Looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office for the Linux.

I’ve already tried:

  • LibreOffice (It doesn’t have the same experience as Microsoft’s apps.)
  • OnlyOffice Desktop Editors (I like it)

What else would you recommend?

  • @auf@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    772 years ago

    Get used to LibreOffice. It’s the most actively maintained, well-made opensource office software.

    • m-p{3}
      link
      fedilink
      212 years ago

      An underrated feature of LibreOffice is the ability to insert the original document inside a PDF when exporting. If you reopen that PDF in LibreOffice, it will grab the embedded copy for editing instead of trying to guess how to convert the PDF into its original.

      Hybrid PDF

      • @leftzero@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        -32 years ago

        That’s monstrous. When I send a PDF I don’t want it to be editable, if I wanted an editable format I’d use an editable format. Exporting to PDF is supposed to be a digital equivalent to printing.

        • @MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk
          link
          fedilink
          English
          92 years ago

          Exporting to PDF is supposed to be a digital equivalent to printing.

          It really isn’t. Even without this feature (that I’d never heard of before) it is a format that is very easy to edit.

          If you need PDFs to be tamperproof, you can however digitally sign them. (And then the recipient needs your public key to verify).

  • @crusty@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    132 years ago

    You can easily change LibreOffice to have a tabbed layout like MSOffice (view > user interface). The only thing to note is that LibreOffice has great documentation, but it can be a bit difficult to follow with a different layout.

  • @eddie_of_ny@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    122 years ago

    Honestly, if your willing to learn to use LibreOffice, it’s way more powerful than OnlyOffice. It took me a minute to get used to it too, but once you do, it’s pretty awesome. And if your worried about UI, you can change some of those things in the settings, like you can make it have a MS-style ribbon at the top. If I were you, I’d spend two weeks trying LO, I think you’ll get used to it pretty quick

    • @BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      42 years ago

      LibreOffice, it’s way more powerful than OnlyOffice

      How so? More features? If so, some people just use a small handful in MSOffice, and just want those for their office clone. Maybe OOP is willibg to sacrifice feature-completeness for a similar UI.

      In fact, based on their negative assessment of LibreOffice for not being enough like Microsoft, I’m willing to be that’s the case.

    • Bappity
      link
      fedilink
      English
      32 years ago

      much prefer the ribbons for the UI. it’s much more convenient imo and I was lost otherwise. glad libreoffice had that as customisation options!

    • @KRAW@linux.community
      link
      fedilink
      English
      12 years ago

      I can’t speak for the whole suite, but Excel sucks in the browser. The browser version do not have all the same features as desktop. I only use Office if I’m forced to and use LibreOffice or Latex otherwise

      • @glasgitarrewelt@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        12 years ago

        I am currently forced to use Excel online for work. Such a frustrating experience. And I can’t even edit it offline, because the conversion between two languages and two versions doesn’t work properly.

        Libreoffice has it’s problems too, but it feels much more ‘friendly’ somehow.

  • @CrypticCoffee@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    72 years ago

    Nothing has exactly the same experience as MS. I don’t think there is a clone project for it.

    The two you listed are your best options.

    Does LibreOffice have any issues that prevent you using it? If not, it’s probably that your expectations are set by your comfort and familiarity with Office and that is the problem you need to solve.

    • 520
      link
      fedilink
      02 years ago

      Microsoft has a history of being sue happy against people that have tried to ape MS’s cash cows in the past, so you won’t find a clone project

  • @EunieIsTheBus@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    6
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    honestly, I’ve only clicked on this post because of your username

    “Foss Microsoft Office for Linux actually it isn’t in Opensource”

    • @TheSun@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      12 years ago

      I found onlyoffice to have the best compatibility with documents imported from/exported to MS Office. For most people, their coworkers/teachers/professors or whatever will be using MS office, and if the formatting is borked everytime you move the file between libreoffice and ms office users, it gets old fast. That was my experience with libre office and why I ended up on onlyoffice. Of all the suites i’ve tried it has the best compatibility between itself and ms office for formatting.

  • @Matty_r@programming.dev
    link
    fedilink
    42 years ago

    I think you’ll be pretty disappointed with anything else that’s available. Of those two I’d say stick with OnlyOffice.

  • @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    32 years ago

    I recommend installing Windows 8.1 in VirtualBox, and putting MS Office 2013/16 in it. You can get both these MS products at massgrave.dev with safe activation methods. If you can get by with MS Office 2007, use in Windows XP in VirtualBox like I do.

    I figured out years ago that fighting with these FOSS alternatives is not a wise battle to pick. MS Office is one of those few necessary evils you need to work with others.

      • @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        6
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        It is the latest version of Windows that is not crippled on a HDD. Windows 10 seems to be artificially intentionally crippled for I/O if it detects a HDD, which is why it is only tolerable on SSDs. Windows 8.1 was also the fastest ever Windows to run on a HDD, faster than 7 or XP. It also conveniently happens to allow to run newer Office versions.

  • Otter
    link
    fedilink
    English
    32 years ago

    Is there a reason a few are being developed rather than focussing on one? Are there key differences/use cases for each of them?

    LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice vs. OnlyOffice

    I remember once reading that one of them (or some other FOSS alternative) was bad for privacy/FOSS, but I can’t find that anymore

    • @UniDestroyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      72 years ago

      Forkers gonna fork. OnlyOffice seemed like it was going after Google Docs, but with a MSOffice look and feel. The live sharing and editing worked well when I tested it.

      • Otter
        link
        fedilink
        English
        32 years ago

        Ah I see. So LibreOffice for local stuff, then OnlyOffice for the google docs type of work

        • @d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz
          link
          fedilink
          3
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          Not quite. OnlyOffice has an offline/local suite too. When most people talk about OnlyOffice, they are usually referring to the local suite.

          OnlyOffice has better compatibility with MS Office file formats (and a similar UI), so some people prefer it over LO.

          The downside is that because the UI is written in HTML5, it’s slow and sometimes clunky compared to LO, which is (mostly) a native app. This is especially visible with large spreadsheets - OO takes a long time to render them, whereas in LO they open in a reasonable time.

      • Basically the only commits to OpenOffice now are things a full project lint would catch. There are some security updates here and there. Last I looked it’s basically one dev fixing spacing.

    • @d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      12 years ago

      I remember once reading that one of them (or some other FOSS alternative) was bad for privacy/FOSS, but I can’t find that anymore

      Not sure if you’re thinking of WPS Office (formerly known as Kingsoft Office). It’s development is funded by the Chinese government, but although Kingsoft claim that the Linux version is developed by the community, they haven’t really published the source code anywhere, so it’s considered a high-risk software.

    • @raptir@lemdro.id
      link
      fedilink
      English
      12 years ago

      Why did Linus start developing Linux when he could have just contributed to FreeBSD which already existed?

    • @AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      12 years ago

      Open Office has been dead for a while now. Libre Office is the only active one. And Only Office for the MS clone with fewer features.

  • @cyberwolfie@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    12 years ago

    I don’t use these kinds of tools in private unless I have to, and when I do, I found that OnlyOffice has better compatability with .docx-files. I recently had to make some changes and format a .docx-file, and after struggling to make it look correct in LibreOffice*, it did not show up correctly in Word. Output was more or less the same in OnlyOffice as in Word, and after redoing it in OnlyOffice, it looked almost completely correct in Word.

    • This is, however, always a problem with these kinds of programs in my opinion.
  • @Hexadecimalkink@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    12 years ago

    Between the two I recommend OnlyOffice because it has better export compatibility, a PDF editor, seamless interchange between their desktop, mobile, and web versions, and a nicer UI. You’d only need LibreOffice if you’re doing very advanced document formatting or very niche scientific or financial formulas. LibreOffice has been around for a lot longer than OnlyOffice so its got more edge use cases figured out. Onlyoffice is more modern and IMO feels like a smoother experience with the UI.

  • tun
    link
    fedilink
    -32 years ago

    There is WPS office (from Kingsoft based in China).