Which Office Suite Do You Prefer & Why ?

[McLovin]

For me, it's always been Microsoft Office.

 

[Jaspion]

Which free version of it?

 

[McLovin]

Which free version of it?

Of what? There's hasn't been a free version of Microsoft Office.

 

[Jaspion]

This isn't very clear.

 

[viktik]

libreoffice.

support it by donating it.

 

[yigido]

This isn't very clear.

I editted the thread. Sorry for this dilemma.

 

[Myna]

It has always been MS Office. Tried Kingsoft and I must say its quite good. But can't take any risk of running into a compatibility issue while I'm presenting a presentation. I want my presentations to appear exactly as I want it to be. So, for me MS is the way to go. But for all the random things I have no problem using Kingsoft.

 

[Ink]

I've tried Office Web Apps, but never found it work correct in either IE or Chrome. Google Docs is better, but don't use it for mainstream use. I have Office 2007 installed, but use it only a few times a year. I don't like the UI style of OO and LO, doesn't feel fluid as Office.

The standalone Office 2013 and subscription-based Office 365 aren't worth it, so I'll gladly stick with Office 2007 for now. Unless I get an Windows RT device even though it's unlikely, although I wouldn't mind due to the convenience of having Office-included.

@Jaspion @McLovin
Free version is MS Office Starter > http://malwaretips.com/threads/get-microsoft-office-2010-starter-for-free.8834/
(Word and Excel only, Limited functionality, Ad-supported by MS, Not compatible with Windows 8 or 8.1)

 

[Jaspion]

Thank you Huracan. I did not know of this version. However, it wouldn't work for me. Since either path comes with limitations, the difference is in the scope of those limitations; and with Microsoft's free-of-charge option you have limitations that are dead-ends, such as the inability to create presentations (no free PowerPoint) or the inability to add footnotes to your documents; on the other hand, with the alternative freebies you can and will run into compatibility problems with the MS Office formats, but I believe you can get around most, if not all, of those limitations by using a combination of these free tools, not excluding MS Starter itself.

If I had to create a presentation, for example, and I had to ensure the result would be the same as in my home PC, I could still use LibreOffice (or OpenOffice if you prefer). All I would have to do is take the portable version of LibreOffice with me, and use it to open the file there.

LibreOffice is being actively developed, and compatibility is getting better with every new version. That's the spearhead of my own office suite, along with Kingsoft and SoftMaker—this trio has been working very well for me, and I only recur to KS and SM when LO doesn't cut it. Unfortunately I think MS Office Starter's limitations are deal-breakers, and the ads don't help either. But of course, the paid, full version of MS Office is still better than the free alternatives, if you have the cash.