If you purchased a computer without preinstalled standard programs, you will have to look for all the necessary software on your own. Of course, one of the first to use Microsoft Office. Thanks to this program, you can open files with the popular format: .doc, .docx, .xlsx, etc. But as you know, this service is paid, and quite expensive and not all available. The user has a choice: look for a pirated version that can harm a PC, or find an analogue of Microsoft Office.
Huge selection
It turns out that this application suite has many free alternatives. You can find software, the interface of which will appeal to everyone. The most famous are now considered OpenOffice and LibreOffice. The softwares are quite convenient and do not require hacking ability during installation.
There are other options to consider. Despite the fact that these applications can not completely replace the popular office suite, nevertheless, most of them are the best free option.
Opening
The first free analogue of Microsoft Office is OpenOffice. This suite of office applications can easily compete with commercial services. It has popular file formats, as well as a convenient and familiar interface. OpenOffice was the first to support the OpenDocument format. Now the applications of this package work on all operating systems, including Linux and Mac. Today the collection is called Apache OpenOffice.
History
The first “germ" of this package appeared in 1999. Initially, it was StarOffice, which the Germans did. Then it was bought by another company. OpenOffice.org itself has been operational since 2000.
Three years later, the developers decided to update the software. Their main task was to establish interaction with the popular Microsoft Office suite. It was necessary to work on performance, as there were increased requirements for PC memory, as well as slowdowns in operation.
It was necessary to improve the scripting language, improve integration, make a lightweight interface, create a new SQL database. An updated analogue of Microsoft Office was released in 2005. The first practical attempts indicated weaknesses that quickly fixed within two months.
Later it was decided to update the program every 3 months. Now the most stable version is considered 3.0. It was released in 2008.
Problems
Rumors about OpenOffice.org have long been roaming the Internet. Many knew about the dissatisfaction of the company's employees. It was necessary to solve the main problems. Complaints concerned the "inflexibility" of the project and the lack of leaders. The structure was supposed to transform and become more efficient. It was necessary to find an approach in which active developers would gain access to the project.
As a result, OpenOffice.org employees organized their own company The Document Foundation, which allowed them to continue developing the office project. This is how LibreOffice came about, which we will talk about later.
At the same time, Oracle decides to transfer the rights to its Apache Foundation project. This is how Apache OpenOffice appears. The fund decided to change the license of the package, and later expressed its chagrin over this event. The manual recommended using LibreOffice. Already in September 2016, the project manager announced the possibility of closing OpenOffice. This Microsoft Office counterpart now suffers not only a shortage of qualified employees, but also the inability to fix security errors.
Composition
While there is no official statement from the management to close Apache OpenOffice, it is worth considering the composition of their package. It is very similar to the famous commercial alternative. This includes:
- Writer is responsible for creating and editing text.
- Calc works with tables.
- Impress creates and prepares presentations.
- Base helps you connect to external DBMSs.
- Draw works with vector graphics, is engaged in its creation and editing.
- Math edits formulas.
Demand
Since its inception, this free analogue of Microsoft Office has been installed on the PC of enterprises and organizations. Its popularity was caused by a free license. Since 2007, this package has been used by Rostelecom. And a little later, the RF Fund and the Federal Bailiff Service joined him.
In 2010, Germany decided to conduct a survey that showed that this package of free office software was installed on the computers of 21% of the country's users. Previously, many powers began to actively implement it for their state institutions. In Germany, the application was used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in France by the police, in Belgium by the Ministry of Justice, in the Netherlands by the administration of Amsterdam.
Losses
One of the main losses was that Ubuntu abandoned OpenOffice and switched to its subsidiary LibreOffice. Now you can’t name this analogue of Microsoft Office for Linux. For Apache OpenOffice, this was a big loss.
Branch
Meanwhile, the branch continues to evolve. In 2010, a cross-platform office suite was created, which brought together not only developers with OpenOffice, but also other specialists - about 480 programmers. Now the company operates under the command of The Document Foundation. This organization is non-profit, and therefore lives only through donations and investments. This analogue of Microsoft Office for Mac, Windows, Linux is developing effectively. It is used both on home PCs, and in educational institutions, commercial organizations and large companies.
Direction
LibreOffice chose a successful strategy, which counts on the active participation of society in the development of the project. In addition, programmers hope to merge with other additions. Successful experience in this direction is already present: the company managed to merge with the former OpenOffice project - Go-oo.
The composition of the package has not changed. Here, as before, there is a text editor, a spreadsheet processor, software for creating presentations, an image editor, database applications, as well as a formula editor.
Popularity
Despite the fact that this analogue of Microsoft Office has been actively used since 2011, it has already managed to gain popularity in many countries of the world. Many of those who previously used OpenOffice.org switched to the new version, this includes organizations in France.
LibreOffice use hospitals in Copenhagen, the administration of Las Palmas, South Tyrol, Valencia, Toulouse. Many world organizations also use the package: metallurgical company Evraz, Citigroup, etc.
Those users and organizations that previously purchased Microsoft Office now choose LibreOffice for their purposes. It is known that the military of Italy also preferred the free analogue. By the next year, more than 75 thousand users should be transferred, and by 2020 - another 25 thousand. According to authorities, choosing LibreOffice will save more than 29 million euros.
Big choice
It turns out that there are a lot of alternatives to the famous commercial office suite. One of them is SSuite Office. This program is also free. The package includes software that is useful for office work. There is a text editor, a program for creating spreadsheets, as well as software for presentations. There is a notepad, a messaging application, a calendar, an image editor, as well as software for viewing photos in the SSuite Office collection. Users have access to a new browser and even Tetris.
WordGraph is responsible for the text here. At first glance, its interface is quite familiar. At the top is a panel with a context menu. Below are all kinds of tools. In addition to the usual buttons, there are also those that you will not find in other office suites. For example, you can insert a date, emoticon, picture or special character into the text with one click. The editor allows you to save the finished document not only in the usual format, but can convert it into a picture or PDF.
Accel works with tables. It is made in the style of WordGraph. It has all the necessary functions for creating and editing tables, their formatting, counting and more.
But for surfing the Internet, the office suite provides the NetSurfer browser. Its main feature is that it has the same interface as other SSuite Office softwares. It also has many useful tools that simplify the work. Quick access to social networks or email.
Image Editor deals with images. CleverNote is a multi-functional organizer. Well, for the "sweet" - Tetris. Although quite primitive, it can brighten up a couple of minutes at lunchtime.
Less popular
Find a Russian analogue of Microsoft Office is not difficult. In addition to LibreOffice, this includes SoftMaker Free Office 675. This package, although not as popular in the CIS countries, is still quite functional for the least fastidious users. This version has its own commercial one. The disadvantage of the free option is that there is no way to save files in proprietary Microsoft Office formats.
However, reading DOC, PPT and XLS files is available here. The support of the Russian language is also pleasing. To use the spelling dictionary it will have to be additionally installed. The advantage of the package is its speed. The work of the programs is quite fast. It quickly launches all its software, and also there is no slowdown with file editing.
Not just mobile
Many people know the Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2013 mobile application. Users of android gadgets consider this package to be the most optimized and functional. But few people know that there is also a PC version.
It completely copies the Microsoft Office 2003 interface. It has the same functionality. The main advantage of the package is that it works with tabs, and also has a small size - only 40 megabytes. In Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2013, you can view and edit corporate formats DOCX, PPTX and XLSX. The main drawback for the Russian-speaking user is the lack of Russian localization, and accordingly spelling check.
Analogs
It turned out that it is not difficult to find an analogue of Microsoft Office for Windows 10 and other operating systems. Among the most popular LibreOffice and OpenOffice there are less well-known. WPS Office is another free suite of office applications in Russian. It can edit text, tables, and presentations. Works with proprietary Microsoft Office formats. The main drawback of this program is the presence of watermarks on the finished documents that are being printed.
WPS Office also has a gadget version. It works as fast as Kingsoft Office. The rest of the program easily copes with a standard set of software. The interface is very familiar. There is support for working with tabs. For presentations, tact, tables and images there is a whole set of templates. The package also quickly opens documents from Microsoft Office.
In addition to this application, there is also Polaris Office. A fairly universal free program that can support commercial analog formats. Lotus Symphony, Ashampoo Office 2012, Calligra Suite are popular office suite packages. They are less popular with us due to the lack of the Russian language in the interface or dictionaries.
Do not forget about the popular Google Docs. This is an online version of office software. It is especially convenient for those who protect free PC memory. Thanks to this program, you can import documents into a browser, and there you can edit them. Also supports all popular formats. An interesting feature is that the software allows you to work on a document together with colleagues and friends. Especially convenient for students and those who create a common cause. You just need to open access to the files, and a colleague on the other side of the city can edit the document with you.