Now Microsoft drops Office Accounting

Bit difficult to recommend a soon-not-to-exist product?

"PC Pro will review its A-List recommendation of Microsoft Office Accounting Pro 2009 and make an announcement in due course."

The voices tell me that it will be taken off the A-list. Maybe I'm just psychic...?

By JohnGray7581 on 30 Oct 2009

Upsetting

Microsoft Office Accounting is a good product. After trying other products it was exactly what I wanted. Sure it wasn't with out it's issues, but none of them were show stoppers. I wonder if Microsoft shot them selves in the foot with making it so cheap, then again maybe there just wasn't the user base to make it a viable product.

My confusion is why Microsoft doesn't sell the product off to allow someone else to develop it. Might not be worth a huge amount of money but I would have thought enough to justify the effort involved.

A very annoyed and distraught user.

By WhiskyFudge on 30 Oct 2009

I agree WhiskyFudge, why not sell it to a 3rd party to provide continuity of support. Sometimes I have sympathy with all the MS haters out there...sigh

By rjp2000 on 30 Oct 2009

But you get a 'free' upgrade....

unless you use the 3 user version of Office Accounting Pro 2009 - then you have to pay for the enterprise versions of the Mamut software.

The included free upgrade does not allow 3 users over a network - I was told this by Mamut this morning.

Well annoyed - we paid over 200 quid for software we got to use for 8 months (the EU legislation change in Jan 2010 affects us so the software is useless after this point).

Very Very Angry about this Microsoft.....

By chrisdyson69 on 30 Oct 2009

Even the 'free' upgarde isn't free!

I've just read you have to pay a compulsory £19 per month support fee even for the single user 'free' upgrade!

This just gets worse!

By chrisdyson69 on 30 Oct 2009

Kicked in the Teeth ... Again

Yet again I have invested time in a Microsoft product and recommended it to others only to have the rug pulled from under me.

The 'free' upgrade is a joke. First it's not free and why do I want to be forced into learning a new application I didn't choose in the first place.

I've been a long term supporter of MS and yes they may have produced a great OS but I've had enough.

From now I'll be using an MS app only if there isn't another alternative. After all do we really need the overkill of functions in Office 2007/2010?

I think the time has come to use open source, its cheaper and as they generally use open standards, if you need to jump ship there is usually a straightforward route.

You have to wonder that with the might of Google and the rise of open source whether MS is able to reinvent itself as a customer focused and friendly company or will it just be an irrelevance a decade from now.

You've lost another advocate MS and I doubt I will be the only one.

By Herbguy on 30 Oct 2009

Back to Quickbooks then

I thought MS Accounting was a nice fresh approach and was thrilled that they offered a free version. I made a very difficult decision to change from Quickbooks to this product and now they've thrown it in the bin.

Frankly, after the disappearance of Money and now this, I'm not inclined to support Microsoft again. Roll on the new Google OS.

By mikef on 30 Oct 2009

Caught out

It is still an excellent product at a good price. Perhaps Mamut didn't want it - their product "Office" is much more expensive (£19 per month) and according to the blurb you can't even filter for overdue invoices (has to be a mistake?). Perhaps the competition clubbed together to kill it?
I'm sticking with the discontinued product at least until the end of the financial year. Lucky I wasn't using payroll!

By hminney on 30 Oct 2009

Caught out

It is still an excellent product at a good price. Perhaps Mamut didn't want it - their product "Office" is much more expensive (£19 per month) and according to the blurb you can't even filter for overdue invoices (has to be a mistake?). Perhaps the competition clubbed together to kill it?
I'm sticking with the discontinued product at least until the end of the financial year. Lucky I wasn't using payroll!

By hminney on 30 Oct 2009

Phew!

I was just about to start paying for the monthly PAYE service - I'm glad I didn't!

Are there any recommendations for Accounting software that doesn't cost the earth?

By Stiggy on 31 Oct 2009

That's the end for me and Microsoft!

I'll have to use Windows for the near future - but I can see a way to get rid of all my Micorosft apps over the next few months....

Word, Excel and PowerPoint - Open Office

Publisher - PagePlus X2 (already got unused version on my machine)

Outlook - ACT! (far, far superior in my view!)

Accounting - Sage Instant Accounts

Hopefully Instant Accounts and ACT! will integrate the way Outlook Business Contact Manager and Accounting were supposed to.

Some of the Microsoft apps are very good - Word especially and Accounting was pretty good - but this shows you simply cannot trust Microsoft.

By KeithERice on 31 Oct 2009

Lost faith and trust

the decision on Office Acounting will (again) do untold damage to Microsoft
because it destroys the trust of many of the previously loyal advocates of
Microsoft, be they users, developers or accountants.
Each one may be small, but the community was growing and is substantial.
Many, like me, have argued the case for OA vs Sage, have overcome their
accountants reluctance to accept OA data, have investigated time in
implementation, training, customising reports - only for Microsoft to slam the door in our faces
I only have a small 3 user system - so I guess Microsoft feels that I don't matter, along with all the other users. This will prove to be a big mistake.
As for Mamut! - the agreement seems to be full of holes, certainly not free
(the upgrade or the support) in most instances - it just makes the (poorly written) announcement even worse

By muffaletta on 2 Nov 2009

We will continue

This is the best ever accounting system we have used. It is so easy to use uou can even have your old granny enter receits from somewhere in the world and so on. I think EU VAT rules will come and go change and so on. So every time you will have to upgrade or buy new system. It is very easy to export everything from this software in exel so the figure for the new vat return can easily be calculated. It also integrates with the business contact manager for outlook. We tried the ''Mamut'' soft ware we find completely impossible to use. We are sad a bout this decision by Microsoft but we are off to purchase another 5 copies. Is is still byfar the best.

By Larsdam on 7 Nov 2009