I like to keep my software up to date and just updated to Microsoft Office 2011, release 14.3.1. If you want your updates to be fast, then you’re in for a surprise. The first dialog tells me the name, release date and size of the update:
Next, the update gets downloaded from Microsoft:
I am welcomed to the installer:
The software License agreement which nobody reads, unless of course you’re a lawyer or proof-reader:
An obligatory agreement:
319MB is a lot of space for an update:
Oops, I have a few Microsoft apps open, time to close those:
Password required, just in case I’m not me:
Yeah, we start to install:
I forgot to show you the screen where it tells me “One minute remaining”, because ironically it took 21 minutes to complete.
Alas, we have an update installed:
10 screens, over a dozen clicks, and 21 minutes is not a speedy update. Microsoft, can you simplify this process a bit?
I do use Excel, Word and PowerPoint, however I’ve given up on Outlook and find myself using cloud-based storage like Google Drive and Dropbox much more in running my business.
The attraction to Google Drive is that there is no software to install, and my docs are in the cloud, and I can share them easily with partners and clients alike.
If cloud-based computing continues, then the past fortunes of Microsoft Office will surely dwindle.
