Old software?

I'm curious about this line: "The current downturn in the economy does not negate the need for businesses to keep the software they are using up-to-date and legal." Is this them suggesting that I shouldn't use older software? To mix a threat about licencing with the software being up-to-date - it clearly doesn't mention the licence being up-to-date - seems a bit odd.

The let's all go Linux/open-source doesn't work everywhere though as we're still in the situation where you may need a piece of software to work with others (the one that springs to mind is a company we work with using MS Project, but we have to ask for all project plans in PDF). I guess where there software requirements are limited, such as in call centres or courier firms (I always notice Initial City Link run Linux terminals in the depot), it's feasible.

My own take is that if you can avoid putting Windows on any servers, and thereby avoid CALs and all the licencing rubbish that goes with, you'll save a lot of time and money and the users can still do everything they need to with Windows on the desktop. As real work-flow oriented web apps - such as for call centres and couriers - permeate companies and facilitate more of a work-anywhere ethos, the requirements for office suites will reduce so that other suites may be a really good replacement. This could even give us a competitive software marketplace again, and that can only be a good thing.