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Thread: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

  1. #21
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Quote Originally Posted by AllRadioisDead View Post
    No, it's 'standard' because it's the best. By far.
    How are closed formats which are mutually incompatible even among different versions of MSO "the best"?? I don't think there will be even a debate if someone suggests that flash should be web standard, that would be simply dismissed as absurd.

    I don't know how many man-hours LibreOffice spends on reverse engineering MS formats just to stay compatible, I guess it would be substantial. The resources would be much better allocated to create new, cool features and consolidating existing ones if the world has not been so locked into MSO.

    So, even if MSO is available in Lunux for free (as in free beer) I still wouldn't use it because I don't want to be locked into it, and in the process contributing to MS's vendor locked in.(If you absolutely must need feature x in MSO which is not available in LibreOffice and other alternatives that is a different story, I can't tell you to use something that doesn't work in YOUR use case)

    As for the Office Suit itself, there is no denying that MSO has some advanced features, but probably only a very small number of corporate users actually use and need them. The vast majority use it only because of brand recognition and the fear of incompatibility. Incompatibility will not be an issue if most people who don't really need it just stop using MSO
    Last edited by bobsan; July 20th, 2012 at 08:01 PM.

  2. #22
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    I still would not pay for it. LibreOffice is free and does what I need (and what most people need from an office suite).
    Do you folks like coffee?

  3. #23
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Considering most of my documents are written in latex, probably not.

  4. #24
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Quote Originally Posted by morgan141 View Post
    Considering most of my documents are written in latex, probably not.
    same here, if they did make it, my friends would be switching over to Linux in a heartbeat. I also use LibreOffice.
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  5. #25
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Quote Originally Posted by codingman View Post
    same here, if they did make it, my friends would be switching over to Linux in a heartbeat. I also use LibreOffice.
    hmm native msoffice is te one tin that stopping my wife from switching over completely, she duel boots..

    unfortunately even with the 2007 format libreoffice dosn't have 100% compat, it seems to have a habit of double spacing the lines

  6. #26
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    I don't need it.
    I use Open Office.
    if it's a document I share with people, I use google docs.

    I think not being a requirement is microsoft's biggest fear.

  7. #27
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Quote Originally Posted by QIII View Post
    One problem with Office is Microsoft's tendency to break backwards compatibility and arbitrarily deprecate functionality in new versions, breaking some applications developed by end users. This means that applications need to be updated and that others who use those applications must then also purchase the new version. I hardly think this is by accident.

    This is particularly true for Excel and Access.
    Not only backwards compatiblity, but same version compatibility. Sharing and editing documents between companies causes document corruption. Contanstanty having to fix issues. This happens a lot at law firms.

  8. #28
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    I use power point and, yeah, the advanced features are necessary for what I do. Since I work for a university, I get it for next to nothing. So yeah, I would love to see office in Linux. With MS Office and Steam coming soon, I could happily dump my last remaining windows partition. I certainly want nothing to do with windows 8.

  9. #29
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    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    Quote Originally Posted by drawkcab View Post
    I use power point and, yeah, the advanced features are necessary for what I do. Since I work for a university, I get it for next to nothing. So yeah, I would love to see office in Linux. With MS Office and Steam coming soon, I could happily dump my last remaining windows partition. I certainly want nothing to do with windows 8.
    I don't know if power point counts as an advanced feature. I work in uni too and many people use powerpoint to do presentations (especially in the humanities) but mostly they are very straight foward presentations with only text and maybe a few static charts, graphs or diagrams. All of that can be handled without problem with Libreoffice (and there are a few brave souls who do exactly that and you wouldn't know the difference)

    The cost is not an issue for me (I get discount), but MS locked in is a big issue,--and to my mind the discount is a Trojan horse to get people hooked and undermine competitors. That's why I said I wouldn't use it even if there is a Linux version that costs $0.
    Last edited by bobsan; July 21st, 2012 at 05:33 PM.

  10. #30
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    Hardy Heron (Ubuntu Development)

    Re: If Microsoft released Office for Linux

    I probably wouldn't buy it because I already have a Windows copy that works almost perfectly with Wine. If I ever upgraded, I probably still wouldn't buy it because you're allowed to install it on one work and one home computer, and my work computer will always have Windows on it. But if a license could make the Linux version and Windows version both available, I'd be pretty happy.

    Quote Originally Posted by bobsan View Post
    No. The reason why it is "the standard" is that people keep using it. It will not be the standard if people stop paying for(and more likely, pirating) it. Closed formats should never become the standard because it is not reproducible by third parties, hence is not universal.
    The reason it is "the standard" is because people keep using it, and the reason people keep using it is because it is by far the best option available. People who think LibreOffice or even Google Docs is better are just deceiving themselves. They're about on par with Office 2000 or earlier.

    Quote Originally Posted by kellemes View Post
    It may be the best for you.. most people use it because they don't even know there are alternatives, or are afraid to use something else.. because everybody around them has MS-Office.
    Most people who don't even know there are alternatives don't even know that they are already using the best option out there.

    Edit: but if you can't afford MS Office, LibreOffice is a pretty darned good alternative.
    Last edited by forrestcupp; July 21st, 2012 at 07:00 PM.
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