Guides & insights
Honest buying advice, activation walkthroughs and the occasional opinion on how software should be sold.

Buying guides · 6 min read
Office 2024 vs Office 2021: which perpetual license should you buy?
Both are one-time purchases, both get security updates for years — here is how to decide in five minutes.
Oct 30, 2026 · FIVE CODELAB Team
Buying guides · 4 min read
Windows 11 Pro vs Home: the features that justify the upgrade
BitLocker, Remote Desktop and Hyper-V are the headline differences — but who actually needs them?
Oct 21, 2026 · FIVE CODELAB Team
How-to · 5 min read
How to install and activate Microsoft Office in 10 minutes
A clean, screenshot-free walkthrough that works for Office 2019, 2021 and 2024 on Windows and Mac.
Oct 12, 2026 · FIVE CODELAB Team
Opinion · 4 min read
Perpetual license vs subscription: the five-year cost of Office
We did the arithmetic on Microsoft 365 against a one-time Office purchase. The gap is bigger than most people think.
Oct 3, 2026 · FIVE CODELAB Team
Buying guides · 3 min read
Project, Planner or Excel: choosing the right planning tool
Three Microsoft tools, three very different jobs. A quick guide for teams tired of spreadsheet Gantt charts.
Sep 24, 2026 · FIVE CODELAB Team