Is Microsoft Office worth paying for?

[GoodBytes]

In my opinion Office is worth it. It's not too expensive, especially for the base version, which is what most people need, and is miles forwards than free alternatives.

Now, if you just plan to use the basic text editing option of Office, then yea, in this case, free alternative will be better as it's free.

Heck you can even use Office online for free, in such case (login to your outlook.com/hotmail/live account, and go to Skydrive)

Check for student offers for Office, if you are one, to save big.

If not, Microsoft has for 100$ per year (or 10$ per month), you can have:

- Office on 5 PC's or Mac's

- 20GB Skydrive account storage

- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, but also Outlook, OneNote (PC only), Access (PC only) , Presentation (PC only).

- When a new Office version comes out, you get free upgrade to it (part of your membership)

The above is a good deal if you have more than 1 computer and you want Outlook, as Office no subscription for 1PC (with outlook) is 250$... Office is updated every 3 years. So if you are going to spend 300$ in any case, my as well get the membership, and get updated to the latest version, and you have more apps, and you can install it on more than 1 PC. So, lets say you have 2 PCs. If you buy it in store (version with Outlook), it's 250$x2 = 500$. So going with a membership, you save already 200$, and get more apps, and storage on your SkyDrive.

If you are alone, then obviously buy it full.

If you don't care about Outlook, it's 139$

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/buy/

[Camsung]

By the way guys, do you know how I can get LibreOffice to show my recently opened documents? For example, if I pin Microsoft Word to the taskbar and then hold my left mouse button and drag up on the icon of MS Word, it will show me a list of all the documents I have recently opened. If I try to do this for LibreOffice it doesn't show anything.

[MeltyMoon]

I personally use Open Office, it's free and can be used as a:

-word processor

-spread sheet creator (exel)

-slideshow (powerpoint)

-drawing

-databases

and lastly, it can be used for making formulas. Here's a link to their website, if you're interested

 

Edit: Oh and it's also capable of opening MS Office documents as well, so powerpoints, word documents, and excel spreadsheets should work too (although this one i have not tested)

http://www.openoffice.org/

[neon]

With Libreoffice being free there has to be something fundamentally wrong with you (not the OP specifically but everybody) if you don't at least try it before considering to buy Office, if you really don't want to install it for whatever reason then there is even a portable version.

 

Then, and only then, if it does not fill you needs and Office can, go and buy Office.

[GoodBytes]

With Libreoffice being free there has to be something fundamentally wrong with you (not the OP specifically but everybody) if you don't at least try it before considering to buy Office, if you really don't want to install it for whatever reason then there is even a portable version.

 

Then, and only then, if it does not fill you needs and Office can, go and buy Office.

I tried it recently, same for the latest version of OpenOffice. In fact, I used OpenOffice for many many years. I did my whole high-school with it (excluding computer classes which involved learning Office). I used to be a big fan of OpenOffice, but since Microsoft Office 2003, I started to feel that OpenOffice was getting behind. Now it's ok, I still used it, thinking that their will be updates making it better, it doesn't need to be ahead or at the same level.. beside it's free so I can't complain. Well, then I eventually switched, not only I could afford it back then, but also this is where I notice how OpenOffice was sooo behind times. Everything from features, to interface, and how to do things (cumbersome). Let alone it took ages to startup as it was using Java.

LibreOffice pushed OpenOffice forward with huge step. Including converting to C++, if I am not mistaken. But it's so behind, I think it will take numerous years to catch up. I mean when having an option to rotate a picture 90degrees, as one of the main new features, it shows you how behind it is.

So for me, it's Office is what I recommend.

[madcow]

It depends on how large and complex your documents need to be but for most people I think Office online makes the most sense.

 

- Free

- Fully compatible with MS formats

- Files saved to the cloud

- No client software needed (other than a browser)

- Works on any OS

[BustinJustin]

Unfortunately, if you're like me, you were trained first in Corel WordPerfect, then in Microsoft Word/Office when it took over.  I use Microsoft Word/Office because I know it the best. There is probably some free software out there that can give you identical results, but I can't be bothered to learn them.  Can't teach an old dog new tricks.

[ObeseWalrus]

Microsoft office is the best suite out there but Libre Office and google docs is  a close runner up

[Camsung]

Can you do fancy text styles and title pages with LibreOffice? I tried yesterday but couldn't find an option

[MdX MaxX]

Nope.  I will never recommend anyone purchase MSOffice.

 

I've been using LibreOffice (and previously OpenOffice) for years now.  Does everything I could possibly want an office suite to do.

 

And if LibreOffice doesn't import a MSOffice document 100% perfectly, you can use Office Web Apps through Skydrive, totally free.

 

There's honestly no good reason to spend money on MSOffice.

[IdeaStormer]

I tried it recently, same for the latest version of OpenOffice. In fact, I used OpenOffice for many many years. I did my whole high-school with it (excluding computer classes which involved learning Office). I used to be a big fan of OpenOffice, but since Microsoft Office 2003, I started to feel that OpenOffice was getting behind. Now it's ok, I still used it, thinking that their will be updates making it better, it doesn't need to be ahead or at the same level.. beside it's free so I can't complain. Well, then I eventually switched, not only I could afford it back then, but also this is where I notice how OpenOffice was sooo behind times. Everything from features, to interface, and how to do things (cumbersome). Let alone it took ages to startup as it was using Java.

LibreOffice pushed OpenOffice forward with huge step. Including converting to C++, if I am not mistaken. But it's so behind, I think it will take numerous years to catch up. I mean when having an option to rotate a picture 90degrees, as one of the main new features, it shows you how behind it is.

So for me, it's Office is what I recommend.

 

How exactly is a Word Processing/SpreadSheet/PresentationProgram "behind" ?

 

These programs are content based, as in your writing, data, presentation skills dominate the program not the other way around. I great book can be written on NotePad as its about the content not the text, even there you would be better off using Latex for serious paper/book writing than MS Office. I would give Excel a nudge or plus point over the opensource spreadsheets but for my everyday work, they have never failed me or not had the function I needed.

 

Can you expend on the "behind"?

[TheMail]

Nope, LibreOffice ftw

[LogicalDrm]

There's big if to this question. If you are writing a lot and very specific text (school, official work documents, research) then it'll pay its worth back in couple years. For native english users open and free solutions are almost as good. I have used OO before I got my free copy of Office. For me spellcheck support was too shaky with free version. Also there was way too many compatibility issues with OO and Office Word which university uses. However paying full price is not worth it. Also getting newest version is not necessarily worth it. Office 2007 & 2010 are still good and working programs that will have OS support for long time. My -07 gets security updates every two moths.

 

So if you need to have everything working all the time and have one thing less to worry, get older version of Office. Or used one.

[TSegers]

To me, Office is not worth it at all. Firstly I prefer to use linux, which word is incompatible with. Secondly, the university I attend uses PDF for everything, which makes word completely useless in comparison to LaTeX, which is much more powerful and accesible from any text editor. In LaTeX, you can skip the whole "maiking it look nice" part and focus on the content.