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I think that for many people upgrading to Microsoft Office 2007 would be more trouble than it's worth. I and people I know constantly have to deal with requests to down grade documents that we have produced on the software loaded on our Vista computer. Downgrading documents is not a technical challenge. But it does take time and if you have a time sensitive job then it is probably not the kind of extra hiccup factor you want to introduce into your work environment. Once the world around you has largely gone to the new software it's probably okay for you to do so.

Another thing to consider when upgrading is that the interface to the new software is different from what you are used to. I have found that things like selecting content, saving files, and changing attributes of the text are different from previous versions of Word. Sometimes annoyingly so. It's nothing that you can't learn and overcome but it's not something you should volunteer for if you don't have to. I am not a specialized Word user but I have found nothing in the 2007 version that I could not live with out. If you are a tab oriented person and you tend to like a tab layout world better, then you might consider upgrading for that reason.

Then there's the cost of the upgrade and figuring out if your existing computers can run the new software. If you found out your machines were too slow or too limited, would you want to pay for an upgrade?

There are those who say that now is the time to think about a third way. When your current system is down or needs replacing you might want to consider open-source software that runs on systems such as Linux. Since I have not done this I can not make this suggestion from experience. But as an honest broker who has come across the concept of the open-source office, I feel duty bound to mention it. My brief experience with open-source technology leads me to believe that it would be easier if everyone who was going to go this way was tech savvy. One possible upside of going the non Microsoft route is that you will be less vulnerable to the slings and arrows that Microsoft is heir to. All of the malware and virus creators target Microsoft.

So the bottom line is: it depends. If the people you exchange information with have already upgraded then you should too. If hey haven't, my advice is don't. If you are the adventurous type and you are tech savvy, consider open-source software.

Learn more about this author, Michael Skinner.
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