AfterDawn: News

Dell becomes first non-Microsoft site to offer authorized downloads of Microsoft software

According to a Dell press release, users can now purchase and download authorized Microsoft software through the company's Download Store, marking the first time a non-Microsoft site has offered legal downloads of the popular products, which include most notably, Microsoft Office and all its components.

Dell claims to have cheaper prices as well, saying "For example, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007-- one of the top-selling software titles in the is priced at $129.99 compared with the suggested retail price of $149.99."



If you get a new computer or have a HDD crash, users keep a "digital locker" with Dell, that allows you to download any purchased software again at no extra charge as well as find your serial number if you forget it.

“With everyday savings plus on-demand access, the Dell Download Store addresses our customers’ two main concerns: price and immediacy. In addition, downloading is a more environmentally friendly way to purchase and distribute software because there’s no need for packaging material,” adds Geoff Surkamer, general manager, Dell Global Digital Distribution.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 Jun 2009 20:51

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• 15 comments

• Lothros

  Hmmmm... I could Buy MicroBloat Office from Dell for a $20 saving... or I could Install OpenOffice and save $149.99...
  
  Decisions Decisions.
  
  I find it amazing in today's world of Open Source software people actually still pay for this rubbish.

  13.6.2009 22:02 #1

• vert

  Newegg Has Office 2007 Student and Home Edition for 90$

  13.6.2009 22:30 #2

• Lothros

  Originally posted by vert: Newegg Has Office 2007 Student and Home Edition for 90$Hmmmm... I could Buy MicroBloat Office from Newegg for a $59.99 saving... or I could Install OpenOffice and save $149.99...
  
  Decisions Decisions.
  
  See, same thing.

  14.6.2009 00:52 #3

• FreqNasty

  Originally posted by Lothros: Hmmmm... I could Buy MicroBloat Office from Dell for a $20 saving... or I could Install OpenOffice and save $149.99...
  
  Decisions Decisions.
  
  I find it amazing in today's world of Open Source software people actually still pay for this rubbish.With all due respect, Open Office, although fairly decent, isn't in the same league as Office 2007. In business we need email clients that can connect to exchange servers and Outlook Pro does that.
  
  Do you say the same about the Adobe products?

  14.6.2009 01:31 #4

• lamain

  Quote:With all due respect, Open Office, although fairly decent, isn't in the same league as Office 2007. In business we need email clients that can connect to exchange servers and Outlook Pro does that.
  
  Do you say the same about the Adobe products?
  I agree. I have to say open office has done a good job. However it is not equal to office 2007. I for one was willing pay for the difference.

  14.6.2009 02:25 #5

• Xplorer4

  Hey i love firefox but sometimes open source just doesnt cut it. Say I want to make a professional looking DVD with professional cut screens, menus and encoding. Sorry but there are no open source apps that fit my needs, atleast not that I know off. Sadly I am stuck with Nero and its bloated buggy software as I rely on some features in the Nero 7 series. Hell I havent found an open source app that can even make a sub standard menu imo.
  
  Congrats to Dell though. I do believe they are top of the line in premade builds and all that. I will stick to custom build from now on but if I ever need a cheap pre built Dell has and will be my first choice.

  14.6.2009 04:52 #6

• bobiroc

  Originally posted by Lothros: Hmmmm... I could Buy MicroBloat Office from Dell for a $20 saving... or I could Install OpenOffice and save $149.99...
  
  Decisions Decisions.
  
  I find it amazing in today's world of Open Source software people actually still pay for this rubbish.Hey if OpenOffice works for you we are all happy for you, but some of us prefer Microsoft Office and want all the features it gives. I have installed OpenOffice for people that just need to use simple features but OpenOffice does not compare to Microsoft Office when it comes to the power MS Office has if you need those features.
  
  Oh and please grow up. Using terms like MicroBloat just shows your ignorance and immaturity.

  14.6.2009 11:08 #7

• joe777

  Originally posted by Xplorer4: Hey i love firefox but sometimes open source just doesnt cut it. Say I want to make a professional looking DVD with professional cut screens, menus and encoding. Sorry but there are no open source apps that fit my needs, atleast not that I know off. Sadly I am stuck with Nero and its bloated buggy software as I rely on some features in the Nero 7 series. Hell I havent found an open source app that can even make a sub standard menu imo.
  
  Congrats to Dell though. I do believe they are top of the line in premade builds and all that. I will stick to custom build from now on but if I ever need a cheap pre built Dell has and will be my first choice.Try here http://ubuntustudio.org/
  If open source is what your looking for then this is for you:P
  And if it is "professional looking DVD's" you want to create then Nero should be the last thing you use!!

  14.6.2009 18:08 #8

• Serialluv

  Originally posted by Xplorer4: Congrats to Dell though. I do believe they are top of the line in premade builds and all that. I will stick to custom build from now on but if I ever need a cheap pre built Dell has and will be my first choice.Can't believe this comment they knock 'em out cheap and they don't last hahaha IMO anyways 4 replacements and 27 repairs in 3 years will never buy Dell again.
  
  As for the news story this won't last long as it will no doubt come under some stupid antitrust lawsuit (well in the EU anyway)

  14.6.2009 18:34 #9

• etkasoe

  Do people still actually pay for Microsoft Office?? I thought everyone just got it free from teh interwebz like me. But Ironically i still use open-office out of some sort of self-righteous open source fundamentalism

  14.6.2009 19:27 #10

• enewbold

  Good grief, people, MS Office is NOT the best office product in the world! Ope Office isn't either, but it's good enough for a major corporation like American Electric Power, which decided last month to same $11,000,000 but switching from MS Office to Open Office! The only things that will require some effort are the employess using Excel macros, and they are looking at alternatives to that too!
  
  Get Open Office and save yourself the bucks!

  15.6.2009 22:31 #11

• dallas4u

  Quote:
  Can't believe this comment they knock 'em out cheap and they don't last hahaha IMO anyways 4 replacements and 27 repairs in 3 years will never buy Dell again.
  Dude... seriously? I'm not sure what you're doing to those PCs (I'm sure you'll say absolutely nothing), but that is extreme beyond belief. People can become brand-whores and knock every other brand than the one they "love", and I have to say I've seen issues with ALL manufacturers (some more than others... Gateway), but I've never seen issues like that with any of them. I happen to like Dell. I do think they make pretty quality PCs and you DO get a lot for the price.

  18.6.2009 11:33 #12

• getanacct

  Quote:Quote:
  Can't believe this comment they knock 'em out cheap and they don't last hahaha IMO anyways 4 replacements and 27 repairs in 3 years will never buy Dell again.
  Dude... seriously? I'm not sure what you're doing to those PCs (I'm sure you'll say absolutely nothing), but that is extreme beyond belief. People can become brand-whores and knock every other brand than the one they "love", and I have to say I've seen issues with ALL manufacturers (some more than others... Gateway), but I've never seen issues like that with any of them. I happen to like Dell. I do think they make pretty quality PCs and you DO get a lot for the price.I'll stay out of the complaining about other brands except I'll say that when I was in College, we had Gateway PCs for one year in my school's Computer Lab, and that was the longest year that we ever had. Those PCs crashed so much, and were so buggy, that the school switched back to the Dells that we were using and didn't go back.
  
  But, for my money, I'd rather have a custom built PC, so I can update it as I please.

  18.6.2009 14:42 #13

• getanacct

  Quote:Quote:Quote:
  Can't believe this comment they knock 'em out cheap and they don't last hahaha IMO anyways 4 replacements and 27 repairs in 3 years will never buy Dell again.
  Dude... seriously? I'm not sure what you're doing to those PCs (I'm sure you'll say absolutely nothing), but that is extreme beyond belief. People can become brand-whores and knock every other brand than the one they "love", and I have to say I've seen issues with ALL manufacturers (some more than others... Gateway), but I've never seen issues like that with any of them. I happen to like Dell. I do think they make pretty quality PCs and you DO get a lot for the price.I'll stay out of the complaining about other brands except I'll say that when I was in College, we had Gateway PCs for one year in my school's Computer Lab, and that was the longest year that we ever had. Those PCs crashed so much, and were so buggy, that the school switched back to the Dells that we were using and didn't go back.
  
  But, for my money, I'd rather have a custom built PC, so I can update it as I please.
  
  Getting back on subject, I got from my job the full version of Microsoft Office 2007 for less than $50 because of where I work. Otherwise, I would've stayed with Office XP or switched to Open Office.

  18.6.2009 14:50 #14

• Serialluv

  Quote:Quote:
  Can't believe this comment they knock 'em out cheap and they don't last hahaha IMO anyways 4 replacements and 27 repairs in 3 years will never buy Dell again.
  Dude... seriously? I'm not sure what you're doing to those PCs (I'm sure you'll say absolutely nothing), but that is extreme beyond belief. People can become brand-whores and knock every other brand than the one they "love", and I have to say I've seen issues with ALL manufacturers (some more than others... Gateway), but I've never seen issues like that with any of them. I happen to like Dell. I do think they make pretty quality PCs and you DO get a lot for the price.Yeah I know it's hard to believe they were Dell Inspiron 9400 and I honestly did nothing but had nothing but major hardware failures, LCD screens, motherboards, optical drives etc nothing that I could have done about it.

  18.6.2009 17:48 #15