Microsoft word 2007 & openoffice word processor

[Blessed_Coffee]

A few weeks ago, our librarian gave us a lecture about parenthetical documentation, and she was showing us Microsoft word 2007 that she bought with Microsoft office 2007 for 400 bucks. She was showing us how easy it is to cite sources, and create a works cited, which she believed made the software worth the money. Now, I'm a bit confused. I've done similar work in Openoffice the past few days, and it was a lot easier than what she showed us. So I'm wondering why would you buy Microsoft office for 400 bucks then? Especially since the full version is much more.

[popch]

This wouldn't be related to this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=726517), by any chance, would it?

[stinger30au]

Now, I'm a bit confused. I've done similar work in Openoffice the past few days, and it was a lot easier than what she showed us. So I'm wondering why would you buy Microsoft office for 400 bucks then? Especially since the full version is much more.

you can buy it so you can get going on the cashed up -upgrade-merry go round

[Jim!]

Well, I have a "copy" of microsoft office 2007 which I was using when I was a windows user just 2 months ago, and I thought it was very easy to use and was quite a good product overall. However, I think Openoffice.org is just as good for most things, and because its free the price for Office 2007 is over the top.

[drascus]

You wouldn't buy it that's the point. People buy it because they don't know what else is out there.

[Blessed_Coffee]

This wouldn't be related to this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=726517), by any chance, would it?

Couldn't be!




You wouldn't buy it that's the point. People buy it because they don't know what else is out there.

Similar to where people try to sell FOSS on ebay?

[JacobRogers]

Parenthetical citation couldn't possibly be easier, I think you could do it in notepad...

[Blessed_Coffee]

There are tools that help you paste citations, and create a works cited in these programs. Though using these tools might actually take longer than simply cutting n' pasting. :lolflag:

[binarymutant]

Wow your library sure does spend a lot of careless money, you should help them reduce their total cost of ownership and show them openoffice:KS

[madjr]

Parenthetical citation couldn't possibly be easier, I think you could do it in notepad...

notepad? whats that?

oh you mean that cheap clone of gedit, kate and mousepad... :)

[binarymutant]

notepad++

vim4Life

[mr.propre]

MS office is a great and strong program with much more features then any office suite out there. The only problem is that (almost) nobody is using them making the program an overkill. Even more, for most people (about 90%) openoffice is overkill including the Premier Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme. The government agreement of 43 pages long he had written could easily be made in the standard Word processor "WordPad" in windows. If u don't even use whitespace or pagebreaks, whats the point of using an advance word processor?

People think they need a strong word processor but its frustrating to see how many people don't need it because they don't even know how to work with it and billions of money are flowing to Microsoft because of this human error.

[LaRoza]

MS office is a great and strong program with much more features then any office suite out there. The only problem is that (almost) nobody is using them making the program an overkill. Even more, for most people (about 90%) openoffice is overkill including the Premier Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme. The government agreement of 43 pages long he had written could easily be made in the standard Word processor "WordPad" in windows. If u don't even use whitespace or pagebreaks, whats the point of using an advance word processor?

People think they need a strong word processor but its frustrating to see how many people don't need it because they don't even know how to work with it and billions of money are flowing to Microsoft because of this human error.

Yes, I have yet to do something that Abiword cannot do. (I use Abiword mostly)

[Blessed_Coffee]

Wow your library sure does spend a lot of careless money, you should help them reduce their total cost of ownership and show them openoffice:KS

Well, the whole school is like that. Upstairs there a is huge widescreen TV that the school bought...

[eljoeb]

I had been using Abiword and OpenOffice for almost all of my office needs for a while. Aside from the incompatibility problems (which happened more than I care to share) there weren't many problems. I then started using Windows at work because I needed to do more statistical analysis in my work and maintain compatibility with Windows systems. To imply that OO's Calc is even close to parity with excel is almost laughable (Gnumeric is closer, but has its own issues too). Powerpoint has always been a lot better than Impress. Of course, it depends on what you're using it for; the average student really just needs to make up for their inability to do long division, and nothing complicated.

Another thing that bothers me: it's rare that people fork over full price for Windows products. Microsoft gives discounts up the wazoo. I've heard of people on these forums saying they can get Office for free from their school or office easily. I got a nice discount, and I own a small business.

[EdThaSlayer]

So a teacher pays around $400 just to show off how easy it is to cite her sources?
Going to http://www.easybib.com is easier in my opinion, and cheaper. :D

[ian_33]

I think Oo Calc is as good if not better than Excel. The new 2007 excel is overkill with all of the unnecessary 'ribbons'. I think the 2007 PowerPoint is really good though, but I haven't yet tried the Oo version.

[gsmanners]

But a ribbon is worth an extra $400 right? I mean, that is what people are paying for.

[Depressed Man]

Screw both of them. Go Zotero (firefox extension)! If the source is online (journal, website, news, whatever) you just click the button, it copies down all the info you need (plus a summary if you want it). As well as a link to the article.

And you have a database of easily accessible sources you used. But it gets even better. You can have it output it into whatever style you want. You just select, MLA, APA, Chicago, whatever and viola it gives it to you in a copy and paste format!

BUT THATS NOT ALL (bwahaha I sound like a salesman don't I?)

You can install the add-ons they have at their site so it can work WITH Word 2007, Word, AND OpenOffice Writer. So as long as you have Firefox open, and your working in those applications, just click the appropriate button (the add on installs some menu items for you) and viola. Instant citation.

So if your using online journals, research port, whatever (that's not an actual text printed on paper or microfilm) then why bother even jotting down the infomation or copying and pasting it into Word or Writer's bib/cite function?