2003 Microsoft Office comprises the programs Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, OneNote, Visio, PowerPoint, InfoPath, FrontPage, Project, Publisher, and Live Meeting. Each of these programs is sold as a separate software product, but the 2003 Microsoft Office combines them all together under a sort of bulk rate price tag.

The 2003 Microsoft Office package boasts a more complete package than any of the previous versions, offering more programs, and the most up to date versions of the software available. Of course, the older versions of the Office package are still perfectly good. I'm still using the 2000 addition, and am perfectly happy with it. It's easy to get sucked into the hype over the 2003 Office deal only to discover that you didn't really need the 'improvements'. Microsoft, like all software companies, is update crazy. Newer versions of their programs represent an entire new product line for a minimal cost to them, and are often basically the same thing as the older version.

The Microsoft Office concept is a huge success for the software giant. Just about every major business has a copy of 2003 Microsoft Office or some earlier version installed on all their employee's computers. Using the 2003 Microsoft Office programs you can do just about anything including writing form letters, tracking data, creating visual presentations, sending emails, creating graphical designs, combining text and graphical images, and arranging online meetings.

Personally, the only programs I ever use are Excel, Word, and occasionally PowerPoint. These three programs are a must have for anyone that does any kind of work involving presentations, writing, and organizing data. For these three programs alone, I think the 2003 Microsoft Office package is a good deal. Even if you don't work with computers, Excel and Word are vital programs for personal use, making letter writing and tracking your finances much easier.

If you don't have any Microsoft Office versions, and don't even have Word, or Excel, I highly recommend picking up 2003 Microsoft Office. You can buy it online from just about anyone, and any stores that carry computer software will have it as well. If you already have an older Office version, you probably don't really need to get 2003 Microsoft Office unless you do a lot of office work and are interested in the new programs that come with the package.