What makes MS Office better than LibreOffice or OpenOffice?
What makes MS Office better than LibreOffice or OpenOffice?
does it help me more than OpenOffice or LibreOffice when I just need to write notes, do little math, save money, and put things into spreadsheets? If I'm only a casual user who does quick tasks for a while, is it worth paying for Microsoft Office later on instead of sticking with free programs?
MS Office is closed source software, so you can't change it (even through APIs like hooks). OpenOffice and LibreOffice are open source software. You can modify them just as you could with Windows versus Linux logic. For example, if you want to use only spreadsheets, there are more options than just this one for free. Check out Google Sheets at https://www.google.com/sheets/about/, WPS Office at https://www.wps.com/, Gnumeric at http://www.gnumeric.org/, and Portable FreeWare's Spread32 tool at https://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=561.
I own both Microsoft Office and LibreOffice. For everyday tasks, both work well. But if you try using macros in spreadsheets or documents with LibreOffice, it can take a long time to learn how to get started. The guides for MS Office are online and explain almost everything from simple stuff to the best levels of skill. On the other hand, LibreOffice has very few words about its advanced features. I have to keep looking at websites like Apache OpenOffice Basic Programming just to find out what "How to..." means because there isn't much info here. Both programs are okay - it's up to you whether to pay for them or use free ones instead.
As much as I know, open source vs paid stuff. Here are some real differences (they might not work for every Microsoft license) - this doesn't cover the web version of MS Office. MS Office does not come with a formula editor; you have to buy that separately. Libre Office has a Math program that fits into Calc (the spreadsheet), Writer, and Impress (presentations). It also works as its own app, so it's easy to make long formulas, save them in their own files, and then paste them back when ready into the main document. Libre Office comes with a separate drawing tool called "Draw," which can run on its own or be added to other apps like spreadsheets or documents. Libre Office is portable; you can put it on a USB stick and use it without touching system settings (no need for an administrator account). In Libre Office, every program lets you move buttons around the way you want. You can even change all the keyboard shortcuts however you choose. If I copy text unformatted into Word, I have to press Alt+H, V, T (sometimes the shortcut doesn't work well so it makes mistakes in the document). This cannot be changed in MS Office. The default look in Libre Office is just a standard toolbar setup. You can change to Ribbon menus (tabbed like in Writer) and other versions. MS Office uses the ribbon menu interface, but you can't switch back to the old tool bar look. Libre Office runs on Linux. In fact, it comes with most Linux distributions by default, so users usually don't need to install anything extra. Since many distros offer a Live desktop (running from a bootable USB stick in a temporary OS), you can edit documents even when there is no working operating system installed. I've heard some people in MS Office say they get a warning that says the license isn't valid. That message sometimes causes the program to stop right away after clicking OK. This feature doesn't exist in Libre Office (I don't miss it either). In MS Office, your name gets tagged into documents. When using Libre Office, you can upload an .ods file and choose any username you want (so you appear as that name in the file). But if I upload an Excel file to a web forum, other users might see my real name or address (very scary if this information is part of documentation that could make someone seek revenge). In Libre Office, all metadata fields are blank by default until the user fills them in manually. Also - sometimes while working with work files on MS Office at home and using Libre Office elsewhere, I think about how it feels: The pivot function is easier to use here. The general workflow is better with LibO. Working with styles just works well in Libre Office; I feel like I have more control there.
MS Word: Works perfectly for what you do at work. MS Access As someone who mixes Office tools and user data, I really need Microsoft Office. If I didn't get it from my boss's Home Use Program (which costs $20) for home use, I wouldn't have one there either. I use LibreOffice on all my other computers. I found a problem where Excel doesn't talk to Calc as well as it used to. LibreOffice has fewer columns than the versions in Excel and Calc, though I can't remember exactly how many each has. When I tried turning an .xls file into Calc, things got messy for most of us, but it works fine if you don't need all that fancy Office stuff.
If you don't need to work together on documents or spreadsheets with Microsoft Office users, LibreOffice is the perfect choice for anyone who wants a complete office suite. If you do need to collaborate with them though, be careful about font issues on non-Windows systems and other formatting problems that might happen. Things are much better now than before, but complex document layouts and advanced spreadsheet work can still cause trouble.
I usually see this specific part of the Libre Office suite doesn't come with a Linux distribution. However, when I install the full package, the Base module also gets included. My current Fedora setup is an example where Base isn't installed by default. But I don't need to reinstall everything from scratch; just search for the Base package name. Here is exactly how I do it: Spoiler: How to install Libre Office Base only (use active root password) Code: $ su <enter your root password here> # dnf search 'Libre*Base' Last metadata expiration check: 1:13:46 ago on Tue 22 Feb 2022 05:22:52 PM CET. ======================================================= Name Matched: Libre*Base ======================================================= libreoffice-base.x86_64 : Database front-end for LibreOffice Assuming the root password is activated, if not use sudo in front of each command instead. Now we know that the full name of the package is libreoffice-base.x86_64 and we can install it by using dnf command. Code: # dnf install libreoffice-base.x86_64 Hit Y for yes, and when finished, enter exit to exit from root user, or just use Ctrl+D that does the same as exit command.