According to one of my co-workers....

[sld72382]

And I quote, "By you paying for Office and Windows you are essentially a sheep that follows the Microsoft herd."

Now I try to get as much free software as possible but with Windows and Office having product activation, and Microsoft releasing updates to crack down on hacks, it just isn't worth the hassle to try and work with a pirated copy of those softwares. Maybe something like CD burning software but not something I need to run my PC or open/edit my documents! And I tried Open Office, I don't like it.

Rest assured though, that I didn't pay full price, my Vista Ultimate 64-bit was the OEM version (saved me half off) and my Office 2007 Pro is the "academic" version which cost $170 as opposed to $500. Ka-ching!

[Kiwi]

My windows is genuine, my office is "pirated" in that its a copy that I purchased with another computer. I still own that computer but when I brought my laptop, I wasnt about to pay another $200 for a copy of software I already own.

I dont care if other people think thats cheating or illegal, IMO if I buy a cd with music I can play that cd in any "cd compatible" machine I own. Im not buying a seperate copy for my playstation/desktop/discman/mp3player/laptop/dvd player.

[protege]

Like most people, I have older computers in my house. Most of them were given to me as scrap. I fix what I can, and then get rid of the rest. Usually, I get all the original software, including the license numbers. If I already have those, why would I need a 'fresh' copy? I mean, the computer that went with it is gone...