Who needs MS-Office?

[Mike Stranks]

Having just bought two new computers, I didn't feel inclined to shell-out either as a one-off or by subscription for MS-Office - times two.

So having explored the free-equivalent landscape, I've settled on WPS Office. Very MS-Office-like in look and feel, it does everything I want and has some (to me) 'better' ways of managing some functions.

Thus far, I'm very pleased with the software... if you're looking for 'Office' functionality without having to buy-in to 'Office' it's worth checking-out.

[N i g e l]

I still mainly use office 2007 but have a machine using Libre Office. LO is very similar to MSW but its a bit slow.

[The Elf]

The free Google and Apple suites of office programs are very good - LibreOffice too. These will do almost everything a typical home (and many business) user needs.

But I admit, I still pay for MS Office, as it has a gloss the others lack - and I make use of some quite sophisticated Excel abilities that the others lack.

[Folderol]

The one that I use is available across all three OS platforms. It's called Libreoffice.

Edit:
Bah! NINJA'd

[Drew Stephenson]

The key point is interoperability. If your document can't be opened by the person you're sending it to then you're making a rod for your own back. If it can, then Robert is very much your mother's brother.

[Mike Stranks]

I've used LibreOffice several times... interoperability with MS-Office has sometimes caught me out. Hasn't been the case with WPS... everything in and out to/from MS-Office users has been glitch-free.

In fact, I was going to load LibreOffice, but decided to do a search before doing so and found WPS was, generally, higher-rated. I can now see why... I'd agree.

I don't go into all the pivot tables stuff, but have noticed that it is there in WPS so probably works in the same way. (I do do dynamic field-linking in sheets and across sheets... all has xferred to MS-Office users without a glitch.)

Although I posted this in 'Windows', WPS is also available for Macs and Linux.

[Drew Stephenson]

I've used LibreOffice several times... interoperability with MS-Office has sometimes caught me out. Hasn't been the case with WPS... everything in and out to/from MS-Office users has been glitch-free.

[Wonks]

Note that MS Office 365 subscription covers you for several computers/family users - it's not one subscription per computer. So if you have other family members that use it, it makes it much better value.

[OneWorld]

I've used LibreOffice several times... interoperability with MS-Office has sometimes caught me out. Hasn't been the case with WPS... everything in and out to/from MS-Office users has been glitch-free.

In fact, I was going to load LibreOffice, but decided to do a search before doing so and found WPS was, generally, higher-rated. I can now see why... I'd agree.

I don't go into all the pivot tables stuff, but have noticed that it is there in WPS so probably works in the same way. (I do do dynamic field-linking in sheets and across sheets... all has xferred to MS-Office users without a glitch.)

Although I posted this in 'Windows', WPS is also available for Macs and Linux.

Yes but by using WPS you'll be accused of as being a spy for the Chinese Government (It is made by a Chinese company Kingsoft) and probably find you've been put on a blacklist by US authorities, a 'person of interest' LOL

Actually I have used it myself but had to go back to Office as there is no MS Access equivalent in WPS. I have also used LibreOffice, that does have a RDMS that is quite good.

But in Microsoft's defence, I am using my trusty old Office 2013 version and it is very stable, does all I need it to, and I got it when I was lecturing at university for the special academic's price of £10.00!

I have several friends who run businesses and they often say they would like to unshackle themselves from Office and/or Windows so I say "OK try LibreOffice" I install it for them as a portable app but the minute I say "instead of this, you do that, to achieve the same result" they say "Nah, put me back on Office" even if it is only a small business of say 6 employees, people know what they like, we are creatures of habit, we know what we like.

[Folderol]

people know what they like, we are creatures of habit, we know what we like.

Right words, wrong order - "people like what they know"

[James Perrett]

I don't think that Libre Office will run Excel macros because it has its own macro language. I don't know if this applies to WPS too?

[pk.roberts]

+1 for Libre Office - never had a problem with it and it is very easy to set the default 'save as' behaviour to 'MS standard'.

[OneWorld]

people know what they like, we are creatures of habit, we know what we like.

Right words, wrong order - "people like what they know"

I know my singing, but that doesn't mean I like it

[BJG145]

You can faff around with freebies for your diary, but in the professional world it's Office only.

[resistorman]

We use Libre Office around the house and for light business, but I bought a family subscription of 365 for the cloud storage. One terrabyte of storage each for 5 accounts. Mine is setup to automatically back up my music drive, my wife's backs up all her laptop files. I also use it to share files with clients. I hardly use Office at all...

[Folderol]

I would say it depends on the professional application.
Where I used to work all the general stuff is indeed on Microsoft kit, along with a contract with a Microsfot bod.
All the electronic product development is on Linux kit. It is regarded as far more valuable, and no way will it ever be held to ransom by such as discontinued software/licenses etc.

P.S. I was going to fix that typo but I rather like it

[Drew Stephenson]

My other half works at a university and they're all on Google products rather than Microsoft.
Which is fine internally but a real PITA when dealing with other organisations.

[OneWorld]

My other half works at a university and they're all on Google products rather than Microsoft.
Which is fine internally but a real PITA when dealing with other organisations.

Yep, it's like the name Hoover became the generic name for a vacuum cleaner, even though better products arrived, anyone knows, nothing sucks like an Electrolux.

So it looks like the world will be the world according to Apple/Windows/Office. That said I remember Lotus 1-2-3, dBase and Wordperfect were all usurped by Office, and now the familiarity with Office has established it as the default product.

What makes me 'need' Office is Outlook. It is a really good mail client. I have tried others - Thunderbird seems about the best, but Outlook seems to do things better

[N i g e l]

MS office Excel also has MIDI functions, if youve got a use for them and the time.

[shufflebeat]

Open Office has done much of my PC wordwork for a few years, Google and Apple apps on iPad.

[Drew Stephenson]

MS office Excel also has MIDI functions, if youve got a use for them and the time.

Wait, what?

[DoubleTap]

We use Libre Office around the house and for light business, but I bought a family subscription of 365 for the cloud storage. One terrabyte of storage each for 5 accounts. Mine is setup to automatically back up my music drive, my wife's backs up all her laptop files. I also use it to share files with clients. I hardly use Office at all...

Yeah I basically view Office as a freebie that comes bundled with my 1TB of cloud storage.

But Excel midi? I did find this -- https://sourceforge.net/projects/excel-midi/

[N i g e l]

I have heard many people say they only suscribe to get the cloud storage !

VBA, visual basic is part of Excel.

The idea being that you can write a complex custom functions and incorporate them into your spreadsheet.

After that the sky's the limit, adding buttons and things that use the functions.

VBA functions include
opening and closing MIDI ports, sending notes......

not to be confused with Excels "MID" function

https://www.gearnews.com/excel-midi-thi ... x-returns/

[Drew Stephenson]

Today I have learned something.

Something that I have never needed to know and will probably never use, but that also applies to a lot of stuff that I learned at school too...

[Jorge]

It is very useful to hear peoples’ experiences with alternative word processing, spreadsheet and other office software, especially given the ongoing changes in MS-Office with its increasing move to the cloud and away from local PC based installations and use. I recently received an announcement from Micro$oft regarding upcoming changes in the Micro$oft Services Agreement that they seem to be forcing you to accept if you want to use M$ Office after Aug 15, 2022. Here is the language they are proposing in the US and I would expect similar moves in UK and other locales.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/service ... oming.aspx

I am concerned about the further reduction in privacy rights that I see implicit in this agreement. Paragraph b. under Your Content says, “To the extent necessary to provide the Services to you and others, to protect you and the Services, and to improve Microsoft products and services, you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute via communication tools Your Content on the Services.” Above that section they define “Your Content” to include, among other things, “… the files, photos, documents, audio, digital works, livestreams and videos that you upload, store, broadcast or share through the Services.”

I am not a lawyer but this sounds entirely too nonspecific, and seems to give M$ license to rummage through your files that are stored on the cloud and use their contents in ways that are far too broadly defined for my taste. You can use your imagination here, but this seems to me to be a greater potential violation of privacy than I have seen previously in licensing agreements with software companies.

Would anyone care to comment on your interpretation of this licensing agreement language, and whether you share my concern about potential loss of privacy and control of our “Content”?