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Alternatives for MS Office?

12 years ago

I use Word maybe twice a month, but don't want to spend $100/year to use it. Is there an option out there that will let me create simple documents that I can print for cheaps? I have MS 365 that came with my new laptop as a trial but expires in a few days. I am running Win8.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

sugar_fl
12 years ago
OPEN OFFICE is as good in my opinion & free.
Someone can send a link to it as I want to be sure it is the right one..

Dar
mikie_gw
12 years ago
In windows 8 you should be able to simply go to skydrive ... and on the top bar click the create drop down V, and make an online word document.

Here is a link that might be useful: https://skydrive.live.com

This post was edited by mikie on Tue, Sep 3, 13 at 2:38
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I can tell you that Microsoft Office and Open Office are not 100% compatible. Depending on the complexity of the documents you use, you may need to spend some time "converting" them to an Open Office format. You also need to be concerned if you "share" any electronic documents with business associates that use Microsoft Office. Even though Open Office gives you the option of saving in an Microsoft Office, I've noticed some minor differences with documents created in Open Office and later opened in Microsoft Office. Since Open Office is a free download, there's no reason you can't try it and see how it works for you. As an aside, I think you'll find the user agreement for Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition prohibits commercial use. While it is highly unlikely that the Microsoft police will come knocking, it is something you should be aware of.
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I'm sorry that my recollection is incomplete, which is why I asked if someone else might have knowledge to share. What I had in mind was that with some "one instance" licenses, if you uninstall the software from one machine, that gets transmitted back to home base and then the license is available to install it on a different machine. I don't remember if Office works that way or not. I think it does, or did, but I'm not sure. If you're done using the old machine, it might be easier to uninstall it from the old machine before installing it on the new machine, than to find an answer to this question (if you don't get it here or elsewhere easily). Make sure the old machine is connected to the internet before starting the uninstall. As with any install/uninstall operations, do it when you can do something else at the same time so you don't need to stare at the screen for an extended period, just watching a percentage completion display.
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cornsnake_girl
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you both! I saw Open Office discs for sale on eBay, but wasn't sure.

I didn't know 8 had such an app, thanks for the tip!
azinoh
12 years ago
Don't buy Open Office from anyone...it's free.
emma
12 years ago
I am not sure I will buy it again but it didn't cost me $100. a year, I bought the student version. I use it mainly for inventorying my books and movies and an occasional snail mail to a friend.
Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)
12 years ago
Open Office: http://www.openoffice.org/

And another to consider...

LibreOffice: http://www.libreoffice.org/

Which is better? https://www.google.com/search?q=openoffice+vs+libreoffice

Both are free.
ellejay_2007
12 years ago
Google has great tools as an alternative, too! From your google account, go to More.. (in the top tool bar) Even More... scroll down to Home and Office and select Drive. When you click on the Compose button, you'll see Docs, spreadsheets, forms, drawings. I like it because I create docs and store them on one machine, and access them from my phone or tablet when needed.

https://drive.google.com/

Open Office is great, too...

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