office update shouldn't require a cd

H

HC

C'mon guys, having to have the original CD to perform an update is archaic to
say the least, and, more significantly, it's completely out of tune with not
only the computer software industry's "common practices" but also Microsoft's
own paradigm. The computer industry has, for as far back as I have memory of
such things relating to PC's, a common practice of making updates 1)
stand-alone, and 2) monolithic, i.e., "all included"; there's no need to
apply, for instance, Service Pack 1, then 2, then 3 and so on, just to
install Service Pack 6; each one includes all the updates available in the
predecessors.

Furthermore, this is a change from what we've seen with the Office XP
service packs where a person has the choice of downloading a stripped down
version from the web if they have the CD handy, or a big version if they
don't have the CD handy. Here I am, in a motel, hundreds of miles from the
office and, ergo, my installation CD's (you don't think I'm really gonna lug
all my software CD's with me all over the country do you?), and I need to do
an update. The motel I'm in has HS 'net access...I could download anything I
wanted, 5 MB, 10 MB, whatever, no big deal, yet I had to fear that I might
not be able to update because I don't have the installation CD's. That's
unacceptable, guys.

And that brings up a good question; why do I need the installation CD to do
an "update"? I would think the definition of "update" would mean that it's
going to be installing "newer" files than what I installed in the first
place, e.g., files from the CD.

This is a sad deviation from what Microsoft and the software industry that
I'm familiar with have done for years and years, and it's a huge
inconvenience to those who actually take their computers outside of about a
20 foot range of their software CD's. We already have to carry our laptops,
a mouse, a charger, a spare battery, and God-knows what-all else we have to
lug around, fighting lines, fighting airport security, and on and on; don't
try to make us have to carry not only *another* thing, but an expensive,
not-easily replaced, and fragile thing.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top