Microsoft Project 2003/2007 purchase

[Arcex]

My company is looking into buying Project, as far as functionality everything we need to do can be done with 2003 but when we talked directly to a Microsoft rep he led us to believe that licenses for 2003 weren't available anymore.

From doing a basic search I found quite a few options of 2003 for purchase but I want to make sure there wouldn't be compatibility issues with Microsoft not honoring old licenses. Can anyone shed some light onto this subject for me? Thanks in advance.

 

[Markbnj]

Well they probably don't support it, or will stop supporting it soon. What's the reason for not going with Project 2007? Does it require a move to Office 2007 as well?

 

[stash]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Well they probably don't support it, or will stop supporting it soon. What's the reason for not going with Project 2007? Does it require a move to Office 2007 as well?

Just because licenses are no longer available does not mean the product is no longer supported. Project 2003 is in mainstream support until 2009 and extended support until 2014: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=2525

 

[mzkhadir]

If you buy 2007 licenses, you can still use 2003 products.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: stash

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Well they probably don't support it, or will stop supporting it soon. What's the reason for not going with Project 2007? Does it require a move to Office 2007 as well?

Just because licenses are no longer available does not mean the product is no longer supported. Project 2003 is in mainstream support until 2009 and extended support until 2014: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=2525

Hence the reason why I hedged my statement .

 

[WildHorse]

. . . and also, be aware that there are alternatives to MS Project out there.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: scott
. . . and also, be aware that there are alternatives to MS Project out there.

Will it allow the import & export of Project Files.?

 

[WildHorse]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy

Originally posted by: scott
. . . and also, be aware that there are alternatives to MS Project out there.

Will it allow the import & export of Project Files.?

Yes. This is copied from the OpenWOrkbench FAQ:

QUOTE
Can I convert a Microsoft Project file to an Open Workbench file, and vice versa?

If you have Microsoft Project 2002 or later, you should be able to save your project plans as XML files. Open Workbench can then import the XML file and edit the project plan.
END QUOTE

You'll find this about middle of the list below the heading "Content" on this web page.

I've used Open Workbench for about 3 years to run complicatd multinational projects. Before that I did NOT use MS Project, so I don't have any real-world experience in how they compare, except that I've read that MS Project provides more complicated features to address seldom-needed contingencies.

Edited to add:
Heres a useful comparison of the expensive MS Project vs. the free OpenWorkbench:
Comparing Open Workbench and Microsoft Project

 

[EagleKeeper]

Looks like if you have Project, then you can export file to be used by the OpenProject.

However, it does not seem that the program can read actual MS Project files.

Therefore, it seems as if you need at least one copy of MS Project available (from someone) to support the initial transition and or cross use.