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We passed on our aging desktop PC when we moved up to Johannesburg, and Intrepid Hubby received a company-sponsored laptop when he started his new job. That left me with a year-old, hand-me-down Toshiba which was not in great condition. To liven things up a bit, I reinstalled the OS and removed all the bloatware that had been auto-installed.
With a PC at work and a gaming console at home, I got to wondering - other than surfing the Net and listening to music, what would I ever use this laptop for?
Don't get me wrong, I think it's imperative that I have a computer of some sort. Laptop-sharing with Intrepid Hubby just did not work out. But exactly how much functionality would I need or, more to the point, how much could I strip down the list of installed programs in order to speed up what was left?
Okay, I was lazy so I didn't think too hard about it but I did make one quick decision - not to install Office.
You're probably wondering what I have against Office, and the answer to that is, nothing really. But do I really need it? I don't have the kind of job that requires me to take work home and I'm not studying so I don't need to do assignments. My computer use is basically limited to surfing the Internet and surfing the Internet. All you need for that is Firefox and, in the words of Jamie Oliver "You're laughing."
So I haven't installed it and, though people have tried to convince me otherwise, I flatly refuse to do it. Call it my stand against the Microsoft Monolith. And before anyone cries "Linux" let me just say, baby steps people.
Anyway, I don't see why I need office, when I can use Google Docs instead. And that's on the Internet.
What's that new buzzword? Oh yes, "The Cloud". Welcome to it.
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written by fuzysmile, October 29, 2008
On topic, I think I'll wait to develop that need before considering Office again.
(Anyway it's real easy to share documents on Google Docs.) But aside from this, I'm not part of a corporation and I'm not saying corporations should go this route. They have a lot more needs as far as business continuity, security, and risk management are concerned. I just think the average Internet-surfing pleb like me doesn't really need this stuff.
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written by OS GIKEN, October 29, 2008
Agreed! I have not had Office for years. I use NeoOffice. I refuse to buy any Microsoft product.
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written by Charmed, October 29, 2008
I have the Windows PC, hubby has the Linux. We're good.
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written by fuzysmile, October 29, 2008
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written by Eisch, October 29, 2008
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written by fuzysmile, October 29, 2008
My husband and I have a bet going on how long it will be until I need a "real" Office-type package.
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written by mandibleclaw, October 29, 2008
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written by mandibleclaw, October 30, 2008
Stick to the choice you've made fuzysmile! Google docs works really well & besides you don't need to clutter your recently cleaned up laptop with more Microsoft nonsense. The funny thing is that even when you delete a file "completely" from you laptop/PC it can still be recovered. So everytime you do something with Office there are traces of it all over the darn place. You actually need to "shred" the file as opposed to just deleting it & cleaning out your recycle bin. Keep everything in the cloud I say! At least you can access it wherever there is internet access. Intrepid, intrepid...BTW, great first blog here...
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written by in the news, October 30, 2008
No-one needs Office if not for work. While I prefer it to non-Windows products (always seems to work better) who needs it for home use? For simple use Wordpad gives all you need if not on the web.
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written by fuzysmile, October 30, 2008
My issue with Office is that there's always this a*sumption that you *have* to have it, when in fact you don't necessarily have to. Salespeople pawn it off on those buying PCs and laptops as a must-have but really, each computer user should evaluate their needs first. As others have said, there's freeware that you can use to provide similar functionality even if you can't be connected to the Internet all the time.
(Oh, and re: Wordpad. I think it lacks a certain, whatchamacall. Ah yes - formatting.
) As for me, well, Google just gives me the warm and fuzzies. I like all my stuff to be simple and consolidated and accessible from anywhere.
Also, it's not just Office that bugs me. Take a look at Average Joe's programs list and I bet you'll find it scrolls all the way down the screen. But how much of that stuff is he using? It's just one of those things that bug me. Like when people save all their documents on the desktop -- eek!
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Well, this is a good question you pose you know. I always asked that same question when I had PC's at home. I NEVER used xcell or powerpoint or even Project or worst still....OFFICE TOOLS! Unless its a business PC or notebook, it's completely unwanted!
But I guess anything else is still worth it. I mean do you really pay licsense fees like a company for one user license? NO!
So its handy to have OFFICE...even though you don't use it, especially when trying to share doccies or presentations etc. Believe me you'll develop a need for it.