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My 20+ years of IT experience tells me the answer is "yes and no". I know that's quite the cop-out, but from what I've seen of Office 2007, the answer really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Some things to keep in mind are that it has quite a different feel than previous versions and things you want to click are not where you are used to "clickin'" them. Plus, the saved file, say in Word, is actually a compressed XML file that has quite a few properties to it. You can save in previous Word formats but know that this new format may cause you a headache or two if you aren't careful.

My advice to is to think critically for a bit about what you want in an Office suite before jumping right into Office 2007. Ask questions. Is this a business enterprise decision or something you're kicking around at home? Can I get away with something like OpenOffice? Can the company just stay with our current Office version and downgrade new installations? Does the college student need Office for doing schoolwork?

Then, consider the cost. Even the cheapest licensing for business can still but you into the mid $450 a pop for a license. Will you honestly get your money's worth?

So, I stand by my wishy-washy opinion on this one. There may be some situations where it makes sense to use all the latest Office tools, say, possibly those needing to keep current with some Sharepoint needs. But for some, a free Office alternative may be all you really need.

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