I have recently purchased a new computer and could not get a Office license for it - I was only offered the Cloud version for a monthly subscription. I don't like monthly subscriptions as a client (who pays for adobe) lost all her documents, when the subscription lapse when she went on holiday. So I decided to try Open office, as it is still free.
I used it in the past, but found OpenOffice Calc a bit basic, but the new one is brilliant. It has all the old Excel functions which MS seem to have got rid of. (i.e. copying an pasting formulas from one worksheet to another)...
Has anyone else recently tried Open Office? Looks like I am dumping MS office. Anyone else?
I use Office 365 and pay monthly for it. It works out fine for me. Having said that, I need it for other pieces of software to work and thats the main reason I buy it.
Though I want to pick up on the bit about losing things, this wont really happen with office 365. Documents are saved on your computer in much the same way they always have been, and the software is installed on your computer so can still be used without internet access. For me it works out well and isn't too expensive for what it is.
Ive just got a new PC too, got my brother to source it and install everything. We did have a discussion about 365 but Im too tight to pay monthly so for now Im continuing to use Open Office (although its a newer version than I had before). He did say you can still get old versions but I didnt press him to find out where - when I see him next i will try to remember to ask.
Interesting about the BT business offer, might give that a punt. Although Im always then pondering what happens when I move, as undoubtedly I will!
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Joanne
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Isn't the "free" version of office 365 basically a loss leader in that you install it for free, then next year you have to pay for the renewal.
A bit like a Norton / McAfee trial with a new PC.
I have seen the subtle change with new Lumia smart phones where they used to say includes Microsoft office to now saying includes a years subscription to microsoft office.
I've got more PC's than I have Office licences so just downloaded Open Office onto one of them. All looks good although there does seem to be something of the feel of Office 2003 about it.
Don't much like the look of the Open Office Pivot tables comparative to 2007 onwards Pivot tables but that aside seems quite a good bit of kit.
I don't mind buying a licence every couple of releases of office but there is no way that I will pay monthly for it not least as I don't want to be forever up to date with the latest version, I want versioned software so that I am able to support macro's written for older versions of Excel.
Really don't understand the cloud mentality associated with paying monthly forever for everything. How the hell did anyone manage to convince the public that such was to their benefit.
Oh well, remember the old adage... "Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large numbers".
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
"I've got more PC's than I have Office licences so just downloaded Open Office onto one of them. All looks good although there does seem to be something of the feel of Office 2003 about it."
Well Office 2003 predates the stupid Ribbon, so you had a toolbar and whatever you couldn't find on it could be found somewhere in the menus - just like it still is in Open Office. That could be why! ;)
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
it wasn't meant as a derogetory comment about the software. Just a statement as to how it looks and feels.
I still use Excel 2003 (and 2000, and occassionally 97 and 95 and it's only been about 18 months since I finally stopped using Excel 4!).
My pet hate with 2007 is how convoluted it is to suppress zeros. Sure that there's probably some undocumented shortcut that I've forgotten (or never knew) but if you use the menu's to suppress zero's it's a right palava compared to the 2003 method.
My main dislike of pre 2007 versions is the way Pivot tables used to be a little more time consuming to build and I use Pivot tables a lot.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Don't panic! I didn't think you were being derogatory - it's just that the Ribbon (and the lack of a decently extensive, properly organised menu structure) is one of my pet hates about MS Office, so I took the opportunity to get in a dig about it.
I say it's a pet hate about Office, but it's actually related to a bigger, more widespread pet hate: Drastically changing user interfaces - UIs have to change and evolve to cope with new features and facilities, but the changes should be subtle and gradual, and shouldn't cause the user to have to stop and think about/work out how to do something they could previously do easily.
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
At some stage Microsoft forgot that they were developing products for the end user and just decided that they were developing products that they wanted to develop and that end users would just have to get used to what they were being given.
Don't even get me onto them trying to change my PC into a mobile phone with Windows 8.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I was also going to say that it's not often you need the full functionality of Excel.
I do.
I could live without Microsoft versions of Word, Powerpoint, Project, Access, SQL Server and even Visio but being without the full functionality of Excel would be like having my hands cut off.
Like this site, if my PC's on then at least one Excel session will be open on at least one of the screens.
I tend to regard the rest of Office as something that comes free with Excel.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I've always been pro Office until I set up a PC for my business and wanted to keep costs down. I use Libre Office and once I got used to the subtle differences I've been impressed. I don't used spreadsheets for anything major, so can't comment if the functions are lacking. My only slight niggle is if I save a document in a Word format (to send out to people who are scared of the odt extension) the formatting sometimes suffers. However, another plus is the ability to save to pdf straight from the programme.
I've also been quite impressed with Linux too.....
To be fair, Caroline didn't say "don't use spreadsheets for anything major" but "I don't use spreadsheets for anything major" (my emphasis) - a very subtle difference to the quote, but with a significantly different meaning.
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
"My only slight niggle is if I save a document in a Word format (to send out to people who are scared of the odt extension) the formatting sometimes suffers."
Should you be sending documents out in Word (or .odt) format anyway? Surely, you only need to do that if you want the recipient to be able to edit them?
If the document is intended to be read-only, then you should really be sending them out as PDF files, with suitable permissions set. OpenOffice allows you to do this easily, as follows:
With the document loaded, click on the File menu, and about half way down you'll see "Export as PDF". That option opens a tabbed dialogue, with the final item being "Security" on which you can add a password ("Permission" password is the one you want) and then you can set the relevant option in the "Changes" section to disallow recipients from editing the document).
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
To be fair, Caroline didn't say "don't use spreadsheets for anything major" but "I don't use spreadsheets for anything major" (my emphasis) - a very subtle difference to the quote, but with a significantly different meaning.
Hi Vince, was my speedy typing - as I saw the 'I' - I still think the same though as excel is the life blood for people messing with numbers. Im just jealous that Caroline doesnt need to use it anyway!
Didnt know you could do that in with the permissions in open office - so thanks for the tip! I need to find time to play with it a bit more.
Edited as I spelt your name wrong - I need to find my glasses!
-- Edited by Cheshire on Thursday 21st of May 2015 11:41:39 AM
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Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
I rescued my daughter's old laptop recently and decided to put Linux and Libre Office on it. When I saw what LO did with PivotTables it put me off. Should I give it another look or is that a genuine area of weakness? (I can't survive without good PivotTable functionality.)
I am using Google Sheets more and more often and find this to be a reasonable package. It is including within my £5.50 per month Google Apps subscription which sorts out all my email, domain etc.
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"My only slight niggle is if I save a document in a Word format (to send out to people who are scared of the odt extension) the formatting sometimes suffers."
Should you be sending documents out in Word (or .odt) format anyway? Surely, you only need to do that if you want the recipient to be able to edit them?
If the document is intended to be read-only, then you should really be sending them out as PDF files, with suitable permissions set. OpenOffice allows you to do this easily, as follows:
With the document loaded, click on the File menu, and about half way down you'll see "Export as PDF". That option opens a tabbed dialogue, with the final item being "Security" on which you can add a password ("Permission" password is the one you want) and then you can set the relevant option in the "Changes" section to disallow recipients from editing the document).
Apologies! I'm late back to this one. In my other 'life' as a charity trustee/line manager I do need to allow documents to be edited by the recipient. I do make use of the Export to PDF function when needed, but thanks for the tip on adding security :)
Oh and I'm glad we sorted the spreadsheet thing out.....:)
