I recently spent most of a day trying to get some software installed and running in the correct language. “Windows?” you ask. For once it is not, however as it is the Mac version of Office the usual culprits are involved.

Issue #1: with the trial version you enter all your personal data before they send you a link and a Reg code, then before the program starts for the first time it asks you to register online so you have to re-enter the same data only to discover it also needs an ID number only available after Office is running so you have to abort registration, start office, write down a long number (copy & paste doesn’t work), quit Office, launch it again, restart registration, enter your personal data for the third time. Stupid.

Issue #2: Unlike every other program you have to uninstall the trial version before installing retail version, only they don’t tell you that until afterwards. As you can only buy online in a couple of countries you are likely to install trial, install full version but fail, uninstall both and finally install full version again. Oh, and don’t forget to close every other application or to reboot between each step. Also stupid. … Read more

Issue #3: unlike all other Mac software you have to buy a different version for whichever language you want. I am now stuck with a Dutch version. Grrrr.