# Most cost effective way to download Microsoft Word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464 "2009-06-30T12:11:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/21 "2009-06-30T23:13:21Z")
I can get Office 2007 Pro for $9.95 through [Microsofthup.com](http://Microsofthup.com), the Home User Program. It’s a partnership thing with my work place, which isn’t terribly big. You might want to see if you have a similar program. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/22 "2009-06-30T23:35:19Z")
I’ve bought the Student Version twice, most recently two and a half years ago, so the arrangement has definitely changed. The key difference is that the Student Version was at least three years out of date. For my modest needs, that was not a problem. I bought it once for Windows and once for Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/23 "2009-06-30T23:53:25Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Wherever possible, I think PDF is a better choice than Word - because there’s really no guarantee that the recipient’s version and configuration of Word will display your document in the way you intended it to look. [ol] [li]Anyone who simply accepts all the default settings in Word or any other program gets what they deserve. It IS possible to format a doc and have it appear (a) the way you want it to and (b) the same on the other end without resorting to PDF. Of course, this means that you have to know how to actually use the software.[/li][li]As I mentioned and others have said, sometimes PDF is not acceptable. Some companies/recruiters/whatever specify Word, sometimes it needs to be in RTF or TXT. Just assuming that everyone will accept a PDF is naive.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/24 "2009-07-01T00:10:11Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > On the other hand, I’ve seen job postings asking for resumes to be submitted in PDF. I know [OpenOffice.org](http://OpenOffice.org) can export into PDF natively, but can Microsoft Office do so as well? > > (Irrelevant tidbit about resumes: I write mine in LaTeX.) I would _always_ submit in PDF unless they ask otherwise. That way you know the formatting will not be screwed up. Office formats like Word and Excel are working formats for document creation but I would not use them ever to submit a finished document. I had a company submit a proposal to me in Word and it was all screwed up in my computer. There is no way I am wasting time trying to reformat and I deleted it. Use PDF or both is you prefer. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/25 "2009-07-01T00:12:44Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > [ol] > [li]Anyone who simply accepts all the default settings in Word or any other program gets what they deserve. It IS possible to format a doc and have it appear (a) the way you want it to and (b) the same on the other end without resorting to PDF. Of course, this means that you have to know how to actually use the software.[/li][li]As I mentioned and others have said, sometimes PDF is not acceptable. Some companies/recruiters/whatever specify Word, sometimes it needs to be in RTF or TXT. Just assuming that everyone will accept a PDF is naive.[/li][/ol] I believe you are mistaken because the appearance in Word depends not only on the document itself but in parameters of the computer like Word version, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/26 "2009-07-01T00:20:09Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > Anyone who simply accepts all the default settings in Word or any other program gets what they deserve. It IS possible to format a doc and have it appear (a) the way you want it to and (b) the same on the other end without resorting to PDF. Of course, this means that you have to know how to actually use the software. Please do elaborate. In practical terms, how does one constrain the layout of a Word document so as to guarantee its consistency on multiple versions of word on computers with multiple different configurations, printers, etc? > [@](#): > > As I mentioned and others have said, sometimes PDF is not acceptable. Some companies/recruiters/whatever specify Word, sometimes it needs to be in RTF or TXT. Just assuming that everyone will accept a PDF is naive. You’ll note that I made no such assumption. Of course if a recruiter specifies a desired format, it’s insanity to do elsewise. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/27 "2009-07-01T02:13:32Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > Anyone who simply accepts all the default settings in Word or any other program gets what they deserve. It IS possible to format a doc and have it appear (a) the way you want it to and (b) the same on the other end without resorting to PDF. Of course, this means that you have to know how to actually use the software. Please tell me which settings you refer to. In my experience, if you make a document on one pc, and then open it on another pc, then even if those two versions of Word have the exact same settings, something like using a different printer can cause the line breaks to differ. Actually, it’s even worse than that. I have had a document open on my PC, and then I switch to use a different printer, and all the formatting gets messed up! – even though it is the exact same pc and same version of Word and same settings! Now, I’ll concede that this sort of thing is not likely to happen on a two-paragraph business letter. Or, it will happen, but no one will notice or care. However, if my document is long enough to put the last 5 words on page two, and I adjust it so that it will fit on one page, those are the cases where this is likely to happen. All you need is one line which goes all the way to the right margin, and you run the risk that the other printer driver will need just 0.01 mm more than you have, and instead it will move the last word to the next line and everything is messed up. And a gazillion similar cases. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464/28 "2009-07-02T00:05:50Z")
Is **Claire Beauchamp** coming back? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-cost-effective-way-to-download-microsoft-word/501464.md?page=1)