Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Email this9:21 am
December 12, 2009
Offline
Somewhat inspired by this thread, I thought I'd share some other free Office suite alternatives, some of which are also open source and some of which offer either better Microsoft Office file format compatibility and/or are less bloated. 
#1 FreeOffice, from SoftMaker. Not open source, but is 100% free for home / non-commercial use. Offers apparently the best Microsoft Office file format compatibility, is a bit less bloated, and can be downloaded as individual components. Sports very familiar UI to Microsoft Office suite
#2 OnlyOffice - free and open source, also offers apparently superior file format compatibility to Microsoft Office suite and a very familiar UI. Also offers commercial and cloud-based options for a fee
#3 Apache OpenOffice - free and open source. The largest free and open source office suite. Originally spun out of Sun Microsystems proprietary StarOffice suite, it was later acquired by Oracle. Oracle transferred the IP for the free and an open source OpenOffice.org suite to The Apache Foundation, maintaining StarOffice (StarOffice has since been wound down)
Cheers,
Doug
10:20 am
October 27, 2013
Offline
Before latching on to any of those, be aware not all are still being rigorously developed. I moved from OpenOffice (Apache OpenOffice) several years ago for that reason.
AI says
LibreOffice is developed more rigorously than Apache OpenOffice, which has had a significant decline in active development since 2015. LibreOffice is the actively developed successor project, regularly releasing updates with security patches and new features, while Apache OpenOffice has been slowed by a lack of contributors, resulting in multiple unfixed security vulnerabilities.
12:45 pm
April 27, 2017
Offline
Google docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides.
In some ways these are better than Office because everything is cloud based and gets backed up. I am particularly fond of Sheets.
12:50 pm
September 29, 2017
Offline
All good IF you do not mind Google/Alphabet knowing everything about you.
1:07 pm
October 27, 2013
Offline
smayer97 said
All good IF you do not mind Google/Alphabet knowing everything about you.
AI says
Google Drive encrypts your files using strong industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption both when your data is being uploaded or downloaded (in transit) and when it is stored on Google's servers (at rest). For a higher level of confidentiality, some Google Workspace accounts can enable Client-side Encryption (CSE), which allows users to encrypt files with their own keys before they are uploaded, offering even greater protection against unauthorized access.
I use both Dropbox and One Drive for cloud storage. PC files automatically backed up in the cloud with encryption.... so Google Drive isn't special in that regard.
1:53 pm
September 29, 2017
Offline
AltaRed said
AI says
... some Google Workspace accounts can enable Client-side Encryption (CSE), ...
TWO KEY parts to note here:
1. Only "some" workspaces can use CSE, which means some cannot.
2. of the ones that can, most simply don't
In both cases, this means that Google DOES have access to your info. The encryption is mostly designed to protect from outsiders.
The same is true of most online accounts.
Also note that encryption is limited today. This can change, and is changing all the time. What is protected today may not be so tomorrow, either by nefarious means or by changed policies, or by government intervention, e.g. see what the UK is pushing re: trying to legislate backdoor access, as has China already.
3:47 pm
April 27, 2017
Offline
When I design new types of nuclear weapons and when I plan anti-government protests across the globe then I tend to follow different rules. Google Workspace and more generally consumer information storage services are not certified for Protected B/C or Secret information.
However, when I store my personal financial spreadsheets, gardening plans or photos, Google Workspace works great, at least in my case. As always, your mileage may vary, eg if your spreadsheets suggest tax evasion and when your personal photos include dick picks and other materials of confidential nature.
4:29 pm
November 18, 2017
Offline
mordko: Would you trust Google in any way anywhere whatever? They are mass, monopolistic and deceptive corporate abusers. Note the recent deceptive practices case in the U.S.
RetirEd
4:52 pm
April 27, 2017
Offline
RetirEd said
mordko: Would you trust Google in any way anywhere whatever? They are mass, monopolistic and deceptive corporate abusers. Note the recent deceptive practices case in the U.S.
See post 7.
I find it fascinating that so many of this chatroom’s participants do nothing but nuclear bomb development.
And yes, I do think that Google is an awesome company, which is a somewhat different perspective from yours.
5:32 pm
November 8, 2021
Offline
RetirEd said
mordko: Would you trust Google in any way anywhere whatever? They are mass, monopolistic and deceptive corporate abusers. Note the recent deceptive practices case in the U.S.
mordko said
See post 7.
I find it fascinating that so many of this chatroom’s participants do nothing but nuclear bomb development.
And yes, I do think that Google is an awesome company, which is a somewhat different perspective from yours.
Agreed. It's free to use, and everyone has a choice whether to use it, based on their comfort level, security wise. I highly doubt it, there is a free software that is 100% protected, 360.
9:34 am
December 12, 2009
Offline
AltaRed said
Before latching on to any of those, be aware not all are still being rigorously developed. I moved from OpenOffice (Apache OpenOffice) several years ago for that reason.
It's still maintained (i.e., security and minor updates). It may not be as rigorously developed because it's largely fully built out. It's also worth noting there aren't many potential high degree security issues with an office productivity suite as, say, an operating system, firewall, or similar. I'd be more inclined to go with FreeOffice or OnlyOffice honestly, though. 😉
9:37 am
December 12, 2009
Offline
RetirEd said They are mass, monopolistic and deceptive corporate abusers. Note the recent deceptive practices case in the U.S.
This statement could be used to describe the Canadian banks (TD was found criminally responsible for money laundering in the U.S., for example, and is subject to the corporate equivalent of a plea bargain-induced probation, a so-called deferred prosecution agreement, etc.), AtkinsRealis (nee SNC Lavalin), Microsoft Corporation, and several other groups of companies as well. IMHO, Google is the least worst of the Big Tech companies. 😉
12:51 am
November 18, 2017
Offline
doug: I agree with all you said save for the last line.
RetirEd
5:17 pm
October 27, 2020
Offline
doug: I'd be more inclined to go with FreeOffice or OnlyOffice honestly, though.
OnlyOffice apparently has Russian ties, and it has been claimed that most of their developers are in Russia. So OnlyOffice is out for me.
Between FreeOffice and LibreOffice, which has better compatibility with the .docx document format?
Please write your comments in the forum.