Log in

View Full Version : There is a World Beyond Microsoft Office


Hooch Tan
01-25-2012, 11:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-57364785-58/a-free-microsoft-office-alternative-thats-actually-good/' target='_blank'>http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-5...-actually-good/</a><br /><br /></div><p>"Until last week, I'd never heard of Kingsoft or this product. I had, however, tried all the usual freebie Microsoft Office alternatives: OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Lotus Symphony, Google Docs, and so on. They're all OK--good enough, certainly, for most users--but I'll admit I've become spoiled by Microsoft's Ribbon interface, which made its debut in Office 2007 and carried over to Office 2010. The famed freebies mostly resemble Office 2003--if not an even earlier version."</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1327521068.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>If you have spent any time in large corporations, I think there is a good chance, a really good chance, that you have come across Microsoft Office.&nbsp; While alternatives have sprung up, especially with people hopping onto the benefits of online office applications, I still see a sizable amount of people working with Microsoft Office.&nbsp; I will admit I have not tried Kingsoft Office myself yet, but work of it having a ribbon interface has me interested.&nbsp; I hated the ribbon interface at first, but after a while, I started to see its benefits.&nbsp; However, my word processing needs are fairly basic, and I notice that an Outlook replacement is missing from the selection.&nbsp; Yes, I still use Outlook.&nbsp; I am that old.&nbsp; Now I think I'll go back to my cave and bang a few rocks together.</p>

cweeks
01-26-2012, 02:22 PM
I still *prefer* Outlook. There may be better options out there, but Outlook does what I need and I know how to use it.

And like you, I hated the ribbon at first... now I wish some of my other programs used it as well.

Sven Johannsen
01-26-2012, 07:49 PM
Guess I don't get it. When you read the artical, you quickly find, " It doesn't support Visual Basic or macros, however, so if you're a power user, you might want to consider the $69.95 Pro version, which adds those features (among others (http://www.kingsoftstore.com/windows/professional-office-difference.html))." Not sure what those others are, but when you can get MS Office Home and Student, Word, Excell, Powerpoint and OneNote for less than $100, is it worth saving $30?