> full support for office

does microsoft still sell office?

Yes, Microsoft does still sell MS Office 2024 as a one time purchase:

- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-...

- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-...

Outlook is a business exclusive these days?! Outlook used to be included in the most basic version of office back when I still used microsoft office.

I’ve only ever used Outlook when forced to by an employer and I find it a dreadful application to use. I would guess that most people prefer something else. I would imagine that most people tend to stick with the default email app on their computer (no idea what that is on Windows as I’ve managed to avoid having to use Windows for 7 years now).

The default mail app on Windows is now called Outlook for Windows, no relation to the Outlook in Office (sorry, Microsoft 365 Copilot), and it's a significantly worse barely functional webview. It also replaced the entire Calendar app, which was decent.

Will be removed from the next release. Then you can’t connect to your own exchange server anymore and are forced into 365 when you want a desktop app.

They've really shifted how Outlook works... as well as how the backend is more tuned to the way M365 mail works far more than how it used to work with Exchange, or independently. It's been a slow downslide imo since around 2007 or so.

I know the why, but it's really worse as an experience for most people than the older integrations... but the use of horizontally scalable backends makes for a saner platform at the expense of better UX.

Yes the do have an one time purchase option. You get 5 years of updates but no new features. I have it on my home computers. But new features are not a big deal since the differences are not big anymore (just like mobile phones.)

I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to suddenly add "features" that break said support.

"Office ain't done 'til Wine won't run"?

Ny that time office will be cloud only.