Good job I use windows 7 in a VM for my out-of-date copy of Office. Far more reliable and private and not much chance of this sort of thing appearing.

Maybe - just maybe - they will discover that people are sick of subscriptions. And maybe they will learn that we want something that will run stabily and not subject to constant change. Like, for example, Outlook 365 seems to have UI changes on a daily basis: the calendar button is at the bottom of the Accounts / mailbox tree - nope; it's now taking up room in it's own column on the LH side - wait a minute, it's back at the bottom of the screen. Etc.

Maybe they could spend some time having Outlook to show appointments notifications using the Windows notification mechanism, instead of using its own - which if you use multiple desktops won't show on a different one. That's something you never understand through telemetry - although the very reason for telemetry is not improving products.

Not to mention doesn't cope with monitor changes (e.g. switching between home and office where the monitors are different), so it's easy for it to "appear" underneath the windows you're working in and then you completely miss a mtg ...

As to using the windows notifications, I don't think that would work well as (AFAIK) that doesn't have the options for joining a mtg, or sleeping the alert (I tend to set up events for things like mandatory training with a 4 week reminder, so sleeping for a week if it's not convenient now).

Apart from all the above, the thing that really pees me off is that while I'm struggling to cope with different keyboard shortcuts between Mac (home use) and Windows (work) - Outlook has it's own shortcuts that bear no resemblance to those Windows ones I've managed to learn.

I don't really know how much the notification windows is customizable - but if there is someone who could make that more customizable is exactly the company that writes the OS . But under Nadella I'm afraid the orders are to make Windows dumber and dumber so dumber (and cheaper) developers can work on it.

Still the notification message could be clicked to bring you to the full notification window - instead of seeing nothing especially if you're somewhere where you can't keep audio notification on and don't wear headphones.

Would it not be obvious that it also seeks to find any (unauthorized) copy of LibreOffice in the same process?

Then they can bombard you with more boilerplate how much you are jeopardizing your computer with programs that are not designed for and not authorized by Microsoft. It will also direct you to the Microsoft solution to all your needs and will ensure future adworks directed at your convenience to convince you that you misbehaved by preventing Microsoft from providing you with the proper Solutions to all your problems.

So you're telling me that Microsoft's antivirus scanner using Microsoft's signature definitions hasn't detected any viruses in a utility... That Microsoft has written/built/deployed?

An odd thing for Microsoft to say. Kinda like going into a cake shop and being told the cream cakes have been checked for salmonella.

Of course they will never use the information gathered by that update looking for people using cracked Office versions, alternative Office suites etc to push you ads to sign up for Office 365, This is Microsoft, they are the good guys now.

I'm really confused. They want to know how many people are using old versions of Office, so they want people to go to their website to download an utility that will scan their computer for Office. Why not just ask them what version they're using?

This is like Jehovah's Witnesses coming to your house and asking to install webcams in your house to see if you pray.

only creepier

> Ultimately, it's expected to phone home to Microsoft to let the mothership know if you're running an old Office.

While this may not fall under MS's definition of "malware" it is undoubtedly spyware.

We should also expect that there will be consequences!

Once this has detected old - and legitimate - versions of Office, that will not be the end of it. I can reasonably expect that it will be followed by more probes for other legal but old software. Maybe MS will even sell the ability to detect out of date software to third parties, so (for example) my old version of Photoshop might get flagged, if Adobe pays for a similar payload to be installed.

And after that, will come the inevitable nags, telling me I *have* to upgrade. Maybe getting more urgent and annoying as time goes on.

My only hope is that the biggest benefit of running out-of-support versions of Windows: no more unwelcome updates, means that my VM's W7 and earlier instances will not fall foul of this surveillance.

> While this may not fall under MS's definition of "malware" it is undoubtedly spyware.

Not for Microsoft. For them it's certainly considered totally legal and justifiable self-defense: Hard times are coming, you have to crack down on those potentially criminal egoists who don't give you as much money as they should.

What on Earth gives them the right to audit your software use? I'd say that's a grade one privacy violation - it is absolutely none of their business.

It has a very "thin edge of the wedge" feel to it IMHO.

theres a couple of things here

1. its looking for old copies of office with the idea of spamming you with "Subscribe to 363&3/4 office" ads

2. Its looking for old copies of office licence keys that are invalid/duplicates/not paid for............. and then it will disable office on that machine.

Looking for libre office or versions thereof so to spam you with office 362&5/8 ads.... you never know but I doubt it

Wonder what happens when its run on a Linux box?

I would not be surprised in the least if, having detected an out-of-support version of Office, it subsequently, discreetly disrupts or disables it.

Or is this perhaps actually designed and stated publicly to be looking for out-of-support versions as a smoke screen, and is actually to detect and disable all the copies of Office Plus currently infesting eBay listings (as well as many other online outlets) which are being sold to and run by people who don't realise it is a volume licence subscription version, and not the standalone lifetime licence that they are being conned into thinking it is?