Within a couple months of your niece's acquisition of the Mac (assuming OS-X) you'll be considering converting your entire household. It isn't a "plunge"....it's a massage/jacuzzi/etc....with a happy ending. I'm biased. I switched three years ago after decades with PC/windows. Changed my computer-life entirely.....from wasting mega-time maintaing the stupid box and OS to forgetting all that crappola and actually getting things done. Thing just sits here and runs. First box I've owned since 1985 that actually does that -- and nothing else. Yup...I'm very biased.

>>>> "All of the various computer sellers (Apple especially) would like you to think that the value of the system you are purchasing reflects not only the hardware but the pre-installed software as well. It is a fallacy to fall into this trap. You're much better off considering each "ifree and pre-installed" software title a liability in so much as you will have to take time and trouble to get the #&$^� off your system." Bought or started up an OEM/MSWin Pc lately? Boot up a new Dell sometimes and just take a quick look at what comes that you didn't ask for..... Otherwise, having run PC's (Win DOS-XP-SP2/Linux/the Open & Free BSD's) and Macs (MacOS5(?) thru the sons OSX.4) and being a committed (maybe commitable?) Linux user who likes to play with FreeBSD and has a nice new copy of Solaris X86 to play with.............. Well, were someone ask me should they get a MacOS machine or a WinPC or a Linux box...AND ESPECIALLY if the person asking is primarily interested in "consumer/personal" type IT ie: browsing, email, music, photo's, email, schoolwork I would have to say get the Mac....Nothing simpler easier or more "user friendly" As for total system quality and value..... We still have a IIe, a Performa 5200, an original IMac with OS9 and OSX, a red IMac, and a white IMac, all of which still work. All of them. And the son has that G4 PowerBook that I (and the S.o. too) lust over. Though my limited personal experience with APPL tech support is quite limited, I have none but positive exepiences with them, but know others who have a less than stellar opinion of the same....BUT the online help via forums, FAQs and tutorials and etc. that's available to/for MAC users is IMNSHO, second to none, it's at least as good and useful as for Linux. I have a 32 pound i386 Compaq "portable" too, It sill works, but is no longer useful for much more than anchoring a small canoe in a stiil body of water. The Performa5200 (only reason we bought it was because we were getting it almost for free) running OS7.5 is still my very favorite mchine, that 32mb of RAm and that ("newly installed" LOL) 56K modem just don't seem as fast and robust as they used too....... Damn, I must be getting old..... Next I want a Cell Processor based PS3 machine (Anybody wanna sell me one real cheap?) to turn into my own personal Linux based super-computer, unless/until C.P. motherboards and processors start becoming commercially available at a somewhat resonable cost. HAGD..........I headed out to check out the rose bushes and take the dogs off in the woods over an hour ago, but haven't left yet. I am going now though, gotta beat that rain you know.....

I would think that LibreOffice and Apache Open Office would be "mostly" compatible. Or at least compatible enough that I wouldn't notice the difference. (Except maybe the appearance) But I haven't tested so I don't know. (https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/libreoffice-vs-openoffice/) If LibreOffice hangs on startup, this might be something quick and easy to try: (source: https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/207036/win10-64bit-liboff-630-hangs-at-start-up/) To start in safe mode: "If your problem is that LibreOffice does not start at all, launch it from the command line with libreoffice --safe-mode or use the start menu entry "LibreOffice (Safe Mode)" on Windows" (source: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Faq/General/110) Of course that assumes hardware acceleration is turned on by default. In my Linux installs, it is not.

I think it will install normally and work fine. How do I know? Three months ago, I bought a new Lenovo PC (cool machine, all in one with a touchscreen and an SSD) and installed the authorized but also 2007 MS Office version I have. It works fine. I'm cautious that sometimes files of third party origin can contain problems. I won't use it in such cases since I know a lot of the "updates" from all software makers are to close holes to reduce risks from troublemakers . It's not a bet the ranch proposition, LibreOffice is free, is updated regularly and for sure works fine. Used by millions and millions of folks everywhere. And it's mostly compatible with MS file formats