Most computer users
make use of some version of an “Office Suite” of programs, which usually
includes a document writer, spreadsheet creator, slide creator and player, and
possibly an email client.
The most well known is
Microsoft Office, which includes:
Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, OneNote - and in some of it’s versions, Outlook (the email client)
Some versions also
add:
Publisher (for
creating business cards, posters, newsletters and other desktop publishing items)
Access (a database
manager)
There are a couple free
office Suites that can be downloaded. They have fewer features, and rarely
include an email client, but they can suffice for those with simple needs.
One of the most notable
of the free suites is LibraOffice; though there is also the option of using an
online suite of programs like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, etc.
Microsoft is pushing
all it’s loyal users to switch to Office 365, which is subscription based, and has
stated that it will end support of any of its stand-alone products by 2020.
So where do you stand?
If you have a real need
for the impressive features built into Microsoft Office, and especially if you
hate to give up Outlook for email, then it’s probably time to bite the bullet
and opt for Office365, and budget for an annual subscription fee. If you have
friends or family that would like to share with you, you can legally share one
subscription with up to 5 users, all of whom will have their own Microsoft
Account, so you will only be sharing access to the Programs, not sharing any
personal data. That makes Office365 much more affordable.
However if you want to
jump ship altogether and opt for a less full featured, but free, option, maybe
choosing LibraOffice, or even moving
everything to an online system like Google’s is for you.
Bear in mind that
these are free, so not only will they have fewer features, but there is no
guarantee that they will continue to be offered.
Of course, you can use
those free versions, and save your files in Microsoft Office compatible
formats, like doc, docx, or xls etc. That way your files will always be
accessible even if you change to another suite or system later.
Using Google Docs may
have some limits to this type of conversion, and even LibraOffice may lose a
little in translation, but for the most part it will work.
So the answer to:
Where do I stand?
is very individual. It
depends on your personal needs and preferences, and of course your budget.
If there is one
decision I encourage many people to make if possible, is to change your email
to a Gmail address. I know this can be a bit of a pain in the transition, since
you have to let all of your contacts know. I personally haven’t even made that
full switch over yet, though I will be doing so in the next month or so. If you
move to Gmail, which is stable and well supported, you can probably take the need
for an email client out of the Office Suite decision, which can make the choice
easier and cheaper.
If you are not a
business owner, but are using Outlook now, take a look at Gmail, Google Notes,
Google Keep, Google Calendar, all of which are full featured and stable, and
ask yourself if you really need what Outlook has to offer.
Maybe you are the
right candidate for a simple free Office Suite and free Google Apps.
One thing is sure,
before long this decision will need to be made, since options will become more
limited.
Here are a couple of
good resource pages with helpful information:
http://www.cio.com/article/3104627/office-software/10-reasons-you-should-use-libreoffice-and-not-microsoft-word.html
And this article about safety issues with regard to using older versions of Office:
http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/software/is-it-safe-to-use-an-old-version-of-microsoft-office-11364006850132
My decision was to opt for Office365 and share the $99 a year cost with 4 other people. Your decision may be different, but you do want to choose something that has been around a while, and will likely remain around. That is especially true for email – which is why I recommend Gmail as It has become well established and has easy to use apps for all computer, tablet and phone systems.
And this article about safety issues with regard to using older versions of Office:
http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/software/is-it-safe-to-use-an-old-version-of-microsoft-office-11364006850132
My decision was to opt for Office365 and share the $99 a year cost with 4 other people. Your decision may be different, but you do want to choose something that has been around a while, and will likely remain around. That is especially true for email – which is why I recommend Gmail as It has become well established and has easy to use apps for all computer, tablet and phone systems.
What will your
decision be?
