Can anyone recommend...

[Bob Schroeck]

...any place I might be able to find a copy of Microsoft Office 2003?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sofaspud]

One assumes you mean a legit copy, in which case, it's still available for purchase.  Sort of.
http://www.amazon.com/Mic...id=1287546242&sr=8-7
That said, is there a reason you can't use OpenOffice instead, which produces compatible file formats?  I only ask due to the cost, really.  Office is... expensive.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Black Aeronaut]

Compatible Formats is a relative thing. I've had issues with Open Office screwing around with font-faces and paragraph settings. That is, make an .rtf (supposedly the universal rich text file) in Microsoft Write, save and close, open and edit in Open Office, save and close, then open again in MS Write... and go WTF?

It's just something I like to do to ensure that what I see is what everyone else sees when I send a document out. Just don't get why this happens between MS products and Open Office.

[Vincent Ursus]

I think that's more likely to be Microsoft screwing around the .rtf format, I've had experience with that format being inconsistent between Microsoft products.

[robkelk]

Agreed. Make an .rtf in Microsoft Write, save and close, open and edit in Microsoft WordPad, save and close, then open again in MS Write... and also go WTF?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

One assumes you mean a legit copy, in which case, it's still available for purchase. Sort of.

One would assume correctly. Thank you for the link. I didn't even think to look there, figuring I needed to find some obscure outlet somewhere that would still have it in stock. Then again, that's what Amazon is doing, after all -- fronting for some obscure outlet somewhere.

That said, is there a reason you can't use OpenOffice instead, which produces compatible file formats?

I had installed OO on our laptop for this very reason, but Peggy doesn't like Open Office's equivalent to Power Point, and needs to develop presentations at home for her job (which uses Office 2003).
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Bluemage]

You could also use Office 2007 or Office 2010.  You can save files in the old Office formats with them, and they're more compatible with M$ formats than OO tends to be.
It's actually slightly less expensive than buying 2003 ($200)... which does make it undesirable, I'll admit, but I thought it should at least be considered as an option.

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[Bob Schroeck]

Office 2010 is out of the question -- Peggy absolutely hates the ribbon bar interface. I think that postdates 2007, though, so Office 2007 might be acceptable. (Although if she has to take an extra step each time she saves the file to ouput it in the right format, she probably won't like it.)
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sofaspud]

Ribbon bar interface was introduced in 2007, so you're out of luck there.
That said, you can configure 2007 or 2010 to save by default in a previous version's format.  So there's that.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Bob Schroeck]

Not good enough, but thanks. 2003 it is.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[paladindythe]

If you like, you can check you Office Web apps. Just make a Live (or Hotmail) account, and go to the office link.
If the Ribbon is truly the issue, I'm not sure of a good solution outside of OpenOffice. Office 2k3 would be fine for a while, but it will be 'lifecycled' eventually. (Guessing in 2012)

[Bob Schroeck]

At which point we will deal with it however Peggy's employers deal with it. She's pretty insistent on this.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sofaspud]

Should be noted that just because a products been lifecycled doesn't mean it won't still work perfectly well.
I last purchased Office in 2000 (Office 2k Professional) and still use it to this day.  My workplace has upgraded to 2007, which I'm not particularly keen on.  But my Office 2k install at home keeps working just fine, even on Windows 7.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Sofaspud]

Forgot to mention: if Peggy still prefers the old-style interface over the ribbon when her work converts to 2007 or 2010 (which I suspect they will, at some point), then keep in mind that MS has already released a free add-on for Office 2000 - 2003 that lets it work with the new 2007 and beyond Office file format.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Bob Schroeck]

And just so we don't waste any more electrons on this, I've ordered it, via the link Spud provided. Thanks again, Spud.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Wiregeek]

he is a useful sort, isn't he?
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

[Bob Schroeck]

And amazingly, I just got an email telling me it's been shipped already! Peggy will be happy next week...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[jpub]

I hesitate to bring this up, as you've already ordered it, but many workplaces use site licenses for stuff like Office, and those site licenses often include work-at-home provisions. Would this apply to Peggy?

[Bob Schroeck]

That's a very good question. I should ask.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[paladindythe]

I hesitate to bring this up, as you've already ordered it, but many workplaces use site licenses for stuff like Office, and those site licenses often include work-at-home provisions. Would this apply to Peggy?

There's always the chance the the little details on these provisions could be...invasive. I'd recommend spending a few minutes carefully reading the little details.

[Bob Schroeck]

I haven't asked her yet, but now that I think of it, based on how... economy-focused her department is (read "cheap(skate)"), there may well not be any such provision at all in their licensing.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[jpub]

Bob - in that case I would find it more likely. You pay a pretty low fee per FTE in such licenses, far lower than the cost of Office/etc licenses per-computer.

[Bob Schroeck]

The point is now moot. The copy I ordered was delivered today.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.