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Do people actually use Word? I can’t remember the last time I saw a docx file at a job. At least five years ago…

reactordev 9mo ago
They do but the mode has changed from Word.exe to https://www.o365.com/word https://www.o365.com/word or sharepoint -> word doc.
hnlmorg 9mo ago
That’s depends on your job. If you’re a line chef or florist, then you probably don’t use Word much. But that doesn’t mean MS Office isn’t still heavily used in other industries.
- manwe150 9mo ago
  I think our florist sent a word doc with the proposal details for our wedding arrangements. I wonder how many catering contracts and menus are designed in word also
  - hnlmorg 9mo ago
    This is a moot point, but line chefs wouldn’t be the ones writing menus or signing catering contracts. Otherwise I think we’re in completely agreement.
    - okanat 9mo ago
      Why not? If it is a small shop, Word has all the features both simple and intermediate ones (like putting shadows on images or removing background). So a 2-5 person businesses can handle their digital needs at very low cost. The alternatives usually implement limited set of features (Google Sheets) and/or terrible outdated interfaces (Libre Office).
      - hnlmorg 9mo ago
        It’s not about Words capabilities. It’s because a line chef’s responsibility wouldn’t be to create menus let alone manage catering contracts. You’d expect that more from the executive chef. Perhaps also the sous chef. This is why I said it’s a moot point. Because It’s not really about MS Word.
traceroute66 9mo ago
> Do people actually use Word? I mean, for starters just walk into any law firm. Especially the junior desks who do the donkey work of turning contract drafting notes from the Seniors into reality. Their entire careers are based around knowing Word templates and macros like the back of your hand. Those dudes probably know more about Word than Microsoft does. And a whole niche side-industry has established around them, for example people writing software to diff Word files.
skeeter2020 9mo ago
What do you see instead? Aside from a smaller startup that used google-everything every enterprise I've worked with uses MS Office extensively, with a big push to the subscription web version from local installs.
- Macha 9mo ago
  Across the 6 companies in the tech space I've worked in over the years (ranging from 500 - 200,000 employees with the median being 10,000) have been GSuite/Google Docs for their word processing need but with various wiki software (most notably confluence) overlapping quite heavily too.
  - Sharlin 9mo ago
    Yes, but tech is special. And even in tech I presume you're only talking about computer tech, or even more specifically software tech? There's the entire rest of the business world which uses Word because what else would they use? Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft [sic]. Every single OEM computer aimed at businesses is likely to have Office preinstalled, except these days it's the 365 version.
- 9JollyOtter 9mo ago
  I am encountering it almost not at all. I work in a org that basically doesn't know that Linux exist and outside of top management nobody uses Word. Excel is still massively useful.
- CalRobert 9mo ago
  Google docs exclusively.
matltc 9mo ago
I know someone who sends screenshots of their entire desktop pasted into a word doc in portrait mode

They do but the mode has changed from Word.exe to https://www.o365.com/word https://www.o365.com/word or sharepoint -> word doc.

hnlmorg 9mo ago

That’s depends on your job. If you’re a line chef or florist, then you probably don’t use Word much. But that doesn’t mean MS Office isn’t still heavily used in other industries.

manwe150 9mo ago
I think our florist sent a word doc with the proposal details for our wedding arrangements. I wonder how many catering contracts and menus are designed in word also
- hnlmorg 9mo ago
  This is a moot point, but line chefs wouldn’t be the ones writing menus or signing catering contracts. Otherwise I think we’re in completely agreement.
  - okanat 9mo ago
    Why not? If it is a small shop, Word has all the features both simple and intermediate ones (like putting shadows on images or removing background). So a 2-5 person businesses can handle their digital needs at very low cost. The alternatives usually implement limited set of features (Google Sheets) and/or terrible outdated interfaces (Libre Office).
    - hnlmorg 9mo ago
      It’s not about Words capabilities. It’s because a line chef’s responsibility wouldn’t be to create menus let alone manage catering contracts. You’d expect that more from the executive chef. Perhaps also the sous chef. This is why I said it’s a moot point. Because It’s not really about MS Word.

traceroute66 9mo ago

> Do people actually use Word? I mean, for starters just walk into any law firm. Especially the junior desks who do the donkey work of turning contract drafting notes from the Seniors into reality. Their entire careers are based around knowing Word templates and macros like the back of your hand. Those dudes probably know more about Word than Microsoft does. And a whole niche side-industry has established around them, for example people writing software to diff Word files.

skeeter2020 9mo ago

What do you see instead? Aside from a smaller startup that used google-everything every enterprise I've worked with uses MS Office extensively, with a big push to the subscription web version from local installs.

Macha 9mo ago
Across the 6 companies in the tech space I've worked in over the years (ranging from 500 - 200,000 employees with the median being 10,000) have been GSuite/Google Docs for their word processing need but with various wiki software (most notably confluence) overlapping quite heavily too.
- Sharlin 9mo ago
  Yes, but tech is special. And even in tech I presume you're only talking about computer tech, or even more specifically software tech? There's the entire rest of the business world which uses Word because what else would they use? Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft [sic]. Every single OEM computer aimed at businesses is likely to have Office preinstalled, except these days it's the 365 version.
9JollyOtter 9mo ago
I am encountering it almost not at all. I work in a org that basically doesn't know that Linux exist and outside of top management nobody uses Word. Excel is still massively useful.
CalRobert 9mo ago
Google docs exclusively.

matltc 9mo ago

I know someone who sends screenshots of their entire desktop pasted into a word doc in portrait mode