FYI...

- http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1...ft-scraps-works
9 October 2009 - "... Microsoft has scrapped its venerable Works software and replaced it with Office Starter 2010. Office Starter is a cut down version of the Vole's flagship productivity suite of applications and will be supported by advertising. Microsoft Works has been around for more than 20 years and came preinstalled on home PCs. It was not a bad product other than the fact you had to save everything in the Works format... Office Starter 2010 will come preinstalled on many new Windows PCs. It won't have an expiration date. You'll be able to use it as long as you can stand the advertising. The software is a crippled version of Office 2010 and has two functions, Word Starter and Excel Starter. Apparently these will have enough functions to allow users to do basic stuff. It does not include Outlook, OneNote, or PowerPoint..."

but for the savings of a few hundred dollars, I could put up with a certain amount of nagware.