You can run Office 2000 on Windows 98, 98 SE, NT 4.0, 2000, and XP. You can run Office XP on Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT 4 (SP6), or XP. No one is forcing you to buy a new operating system to run a new version of Office.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/faq.htm
Does Office XP require Microsoft Windows® XP?
No. Office XP Professional will run on Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, and Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 6 (SP6) or later. Windows XP will deliver the best Windows experience and, combined with Office XP, the best computer experience, but it is not required for Office XP.
File format changes are a fact of life. However, Office XP can support file formats as far back
as Office 95.
Current Events » in reply to Re: Microsoft has screwed up many times
Not true