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Microsoft Office Apps ?Kill Switch? reappears

by on23 April 2008

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Kicks in if subscription not renewed

Microsoft has announced that Office applications that are part of Microsoft’s new Albany Software Subscription bundle will lapse into limited functionality if users allow their subscriptions to expire. 

While the Albany Office software is installed locally on a user’s PC, if the subscriptions are not renewed the user will not be able to create new documents or to edit them. Additionally, users will not receive updates to the OneCare security software that is bundled in.

Microsoft is using its antipiracy software to control the feature set of the Office applications in Albany, much like the “kill switch” technology in Vista that was pulled due to complaints from customers who said it was crippling legitimate copies of the operating system.

Microsoft calls this a Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) and contends this is part of the company’s Software Protection Plan (SPP) that was debuted in 2006. Office was placed under that initiative shortly after RFM was announced.

Albany is in private beta testing currently and is expected to ship at the end of 2008. Pricing for Albany have not been officially released, but it is rumored to be priced at less than $120 retail, which is the price for a perpetual license for Office Home edition and Student edition 2007. That version is used as part of its Albany bundle.

The Albany bundle will reportedly allow users to install the software and services on up to three separate computers, whereas the perpetual license allows only one installation per license.

Also included is Windows Live OneCare, a security service that includes antivirus/antispyware, backup and restore. The service by itself for a single PC is priced at approximately $50 per year.

Last modified on 23 April 2008
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