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.