I use GDocs quite a bit - it's pretty handy.

I don't know how Google uses it to monetize - I have an adblocker - but perhaps they have algorithms that read it and use that for targeted advertising somehow, or perhaps it's the free teaser to get people interested enough to spring for the paid version.

I haven't really worried about it. As well, all my files are only shared with specific users, if any, and not open to the public.

The strange thing is I've tried to get various people I work with to share docs using it - because I've seen so many offices use it almost exclusively - yet they all say they hate it. Some got pretty upset with me with their resistance so I had to give up on that idea.

I think it has to do with lack of familiarity, not understanding how it use it, and the learning curve. But once you know how it works, it's actually really easy to use. (I also use ZohoDocs, but GDocs has autosave).

One thing I do is I use Google Drive as my starting point, not Google Docs, as it's much easier to see all your files in an Explorer like layout.

If you want to go with a whole desktop office suite, I would suggest going with LibreOffice over OpenOffice - and they're both branches of the same tree. OpenOffice's last stable version was several years ago, whereas LibreOffice's was a few weeks ago. It's under much more active development.

And one suggestion . . . if you install MS Office again, make sure you keep a record of the install key, as that's all you really need to reinstall, besides some friend's install disk. You can use the "Belarc Advisor" program to capture all those types of keys.

If you have a Microsoft account, live, Hotmail, outlook... you have online things for office free at top of your online email.

If you have windows 8.1 or newer, there are brand new office apps, free too.

AbiWord is a free program too.. Compatible Word program, if you only need a word processor.

I'm at the opposite spectrum end from power users, but I've found Google Docs/Drive work fine for me. I'd describe it as basically compatible and simplified compared to a full featured office suite. Useful when sharing or collaborating on a doc with others.

I wouldn't have privacy concerns. If it bothers you having files sitting there, keep them offline on a USB stick. Complaints I've heard (and the same with Open/Libre Offices) came about from either power users or people dealing with special feature uber-sophisticated files coming out of the MS Suite that either ran into incompatibilities or found it difficult to work with (ie, change) because of unfamiliarity.

The last update to Open Office was in August, 2014. Libre Office has had more buzz and that produces more frequent updates. Try to find someone to technically justify why the more frequent updates are needed. Good luck with that.

I still get good service from Office 2007 on my main PCs (3 user license) and with Open Office on others

Snidely - always the contrarian, lol. You were just telling some guy his Vista computer was useless, but now making the case for the "serviceability" of Office 2007. (which I wouldn't disagree with actually)

For the average user, OpenOffice and LibreOffice will probably appear to be more or less the same.

All things considered though, I'd put my bets on a software project like LibreOffice that is under more active development, like about 100x. For the same reason, almost all the Linux distros have chosen LibreOffice. Moreover, IBM which was catalyzing the development of OpenOffice - Apache OpenOffice actually - has apparently withdrawn from the project, leaving only a very few developers still active.

So, there's more potential in LibreOffice for new features (eg embedded fonts) and refinement of features, and faster bug fixes. Those are the reasons it's received more attention, and that it's open source and vendor independent.

If you're just choosing between the two right now, it's probably a better bet to go with LibreOffice. I mean, other things being equal, why go with a project that appears to be dead in the water ?

If you want to get technical, read :

LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice: Why LibreOffice Wins

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/libreoffice-vs.-openoffice-why-libreoffice-wins-1.html

Having said all that, I'll return to my second paragraph - that for the average user *right now* - it would be hard to tell the two apart.

Vista is/was a dog. That's why I called a PC with it not worth fixing if broken or misbehaving. It seemed like a good opportunity to get something better.

As for my 2007 MS Office copy, I've used it over the years to mostly read and add review comments to docs prepared by others, on a personal (not a work) PC. I do no doc creation using any of the suite components on my own. I like MS Office better than the free alternative (which is otherwise ok to me so long as used infrequently).

Oh Snidely, you need desperately to work on your social skills. When the urge to call other people's computers 'a dog' occurs, just tie your fingers up or something. Do you just enjoy being condescending? Are you even aware that you do that?

Yeh, condescending, exactly. And insulting as well - usually it's insinuating that the people are dogs, not their computers.

If you have a laptop or desktop with Vista on it, as I did, just put a more recent OS on it like Win7 or later, even a Linux distro. Works like a champ. You don't have to throw all the hardware out.

pk, you know that Vista had the shortest life of any Windows version, ever. It was a mistake with too many problems to fix. MS had to continue to offer XP on new machines because of the reputation Vista quickly earned. What word you would use to best describe Vista? I used "dog", others have said the same or worse. I was hardly being condescending, I had no exemption from the problem. I had too had a PC with Vista. It earned a very early retirement.

kbarb, in that other conversation, a person was having trouble connecting to wifi and didn't understand that the router had a password. If you want to guide that person through a conversion to Linux or a Windows upgrade, please go ahead.

It doesn't matter what my opinion is of a particular OS or piece of hardware Snidely.

I also don't care for the color brown, but if someone else has brown shoes, it's really none of my business and I don't need to insult them because they have brown shoes:-)

Want to whip out your Visa and buy her a nice new Windows 8 laptop?

Your comment is out of context, pk, and your shoe analogy is N/A.

If your friend were about to lose a job because of late arrivals caused by driving a 15 year old (fill in the blank) car with bald tires, that burned oil, that stalled when running and often wouldn't start, you'd say "Stop trying to deal with that junker and get something more reliable". Is calling the car a junker offensive? I don't think so.

The person in question has had ongoing problems with connectivity with her PC. She has limited understanding of what's involved (which is fine, true of many here) , and had embarked on a quest to perform a task she and a few others couldn't make sense of. Part of my response was as per the car example.

If you don't like my suggestion about the equipment, fine. Saving $10-$15 dollars a week accumulates enough to buy something better in just a few months. Or, as per your suggestion, using a credit card responsibly allows buy now, pay later. That's approach I recommended.

I was always a brown shoe wearer. I spent enough of my time in the sun... Florida sunshine is really HOT baking down on black shoes.

Vista was ok to me - just required more memory is all as compared to win7 was only difference as far as my uses. To me today it is still the same dang thing as win7 in my book.

But shoe color and win vista have absolutely nothing to do with Google Docs Security.

Yes, the whole "Vista is a horrible monster" thing was way overblown. It wasn't MS's finest moment, but led to a lot of ill considered piling on.

SnidelyWhiplash wrote :

>>"kbarb, in that other conversation, . . . .
If you want to guide that person through a conversion to Linux or a
Windows upgrade, please go ahead."

That desire was never expressed, neither for nor against - the person wasn't asking for any help installing an OS.

The point you're trying to distract from with that sarcastic remark, is your blanket statement that any computer (hardware) with Vista (OS) isn't worth resuscitating and destined for the trash bin. It's just tendentious bad advice, for reasons afore stated.

SnidelyWhiplash wrote :

>>"15 year old . . . car with bald tires . . . . you'd say "Stop trying to deal with that junker and get something more reliable". Is calling the car a junker offensive?"

Your analogy there is extremely exaggerated and hyperbolic, so not in useful support of your argument. Nevertheless, despite attempting to persuade someone towards what you think is a more promising direction, Yes, - saying something like that using derogatory words to someone who liked their car would be insensitive - the exact point we're trying to make. There are a myriad more considerate ways of wording things.

And as mikie_gw has noted, we're getting way off track here as the OP's question is about Google Docs security and office type software suites.

Way back since the THS days threads have always been allowed to take a life of their own as long as the main concern is addressed, but not to extreme negativity though. With the move to Houzz has this changed? And who changed it? Just wondering.

DA

I had Vista and had no problem at all with it. Someone post that there was a problem when it first came out, but an update fixed it. It was as good as any system I have used.