it"... except you did.

  • Why is Visio not part of Office? (which I only use at work, BTW)

    At home, Libre Office has gotten a LOT better with each release. Gonna go with the free version.

  • This is nothing new. These deals come up all the time. Like once a month at least, and through various places.

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