Microsoft scraps Money

Microsoft scraps Money

Microsoft will scrap its personal finance package Money at the end of the month.

The announcement was made on the front of the Microsoft Money homepage, with the company citing free alternatives offered by finance firms as the reason.

"With banks, brokerage firms and websites now providing a range of options for managing personal finances, the consumer need for Microsoft Money Plus has changed," the notice reads.

"After suspending annual updates of Money Plus in 2008, Microsoft is announcing today that we will no longer offer Microsoft Money Plus for purchase after June 30, 2009."

The company is giving customers until 31 January to activate their Money Plus software and will continue to offer online features, such as billpayments, until 31 January 2011.

The writing's been on the wall for Money since last August when Microsoft pulled the package from shelves and discontinued annual updates. Since then, Microsoft has only sold the package as a download.

The news will come as little surprise to UK customers, who've not received an updated version of the financial package since 2005.

The news with met with anger on the Microsoft support forums, with one user demanding Microsoft remove the activation requirement.

"This is the worst thing I have ever seen in the history of computers," says forum member, William R Wood. "I need Money forever. Our financial records are crucial. If my computer fails or otherwise needs replacement after 2011 I can never use Money Plus again. That is a disaster. How am I supposed to continue to have access to our financial records if the program cannot be reinstalled and activated on a new computer?"

Quicken claims its working with Microsoft to offer stranded Money customers a lifeline: "We're working directly with the folks at Microsoft to help develop a file conversion process that will help Money customers more easily convert their existing data files to Quicken. Both Intuit and Microsoft hope this will be ready to go for the new release of Quicken this fall," says Scott Gulbransen, the PR manager for Intuit, the maker of Quicken.