I just ordered Microsoft Office Professional for the Mac. I feel a little dirty.
I was hoping that the Mac could be a Microsoft-free haven for me. Then I found that I needed Windows Media Player, so I got that. Then I needed Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection, so I got that. Then I needed MSN Messenger. But those were "free", so I consoled myself by thinking that at least I wasn't giving any more money to Microsoft.
Unfortunately, I can't find a good substitute for Microsoft Office. OpenOffice for Mac is uglier than any Windows application I've ever seen. AppleWorks feels like a toy, and can't read Office file formats. When I brought work home, I wanted to use the Mac, but couldn't.
What finally drew me in was the announcement that Virtual PC 7 would be included in MS Office Pro. I don't really need to run Windows on my Mac, but I would like to try out Linux distros and other operating systems.
The last Office version I bought was Office 98 for Windows. That qualifies me for the upgrade price, so I'm getting Virtual PC and the rest of Office for a little under $300. That's a pretty good deal in the Windows world. And maybe it won't suck quite as much on a Mac.