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So if you're a Microsoft Office subscriber and you just got a notice that the price went up.
Know that the price didn't really go up. What is happening is that they are now charging you for Copilot.
You can opt-out by cancelling your subscription. When you do, they will offer a Office365 "classic" option which is at the previous price and doesn't include Copilot.
Awesome!
Thank you for this! I skipped my renewal in July for my home laptop and actually need to renew. But ye gods I don't want copilot.
Solutions!
@lucyruthe yeah, they do try and sneak that one in.
@f_beaudet @lucyruthe quite the dick move. I feel like I'm being herded inte Internet Explorer again.
@casparvdburgh @f_beaudet @lucyruthe
Microsoft making dick moves? Tell me it's not true! ;-)
Incidentally check out Firefox or one of the many browsers based on it.
Edit: TBF Mozilla also has AI by default, which can be turned off
@econads @f_beaudet @lucyruthe yeah, I'm good with browsers, but this Copilot by default BS just reminded me of the legal trouble MS once landed in when they pushed Internet Explorer too hard
@econads @f_beaudet @lucyruthe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp
Wow, I didn't realize that this was over 24 years ago. Makes me feel old.
@casparvdburgh
Oh I see what you mean. Chances of getting the same outcome if they had the case today?
)}] @casparvdburgh @econads @f_beaudet @lucyruthe
During that browser anti-trust thing, I printed a few one-off t-shirts.
One of them had the slogan:
You can trust Micros~1
(but this is a very old t-shirt)
which was a nod to a t-shirt from the 1970s.
The others had less polite slogans.
(I used the name Micros~1 as a tribute to long filename support in w95).
@lucyruthe @f_beaudet office Libre?
@Frantasaur @lucyruthe of course. But if you have to use ms office…
@f_beaudet Why does anyone "have" to use that?
@wesdym @f_beaudet Because the people that pay me, so I can enjoy hobbies like living or eating, want me to use it.
@HerrKlamauk @wesdym @f_beaudet
How would they even know? Also, if a client imposes a software specifically for their purposes, they should be paying for it.
@Quantillion @wesdym @f_beaudet My employer does pay for it. And they would know, because the rest of the team including my manager would not be able to collaborate with me in the documents, whiteboards, presentations etc.
There are alternatives that are sort of kind of compatible, usually. Except when they’re not. @f_beaudet @wesdym
@BenAveling
Combatible how?
The notion that other software 'has' to be compatible with MSO is a conditioned responce that MS has deliberately imbued, because they don't want anyone to not use THEIR products, which are the only ones they profit from. But LO does all the same stuff. Just not identically, and that fact is the only 'compatibility' issue on the table. They both do the same jobs, just as well. LO handles all the same formats.
@lucyruthe @f_beaudet I tried that actually and still couldn't find the classic option, so had to chat with support to get it, and had to wait until my subscription had actually run out before I could do so. Am on a family plan though.
@x0 @lucyruthe I’m on a family plan and my renewal was coming up.
The option was right there in the “please don’t leave” screen.
@f_beaudet @lucyruthe That must have been on rollout or something I guess.
@f_beaudet MS is also starting to charge nonprofits for use of M365. My church office has been using O365 for 3 years at no charge. Now, MS wants to charge us for M365.
@horqua Well, that sucks... time for something else I guess
#FBPE @f_beaudet Yes. And it *is* a new subscription, not a continuation of the old one. You will have to re-invite your family members.
@TimWardCam Ok, interesting. I just did the switch and the family members are still there.
@f_beaudet I'm not too surprised if it behaves differently in different markets.
@TimWardCam @f_beaudet
Possibly because a national (or regional) regulatory body has already dragged them through the courts.
@f_beaudet
Another option: cancel your subscription and download libre office for free. I did.
Been using #libreoffice in production for years.
The only "showstopper" is that advanced spready code is not VB so you have to build your own.
@n_dimension @Carita_Sommer @f_beaudet The thing in MSO is *VBA* (Visual Basic for Applications). Not plain VB. VB is a different thing, although similar.
@f_beaudet @rmondello Unless you have a discount via the Microsoft Workplace Discount Program?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/workplace-discount-program
Microsoft claims that downgrading to Classic is a discount as well and you/they can’t combine discounts…
@f_beaudet Better yet, switch to libreoffice.
@f_beaudet Yes, I opted out - I'm more than happy to forego the 'copilot' option; in fact I might have paid not to have it 
@f_beaudet Yuck, didn't know that was possible and just renewed last week. What's worse is only other members of my family actually use it now but I can't persuade them to ditch it. Any way, will revisit next year. Thanks for the info!
@f_beaudet
Fuck Microsoft.
@f_beaudet I just canceled my Xbox subscription and were looking at Office, I'm gonna try this next.
@f_beaudet also, you're paying for the Epstein Ballroom now.
نزار القرقني @f_beaudet and they can continue to train copilot by reading your documents...
@brume
@f_beaudet and.... consider of course switching to #LibreOffice or #OnlyOffice (for a more ms365 look)
@f_beaudet
So you're getting charged for being able to install spyware now? Concerning... 
@f_beaudet For me the upcoming subscription renewal was the point in time when I decided to completely delete my Microsoft account.
@f_beaudet Or just use https://www.libreoffice.org/
@f_beaudet
...or you can switch to a Linux distro and use LibreOffice. Given how bad Windon't is this is a legitimate option.
@f_beaudet good advice! Another option is to just start using LibreOffice instead. It has the same features, can read & create MS Office documents, and is always free and open. I've been using it for over a decade and every time I try out someone's MS software I am reminded how much better LibreOffice is!! And it's free.
@f_beaudet Or you can just switch to @libreoffice Looks and feel are about the same. But it is free. It is open source. It even lets you use your MS files. ;)
@gigi @f_beaudet it's a pain to use tho (I use it since 2011)
@adhemara @f_beaudet I don't agree with that. I like LO Writer much better then MS Word. It is cleaner, menu's are more logic and stuff is easier to find. Sure you might need to find your way around but well, small price to pay for free and open source. :)
@f_beaudet @RossA Or better yet, ditch Office completely.
I'd been using Office since 1990 I never thought I could switch. Copilot was the last straw. I switched to Libre Office about a year ago. I miss Microsoft Office, but I don't miss the subscription fee, features I don't need force down my throat, and the intrusion of AI. and Libre Office gets the job done.
Thank you for this. Yes, they did that to me. (They get bonus points for what I assume is a typo: "Effective February 14, 2025"—I'm assuming they meant November 14. 
@f_beaudet Bizarre. We've reached a stage where a seller decides if you'll buy something unless you opt out via a method controlled by the seller.
@anne_twain For-profit anything does what they believe they can get away with. It's like this because our regulatory structure sucks. The forced move to Win11, with hard sunset for Win10 and forced hardware requirements, should have been illegal.
@f_beaudet I did that. It was actually pretty easy.
@f_beaudet
Just did this. Thank you.
I switched to monthly, as well.
The target is to be entirely out of their tangled web inside of six months.
@f_beaudet Again, Word *used* to be something called a "word processor". How, exactly, do you "subscribe" to a word processor?
Everything I hear about Microsoft these days is just bizarre and I can't even parse most of it.
@stevenaleach @f_beaudet I really believe that 99.99% of people do not realise they can use libreoffice or even an older version of ms office and not need a subscription at all. But all major companies are,going for the subscription based model these days, they don’t want us to own things, they want us to rent them from them.
Perpetual growth hack etc etc
@f_beaudet I could point out that this is illegal (like literally illegal as in specific laws written to prevent it) but in these times I'm not sure if the word illegal has meaning anymore.
@f_beaudet worth noting that this only works if you're subscribing directly with Microsoft.
If you buy an annual key through a reseller, you do not get offered the 'classic' option, so you will have to put up with Copilot. Thing is, even so these 12 month keys are often cheaper than paying Microsoft directly.
@f_beaudet good tip - thanks!