FOSS Microsoft Office for Linux
Looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office for the Linux.
I've already tried:
What else would you recommend?
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.
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.
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
You could always do in-browser Office if nothing else works. Or g-suite
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
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.
Over my dead body...
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
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!
@mypasswordis1234
OnlyOffice is good. Very similar to MS office
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.
@TheSun
Good to know. Thanks for that insight
I think you'll be pretty disappointed with anything else that's available. Of those two I'd say stick with OnlyOffice.
honestly, I've only clicked on this post because of your username
"Foss Microsoft Office for Linux actually it isn't in Opensource"
Look at my username, then at my displayname 😉
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
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.
Why should all the developers suddenly decide to give up their own project and collaborate?
Their goal isn't to take over the entire market, since the software is free and there really isn't a "market" in that sense.
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.
It's bloatware and adware imo.
I see, that might be it!
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.
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.
Libre office was alright but tabbed layout was buggy, entering stuff in excel was delayed by 0.5s everytime, the math formula program required some esoteric knowledge, and libredraw messed up pdfs which foxit otherwise opened with precision. I stick to Microsoft office 2007 which does exactly what I expect.
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.
There is WPS office (from Kingsoft based in China).
WPS Office is just spyware
https://www.wps.com/privacy-policy/
Yeah, the experience is nice but OP asks for a FOSS alternative and that isn't.
IMO the closest to MS Office in both UX and UI is OnlyOffice. Also you'll have nice compatibility with MS Office documents.
LibreOffice (It doesn’t have the same experience as Microsoft’s apps.)
If you like the experience from Microsoft's apps, why do you use Linux?
Just use MS Office on Windows.
"if you have a problem then don't have a problem"
Thank you
But in any case, we shouldn't expect not-ms-office to act exactly as ms-office
That's what I was trying to say. LibreOffice isn't the same as MS Office. And that's not a point against it at all.
If it were the same, I wouldn't want to use it.
OpenOffice
Open office is a worse form of Libre office
I know, that's why I use LibreOffice. OnlyOffice OpenOffice was the only thing I could think of
Isn't OpenOffice deprecated or mostly abandoned? I'm sure it will works, though.
I don't think anyone should use it, no. It is technically an option, though
Yeah it's mostly abandoned. There was a thread about it recently. I will edit in a link.
Edit: I got lazy and stopped looking and also forgot to edit.
Get used to LibreOffice. It's the most actively maintained, well-made opensource office software.
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
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.