Fair enough. I'll assume your tone is neutral, and I hope you will do the same with mine.
Quoted:
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If you think the changes between those products that were designed years apart and when there were aspects of the internet that did not even exists when Office XP was designed are minor or that there are no major changes of function between Outlook 2007 and Outlook XP you are not paying attention or are not using the features of either product in a manner that justifies owning either.
First, let me assure you that I recognize that Office 2007 as a whole is substantially improved over Office 2000 / Office XP. So I'd like to focus discussion specifically to the two different versions of Outlook.
My question to you is this: At what level of use have I 'justified' owning either product?
Am I justified because I am required to use the software as a component of my employment, regardless of my own preference?
Am I justified because I purchase and use the software as my purposes see fit?
Should I be required to conform to the demands of the software, or should it be required to comply with mine?
Let's set the compatibility issue aside for a moment. I have a number of options for the continued use of Outlook XP, including running the entire XP OS via dual boot or a virtual machine from within Vista/Windows 7. I could also use an aftermarket script to just fill in the password on Outlook XP, and have all the function I need.
You are correct that I do not perceive the significant advantages between the Outlook upgrades. The other applications of Office 2007 have received a substantial makeover. I like the ribbon interface and the improvement in usability that it provides. However, Outlook doesn't make very much use of the ribbon, particularly on the main user interface. I see where NetMeeting is no longer supported under Outlook 2007, and while that sucks for me, I am sure LiveMeeting will work just fine. However, as far as I can tell
specific to Outlook, I fail to see the major differences that are apparent in other Office applications.
So I would welcome an education. What makes Outlook 2007 a substantial improvement over Outlook XP? And what do I have to do that 'justifies' my ownership of both products?