Alternatives to Microsoft Word

In recent days my computer as decided that it is time to shut down when I open up Microsoft Word or try to open up any kind of Word document. Until the problem is solved there are several remedies that I could use temporarily. First there are portable office suites that you can install on your flash drive. It isn’t Microsoft Word but they work basically the same way. One portable app is called Open Office. It is also available for download to a computers hard drive as well. Open Office is one alternative office suite that is most similar to Microsoft Word and it is compatible with Microsoft Word.

Another method of using office suites is to use online office suites like Google Docs or Zoho. Both of these office suites are free to use. You must first create an account. The downside to using online office suites is that there is not guarantee that the Internet service will always be available. Things happen and when things happen you lose power which means you lose your Internet connection. On the other hand, online apps are pretty much available at any Internet connected computer. You don’t need to download any special package in order to use it.

Google Docs

Looking for an alternative to Microsoft Word without spending a dime? You don’t have to look any further than your web browser. With Google Docs not only can you create a new document, presentation or spreadsheet you can also share it with your colleages and/or friends. Google Docs also allows users to upload previously created documents. In order to use this service you must create a Google account which involves no more than giving your name, email address and country of residency. Both you and the person who wants to view the document must have accounts with Google. The best part of this is…it’s FREE!

Google is constantly making changes to its services and Google Docs is not different. Just recently Google has added literally hundreds of templates which you can use in creating a document, presentation or spreadsheet.

Go to Google now and watch the short video on “Google Docs in Plain English”. This should answer any questions that you may have.

Microsoft Office Alternative

When purchasing both my desktop PC and laptop, I wasn’t given many options in regards to a word processing suite. If you wanted Microsoft Office there was an additional cost to have it added to the PC. With both my computers I was given Microsoft Works, which is basically a watered-down version of the Microsoft Office suite. To be honest with you, I am not that fond of Works. First of all, it doesn’t have all the features of Microsoft Office. Second, I don’t like the interface of Works. Third, sometimes it is not compatible to other programs.

Without going into debt, there are other alternatives to Microsoft Office and Microsoft Works. There are online programs such as Google Docs that is capable of handling most formats. There is also alternate office suites which can be downloaded to your computer at a very reasonable price…free! Open Office is one such example of free word processing. The multiplatform and multilingual office suite is free to download, use and distribute. For Open Office 2 the system requirements for a Windows-based system are as follows:

• Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista (enhanced Vista integration from version 2.2)
• 128 Mbytes RAM
• At least 800 Mbytes available disk space for a default install (including a JRE) via download. After installation and deletion of temporary installation files, OpenOffice.org will use approximately 440 Mbytes disk space.
• 800 x 600 or higher resolution with at least 256 colours

Other system requirements can be found by going here.

This Microsoft Office alternative has basically the same features of Microsoft Office, just without the high price.

There are several components to Open Office. In some ways I believe that Open Office is a better program than its competition. Here are the components:

• Writer
• Calc
• Impress
• Draw
• Base
• Math

Each of these components can be examined further by visiting: http://www.openoffice.org/product/product.html.

Free Web-Based Word Processing and More

Everyone knows about Google the search engine but not everyone is aware that Google offers FREE web-based word processing and much more. It is true! Google offers a web-based alternative to Microsoft Office or other office suites. When several people start sending documents back and forth to each other over the Internet, it is easy to lose track of what version of spreadsheet or word processor you are using. Google Docs and Spreadsheets keeps documents current and lets the people you chose update files from their own computers.

You can:

1. Create basic documents and spreadsheets from scratch.
2. Upload your existing files.
3. Choose who can access your documents and spreadsheets.
4. Share instantly.
5. Edit with others in real time.
6. Organize your documents.
7. Edit from anywhere.
8. Safely store your work.
9. Easily save and export copies.
10. Publish your work as a web page.
11. Control who can see your pages.
12. Post your documents to your blog.
13. Publish within your company or group.

 Check out this link:

google-docs-spreadsheets.pdf