Free Office Type Software

[Devonmade]

Our granddaughter had a 6 month old Dell laptop which failed, money paid for it has been refunded and so a new computer had been purchased as a replacement. However during the intervening 6 months computers have yet again moved on. We now have a computer that has Windows 8, and no watered down version of Microsoft Office is included. The option is to buy the students version but this is now sold only as a one computer version at just over £100 for the life of that computer. The alternative is to download one of the following free office suites:- Google Docs, Open Office or LibreOffice. I just wondered what anyone thought of these freebies as it will only be used for school homework documents and perhaps a slide presentation like Powerpoint and not in a professional business capacity.

Sue

[Peter Goodey]

Open Office or LibreOffice

I use LibreOffice which is fine. It does everything I need of an office suite.

My wife was perfectly happy with OpenOffice/LibreOffice except for just one feature that she needed but it didn't support. This feature is graphical decorative borders to pages, boxes etc. For this one feature, she had to spend a lot of money to buy a copy of Word. And Word 2010 is horrible.

From what I've seen of Google Docs, it seems pretty limited.

My advice, for what it's worth. is to download LibreOffice/OpenOffice and see how you get on with it. You can't go far wrong when it's free!

[fullscott]

I bought a new computer in November - didn't realise I had any option other than Windows 8. And yes, it is VERY annoying that there is no Word programme supplied with it. I made enquiries, and was recommended the free Open Office download - which I tried, but at the next automatic Windows update the computer spat it out.

I should have started again (the computer now has to ask me when it wants to update) but was very stressed at the time, so I gave in and bought the simplest Word 2010 programme (no disc, just the key to enter - £69). It will (supposedly) last the lifetime of the computer. And I was told that the next versions of Office will be sold as ANNUALLY RENEWABLE - ie £69 (at least) every year!

Are Microsoft killing the goose that laid the golden egg? Surely someone will produce a viable alternative to Office?

Jane

[Peter Goodey]

Surely someone will produce a viable alternative to Office?

They have. OpenOffice or LibreOffice. For anyone who's a bit nervous, there are step by step instructions on the LibreOffice web site for installating under Windows.

[MarkJ]

I use LibreOffice exclusively - I don't use Windows, so MS Office isn't a choice I have (or would take).

LibreOffice is a fork from OpenOffice, so similar, but slightly different. Both are free of charge and work with Windows.

As a replacement for MS Office, then unless you have complex needs, you will find they are perfectly fine. As Peter says, you can download and try to see if they suit your needs.

[Nicolina]

my new laptop has Office installed, which is one of the reason I chose it. However when I came to use it, it's a time-limited version and I object to paying again for something that I already had. Unfortunately the "key" for my Blue version of Office was also lost when the other laptop crashed.
I think that I've learned my lesson and shall be keeping a paper back up of all my programme keys in future.
thanks for the tip about Libre Office, I'll give it a try.

[David Benson]

Windows 8 comes with Wordpad - a cut down version of Word.
Place the mouse in the top right hand corner and select 'search' looks like a magnifying glass - start to type 'word' in the box and it will appear.

[Geoff Wycherley]

Have used Open Office for some time now and it has worked ok for me. The only draw back with it is that it will open nearly any file format, which is good, however, if you alter the file and press save it will save it as an open office file, which is OK but if you send that file to someone else unless they operate open office they will not be able to open it, you have to remember so save any files in the original file format.

[MarkJ]

I have a feeling that you can "tell" OpenOffice (and LibreOffice) to save as a specific format and make that the default if you wish. It is in the settings somewhere.... I expect I can find out if you want.

Remember that the industry standard is the format which files are saved in by the free suites - the .ods format. Microsoft's .xls and .doc, .docx etc are NOT the standard types - just the ones most people use because MS Office defaults to those. But we have to accept that people want .xls or .doc etc.

[Peter Goodey]

if you alter the file and press save it will save it as an open office file

My LibreOffice doesn't work like that. If I load a .doc file, amend it and press "Save", a warning message appears asking whether I really mean to save it as a .doc or wouldn't I prefer to save it as ODF. Then I can choose one or the other (or something completely different)