A lot of people I know say they do not like Microsoft because their software is not reliable and has lots of bugs, but I do not think that is fully accurate.

Even though I only use two types of software by Microsoft, I can say that Office 2003 is one of the best office application out today. I use it both at home and work. The professional version has Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word 2003, and InfoPath 2003.


ACCESS 2003 :
Access 2003 is a powerful tool that is sophisticated enough for professionals, yet easy to learn for new users. You can create or use powerful database solutions that make organizing, accessing, and sharing information easier than ever.

I use Access from work for an airline to input repair information. The airline has created a database with graphical user interface to input data and keep track of preventative Maintenance (PMI) schedules. We access it through a Citrix neighborhood connection over the internet. The application is very reliable, but is a bit slow due to my system limitations. Access is also great for personal databases like inventory or DVD/CD databases and more. My company use to create expense reports using Access, but then we switched to Excel for a much simpler interface for some of the non-computer savvy employees (my boss). We recently upgraded from Microsoft Office 2000 just because we had to get it for another office of ours.

The built-in wizards help a lot with creating a new database quickly and easily. If you as me, I personally do not prefer to use Access for my database needs; instead I just make my own customized application since I am a programmer.