MS Office 2003
- Thread starter mitchell65
- Start date
Kalisnoir
Super Star
But it doesn't access the internet (unless you send anonymous information anyway) so they couldn't use it as a way in. As far as I'm concerned; they are just saying it's a security risk so that people will go and upgrade despite there being no real issue.
DeadEyeDuk
Superhero Level Poster
Lets get down to it. People should upgrade from 2003 not because of security flaws...but because ITS TERRIBLE! 
mitchell65
Gold Level Poster
Well I like it but them we'me a bit slow down 'elston way so these 'ere new fangled things jus' confuse we!
remixedcat
Member
Oh god everyone in my area is gonna panick!!!
mitchell65
Gold Level Poster
Brilliant! Well Found!
remixedcat
Member
Well there's like a TON of windows xp machines in use in places like doctors offices and such that still use xp and 2003 office. Doctors offices should always have the latest OSes becuase running insecure legacy ones would definitly violate codes... however people don't seem to care about patient privacy anymore
Doctors offices should always have the latest OSes becuase running insecure legacy ones would definitly violate codes... however people don't seem to care about patient privacy anymore 
I don't think thats fair to say, I doubt using older software will violate any codes/standards etc. However (unless Kalisnoir is correct and its all marketing) an argument could be made that upgrading would be more secure. But that might be a tenuous argument depending on your viewpoint.
ubuysa
The BSOD Doctor
Well there's like a TON of windows xp machines in use in places like doctors offices and such that still use xp and 2003 office.
But as I said above, if these legacy systems are on private LANs with no Internet connection then there is very little danger. Actually (and again as I said above) older software is better because it's largely bug free, at least as far as functional bugs are concerned, and is thus ideal for front-line services like doctors.
I keep saying "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" so if the software you have does the job you want then keep using it, not only is that the cheapest option but it's the safest option as far as bugs and crashes are concerned. The big worry is security exposures that are no longer being patched by the vendor, but they are really only a concern to Internet connected computers and networks.
With most other products we need to replace them because they wear out, software never wears out. And that's a problem for the great software houses; how do they continue to make money if their product never wears out and keeps doing the job it was designed to do forever? Their solution has been ever more complex and feature-rich versions, plus the withdrawal of support for older versions. One can hardly blame them for wanting to make money of course, but that doesn't mean we should panic because the vendor has withdrawn support for an old version that still does the job.
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Boozad
Prolific Poster
Outlook does.
mitchell65
Gold Level Poster
You mean you still use Outlook? You dear old fashioned thing, you!:winkiss:
Kalisnoir
Super Star
Didn't realize Outlook was part of Office sorry. I was just referring to things such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc etc. My point still stands though. If my Skype, Spotify, Steam, Origin, Desura, Vuze and every other bit of software I use that is always connected to the internet doesn't require constant security fixes I'm sure Word and Excel are fine. Obviously some exceptions are made; Java for example is something that can be exploited as it can run code created by random people though it.
nathanjrb
Prolific Poster
I use 360 and thinks it's great. Yeah it's naff if there's no Internet - but it's also naff if you've left your important document stuck on your HDD at the other side of the country
at least with 360 you can just find a wifi to retrieve your document.... plus you don't HAVE to store it on the cloud.Brand loyalty would be nice!
Someone emails me a file that exploits a security hole, I open the file in Work/Excel/etc... Even though the programs themselves don't access the Internet, they still access files, which people may receive via any kind of source.
As someone else said, I don't think it's a huge risk or something to worry about too much, but it is a possibility.
When they release fixes for security holes, I find it unlikely that they are lying about this so that people will upgrade. I've no doubt that things are labelled a security risk even if it's a low risk, but this is always the case - a vulnerability is a vulnerability, and it's often hard to estimate how much chance there is that people may be taking advantage of it. The last thing a company is going to do is tell people that a hole doesn't need fixing, and then have that turn out to not be true.
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On "Cloud" stuff, I like using option in One Note to store online, and I can access it from any computer, as well as my Android phone/tablet. You don't need 360 for this, it's part of standard Office (plus with any program, standard Office included, you can get the cloud benefits just by storing files on a cloud service like Sky Drive etc).
As someone else said, I don't think it's a huge risk or something to worry about too much, but it is a possibility.
I don't know who the "they" is? MS are just saying they won't support it anymore, and it's up to people to decide how much of an issue that is.
When they release fixes for security holes, I find it unlikely that they are lying about this so that people will upgrade. I've no doubt that things are labelled a security risk even if it's a low risk, but this is always the case - a vulnerability is a vulnerability, and it's often hard to estimate how much chance there is that people may be taking advantage of it. The last thing a company is going to do is tell people that a hole doesn't need fixing, and then have that turn out to not be true.
I don't think Office requires constant fixes either. But all those programs will have updates to them, including security issues.
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On "Cloud" stuff, I like using option in One Note to store online, and I can access it from any computer, as well as my Android phone/tablet. You don't need 360 for this, it's part of standard Office (plus with any program, standard Office included, you can get the cloud benefits just by storing files on a cloud service like Sky Drive etc).