Why My Company Won't Support Office 97

There are 3 key things about Office 97 that will send us to another office suite:
1. New Word files are, by default, saved in a non-downward compatible format. This means people with old Office or other word processing programs cannot use the files.
2. Lotus worksheet files are no longer supported. That's right - they REMOVED functionality that existed in Office until this version.
3. There is no compelling functional reason to spend money upgrading, as the increased functionality is tiny compared to the two above headaches.

We work with a LOT of different people in different companies. The problems above are making our lives very difficult right now, and they are costing us money. What a terrible thing to do to customers.

I'm guessing we will move to Star Office or the Lotus offerings - which I am sure will be more sensitive to compatibility.

I just felt you should be warned about these colossal problems before you shell out hard earned money for a product that screws you up.