Microsoft Word/Office Workaround?? (Windows 8)

[smokeysmoo]

I've just got a new PC running Windows 8 but I've got loads of documents that were created on my old PC in Office, (probably Word IIRC), that I now can't open.

I'm loathe to give Mr Gates a fistful of dollars for the latest version of Office, (because apart from anything else I don't have any), so does anyone know any work rounds that will allow me, (or more precisely Miss Smoo with her school work), to open and work on these files?

TIA

 

[Crackle]

Google docs?

 

[vernon]

Open Office, it's a free download. When you install it make Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint the default formats for saving files to save the agro of her teachers claiming that they can't open open document formatted files.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Word viewer? -http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=4

Can't edit but you can read them

 

[vernon]

Google docs?

Google docs isn't as sophisticated as OpenOffice.

 

[vernon]

In fact LibreOffice is a better option. http://www.libreoffice.org/

 

[Colin_P]

As above,

Open office or Apache Open Office as it is now called.

 

[Diggs]

Do you or anyone in your immediate family have access to Windows HUP at work? http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/software-assurance/home-use-program.aspx
Whilst not free, it's a very cheap option

 

[TVC]

Another vote for open office.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Thanks guys, Open Office now installed

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Open Office, it's a free download. When you install it make Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint the default formats for saving files to save the agro of her teachers claiming that they can't open open document formatted files.

It's about time open source formats became acceptable in education.

Oh, as an Open Office user, what would I get from Libre Office that I don't already have? (Assuming you're familiar with both. I could easily google comparisons.)

 

[AndyRM]

One thing to note with Open Office is that it does display things slightly differently, and there can be issues switching between OO and Microsoft.

 

[vernon]

It's about time open source formats became acceptable in education.

Oh, as an Open Office user, what would I get from Libre Office that I don't already have?

I might have to re-evaluate my recommendation. OpenOffice was cast adrift by Solaris a while ago and I believe that the core development team branched off the the core coding with LibreOffice. Bug fixes and the like were more likely to come from the LibreOffice team than OpenOffice. I've just looked up Open Office and note that it now lives under the protection of the Apache Software Foundation, the grand daddy of open source web server software.

Most flavours of the opensource office suits have StarOffice DNA present at their cores and their functionality for the average user is very similar. The user interfaces might have variations but the biggest difference is in the additional functionality and the quality of the support forums that each product offers. The support offered by LibreOffice for the network installations was much better than that offered by the slimmed down OpenOffice organisation.

OpenOffice then LibreOffice was at the core of the office suite offering at my school and I managed to hold off the return to Microsoft Office for three years before the staff managed to convince the head teacher that their productivity was seriously impaired by the used of non Microsoft products. To have a quiet life the head bought their silence with a site license for MS Office. It gave me great pleasure to be able to say to the staff struggling the the MS ribbon menu system that I did not have the familiarity with the product to be able to offer any form of support until I had received some training.

 

[vernon]

One thing to note with Open Office is that it does display things slightly differently, and there can be issues switching between OO and Microsoft.

There's fewer instances of that with LibreOffice and when it does, it tends to be with more complex document layouts some of which are due to 'non-standard' application of formatting commands i.e. trying to use MS Word as a desk top publishing application.

 

[AndyRM]

There's fewer instances of that with LibreOffice and when it does, it tends to be with more complex document layouts some of which are due to 'non-standard' application of formatting commands i.e. trying to use MS Word as a desk top publishing application.

I've not used LibreOffice, but that is good to know. A complex PowerPoint made my working life hell for about a month. I could have easily made the front page but managed to restrain myself.