4 ms·

With Google Docs, Microsoft Office (maybe besides Excel) is pretty much redundant.

zibzab 5y ago
Only if you never work with other people, who use office for whatever reason. Also, not everyone wants their files in the cloud. Although that's getting harder and harder with Office too.
- jacob019 5y ago
  LibreOffice reads and writes MSOffice files just fine. I do it every day. Maybe there are some edge cases that affect someone, but it's never been an issue for me.
FourthProtocol 5y ago
I will stick with MS Office. I can use it when disconnected from everything, and (note hyperbole, but the cynicism is real) I avoid the creepy feeling that Google is logging every mouse movement and keystoke I make for teh ads. In fact I welcome my evil Microsoft overlord any day before I use something from Google. I see MS as the lesser of two evils.
- a5aAqU 5y ago
  > I avoid the creepy feeling that Google is logging every mouse movement and keystoke I make for teh ads. Microsoft is doing it too: https://www.pcworld.com/article/423165/how-to-turn-off-windows-10s-keylogger-yes-it-still-has-one.html https://www.pcworld.com/article/423165/how-to-turn-off-windo... There's still Linux.
  - FourthProtocol 5y ago
    Always with the Linux. I can't use Linux, I work in a Microsoft world. I can turn off the keylogger, and virtually anything else I don't want/like. I cannot (assuming I used their products) stop Google from storing my (MY!!) data on their infrastructure and having their way with it.
    - ranguna 5y ago
      Have you tried libre office? And if you really need offline editing, you can still have all the pros of Linux + office if you install a Windows VM escape hatch just for Word.
      - FourthProtocol 5y ago
        Yes I've tried Libre. ODT files don't play well with MS Office. Pivot tables in Calc are... frustrating. No OneNote, no Outlook, no Visio. Linux doesn't work on my hardware, and Visual Studio doesn't work on Linux. The distribution fragmentation... I'm expected to install flavour X or Y of Linux not actually knowing before I start that my hardware even supports it? Brain = explode. Joining a community (Linux) that stomps all over people that have a dissenting view (I actually like Windows - have done since I started using it in 1990) is philosophically not a community I want part of (Stallman is an exception I have a lot of time and respect for). A VM adds complexity - why would I do that when native Windows is pain-free and just works? And no, I don't "need" offline editing, I just want it. After all the cloud is a computer just like mine - that happens to belong to someone else. The cloud introduces a risk of data theft and complete data loss. And yes, probability is low, but impact and exposure are both very VERY high. I don't run that risk at all using my own hardware.
        ranguna 5y ago
        Oh boy, don't know if I read that correctly, but it seemed a bit heavy on emotions from your side. It's just an OS and my comment was just a recommendation. And these are just some observations for my own self interest, please read these in a neutral tone: > ODT files don't play well with MS Office Can't you save in docx format from within libre office? > Linux doesn't work on my hardware, and Visual Studio doesn't work on Linux. Could you elaborate on these two points? > The distribution fragmentation... The downside of a strong open source community is that you are spoiled for choice, yes. > that stomps all over people that have a dissenting view Not Linux specific I'd say. There are people like that everywhere. > why would I do that when native Windows is pain-free and just works? If Windows works perfectly fine for you, then yes, Linux + VM doesn't make much sense. For the rest of us that are not fans of how Windows runs things, it's usually a last resort option and very few people use it. > I don't "need" offline editing, I just want it. Sorry, that's what I meant, more like either/or want/need. > And yes, probability is low, but impact and exposure are both very VERY high. Definitely, that's why you'll find lots of people in the Linux community that run their own NAS at home and have lots of fun with it.
Blammar 5y ago
Sadly, not for me. Google docs has a hard failure mode in that if your document is hundreds of megabytes in size, docs backs your document up every few keystrokes and everything slows down to a crawl. I couldn't figure out how to turn this auto backup off.
AstroDogCatcher 5y ago
At this point I think if you desperately need MS Office, MacOS is the way to go. I will never buy a Windows machine again, and being forced to use it in a work setting would be a deal-breaker. Fortunately at this point even MS isn't stupid enough to make that a requirement as far as I'm aware.
api 5y ago
... unless you want to own your own data and not be data mined.

Only if you never work with other people, who use office for whatever reason. Also, not everyone wants their files in the cloud. Although that's getting harder and harder with Office too.

jacob019 5y ago
LibreOffice reads and writes MSOffice files just fine. I do it every day. Maybe there are some edge cases that affect someone, but it's never been an issue for me.

FourthProtocol 5y ago

I will stick with MS Office. I can use it when disconnected from everything, and (note hyperbole, but the cynicism is real) I avoid the creepy feeling that Google is logging every mouse movement and keystoke I make for teh ads. In fact I welcome my evil Microsoft overlord any day before I use something from Google. I see MS as the lesser of two evils.

a5aAqU 5y ago
> I avoid the creepy feeling that Google is logging every mouse movement and keystoke I make for teh ads. Microsoft is doing it too: https://www.pcworld.com/article/423165/how-to-turn-off-windows-10s-keylogger-yes-it-still-has-one.html https://www.pcworld.com/article/423165/how-to-turn-off-windo... There's still Linux.
- FourthProtocol 5y ago
  Always with the Linux. I can't use Linux, I work in a Microsoft world. I can turn off the keylogger, and virtually anything else I don't want/like. I cannot (assuming I used their products) stop Google from storing my (MY!!) data on their infrastructure and having their way with it.
  - ranguna 5y ago
    Have you tried libre office? And if you really need offline editing, you can still have all the pros of Linux + office if you install a Windows VM escape hatch just for Word.
    - FourthProtocol 5y ago
      Yes I've tried Libre. ODT files don't play well with MS Office. Pivot tables in Calc are... frustrating. No OneNote, no Outlook, no Visio. Linux doesn't work on my hardware, and Visual Studio doesn't work on Linux. The distribution fragmentation... I'm expected to install flavour X or Y of Linux not actually knowing before I start that my hardware even supports it? Brain = explode. Joining a community (Linux) that stomps all over people that have a dissenting view (I actually like Windows - have done since I started using it in 1990) is philosophically not a community I want part of (Stallman is an exception I have a lot of time and respect for). A VM adds complexity - why would I do that when native Windows is pain-free and just works? And no, I don't "need" offline editing, I just want it. After all the cloud is a computer just like mine - that happens to belong to someone else. The cloud introduces a risk of data theft and complete data loss. And yes, probability is low, but impact and exposure are both very VERY high. I don't run that risk at all using my own hardware.
      - ranguna 5y ago
        Oh boy, don't know if I read that correctly, but it seemed a bit heavy on emotions from your side. It's just an OS and my comment was just a recommendation. And these are just some observations for my own self interest, please read these in a neutral tone: > ODT files don't play well with MS Office Can't you save in docx format from within libre office? > Linux doesn't work on my hardware, and Visual Studio doesn't work on Linux. Could you elaborate on these two points? > The distribution fragmentation... The downside of a strong open source community is that you are spoiled for choice, yes. > that stomps all over people that have a dissenting view Not Linux specific I'd say. There are people like that everywhere. > why would I do that when native Windows is pain-free and just works? If Windows works perfectly fine for you, then yes, Linux + VM doesn't make much sense. For the rest of us that are not fans of how Windows runs things, it's usually a last resort option and very few people use it. > I don't "need" offline editing, I just want it. Sorry, that's what I meant, more like either/or want/need. > And yes, probability is low, but impact and exposure are both very VERY high. Definitely, that's why you'll find lots of people in the Linux community that run their own NAS at home and have lots of fun with it.

Blammar 5y ago

Sadly, not for me. Google docs has a hard failure mode in that if your document is hundreds of megabytes in size, docs backs your document up every few keystrokes and everything slows down to a crawl. I couldn't figure out how to turn this auto backup off.

AstroDogCatcher 5y ago

At this point I think if you desperately need MS Office, MacOS is the way to go. I will never buy a Windows machine again, and being forced to use it in a work setting would be a deal-breaker. Fortunately at this point even MS isn't stupid enough to make that a requirement as far as I'm aware.

api 5y ago

... unless you want to own your own data and not be data mined.