Libre Office to get a HUGE boost in popularity

[retired1af]

M$ has decided that raping corporations isn't enough and they're going for the consumer now. Basically, they're changing the licensing for Office 2013 to where it's licensed to the machine, not the user. This means you can't delete it from the original machine and install it on another. Machine goes tango uniform? Tough luck. You have to buy another license. Machine gets stolen? Tough cookies! Buy another license.

I see Libre Office gaining a LOT of ground in the near future.

[rokytnji]

Yeah, I read about it at engadget.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/16/microsoft-confirms-office-2013-licenses-cant-be-transferred/

It gets better

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/microsoft-office-365-home-premium-review/

I have enough of a hard time keeping gas in my scooters. 

[MarkGrieveson]

The fact that many people would pay for something when a suitable alternative was available for free makes me skeptical that this latest twist in Microsoft Office's policy will make much difference.

[retired1af]

The fact that many people would pay for something when a suitable alternative was available for free makes me skeptical that this latest twist in Microsoft Office's policy will make much difference.

Many don't have a choice in the matter. My youngest goes to a private school that requires MS Office on their personal machines. Needless to say, there won't be an upgrade to Office 2013. And the second the school starts making noises about doing so, their IT department and I are going to have a wee little chat. **snicker**

[MarkGrieveson]

Perhaps you're right.  Hopefully it will get a huge boost in popularity.

[sledgehammer]

retired1af said, on Feb. 16: 

I see Libre Office gaining a LOT of ground in the near future.

Kim Komando said, in today's Sunday (Feb 17) column:

LibreOffice and Thunder­bird, for example, are free programs that can effectively replace Microsoft Office and Outlook. GIMP is a popular free alternative to Adobe Pho­toshop.

[syncdram]

Perhaps but either way the biggest problem we run into are those micronites that send us attachments in .docx format on a daily basis. Even using the online coverter sites does a very poor job of converting and the final results are useless and leaving us in a very bad way. This latest move buy microsoft will still hinder Lebre even if there is a great migration. The migrants will also run into this bad problem. All of the business we deal with are people using the newer microsoft office. 

[bigpaws]

My clients have it even worse. They have to deal
with government agencies. They forms and docs
that can be written in Office 2000-2013 and
PDF that range the same type of time.

This makes it impossible for them to convert.

Office 15 is another UI change that has users trying to
grasp the concept.

All my users want is a stable OS that allows them to get
things done. Most have no need, desire or want the changes
that are being pushed. The deprecating of older expensive
hardware is even more challenging.

Bigpaws

[retired1af]

This is an education issue. People who use the default .docx on the newer versions of Office don't know any better. I know a lot of folks in business who have not upgraded since Office 2003 (which cannot read .docx files). Businesses should be setting the defaults back to .doc so compatibility is ensured.

Not to mention, I have serious heartburn with the .xml standard in Office when it comes to security.

[sledgehammer]

I'm probably don't understand the terminology, since my law office is Gates-free (e.g. we recently dropped Skype and dropped Word/Excell years ago). We deal with lots of government agencies and get docx files all the time.  But we just don't have the problems.  

[syncdram]

What do you do to open these files to view them correctly. I haven't come across a file of this type that lebre can open, buissnes or personal or a online service can convert them to any usable state. Are you sure your not receiving .doc files?

[sledgehammer]

Yes I am sure.  Libreoffice from the VL7 repositories opens them (doc, docx, rtf and others) just fine.  So, for that matter, does google drive.  If the document is not too complicated, we use google drive, but for heavy word processing, we generally use Libreoffice Writer.

[overthere]

Abiword also saves as odt and docx so perhaps worth a try. I have read some threads regarding folks unable to open new docx files in older versions of msoffice so lots of folks not so happy with the docx files. someone mentioned fonts as one issue and another uninstalled cleaned the cache and reinstalled and for some reason could open docx successfully. I do not have any new docx files to toy with but agree the new windows and office are radical change and a lot of people are not liking it. myself included for various reasons. mostly because I do not get a product I get a cupon for a download of a tag to download and install a loan of an office package I can use for a limited time on one machine with  auto updates every day just when I am wanting to use the borrowed product and before I get my update a virus has corrupted the system and I have no install cds but if I call ms they will put me on hold and use up all my phone budget and blame me for not using my loan properly..rantrantrant..the benifits of the new office leave me happy to use the old 2007 version if I am desperate, or abiword which I am very happy with.

[syncdram]

Sledge and Overthere,

Abiword here in vector has just opened 2 docx files for me for the very first time.  Never thought to try vector's abi. All my other distros with abi never opened and I assumed vector was the same. Thank you. Though i must say the 2 files i opened were very basic but this abi did open them as intended to see. Thank you .  

[overthere]

Yes, a natural expectation but worth the try in this case it seems, hope it is longer lived. If not perhaps this will help somehow. you rename it a zip and open that way and view the xml in a browser.may be a quick fix in some event.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jun/21/comment.comment1