[Genesis]

Sadly, I haven't found another Word program as powerful as Microsoft. I have tried several of the free programs but they just don't measure up, not for my needs anyway. At one point, I was stuck without the ability to have Microsoft Office and I had to use an alternative for many months so I can say that I really did give others a real go. The moment I had the ability to have Microsoft Office again, I jumped on it!

I agree with you totally. However, was wondering whether you tried google version of "Word" etc. And what your findings were. I'm with you on disliking the need to use the Internet and Cloud to be able to use it. But I'd imagine for those who can't fork out the big bucks to get Microsoft Office possibly it's the better of all of the available alternatives that are available.

It still irks me though that I have to pay so much for Microsoft anything. Like if I figure out collectively over the time I've been using Microsoft Windows and Office how much I've spent on it in my life time, and all of their licenses and Microsoft being on a total roll since the 1980s, creating billionaires and contributing to inequality of fair competition - gobbling up all of their competition (and us indirectly supporting them to do just that). Something isn't quite right for me in this equation.

[Dee13211]

However, was wondering whether you tried google version of "Word" etc. And what your findings were. I'm with you on disliking the need to use the Internet and Cloud to be able to use it. But I'd imagine for those who can't fork out the big bucks to get Microsoft Office possibly it's the better of all of the available alternatives that are available.

@Genesis, Of all the alternatives that I have tried, I think Google Docs is probably the best. The biggest downfall for me is that you have to be online (having to rely on a connection) and all your stuff is in the cloud (vulnerable). Now I am sure they have security but even the biggest giants get hacked... Including government and national security. 

Formatting things like headings etc. is a bit more work in Google docs... But not really enough to ward someone off.

While you can download the document to your hard drive, you will still need Microsoft Word (or another local word program) to open and/or edit anyway. However, I do like that there is an option to download the file as an Epub, making that conversion a snap!

I think the real power of Google docs is the ability to add on with other apps. There is a slew of options already available and you know - since these are apps - many more will follow, making it a powerful alternative to Microsoft Word. 

I get your irritation with supporting a giant that charges top dollar and seems to eat up their competition. As I said, they are not my favorite company. But I will leave you with a quote from Wallace D. Wattles,

Opportunity is not monopolized.

You read my post in "What is your favourite method to make money on the Internet ?". I have always been able to sell things for more $$ than my competition charges for the very same items. Aaaand, all my customers have been ecstatic with their buys from me, feeling like they got a great deal. Which I believe they did.

Even in a "saturated" market, one can be highly successful. You can't let the success or failure of your competitors distract you from your own ability to be creative - which is where all success begins!! Soooo....

YOU'VE GOT IT, ROCK IT!!

[Genesis]

Wish I had your selling abilities. Selling it for a little more expensive probably also gives the impression it's greater quality.

[Dee13211]

Wish I had your selling abilities. Selling it for a little more expensive probably also gives the impression it's greater quality.

I think it's more like they value the quality of the information. Many sellers seem to think that a low price alone will drive sales, which is completely inaccurate. The listing has to answer all of the customer's questions.

• What size?
  
• How long, wide, thick?
  
• How much does it weigh? 
  
• Color?
  
• Shape? If it is an electronic, how much power does it have and as compared to what?
  
• What kind of maintenance does it require and what will that cost?
  
• If it isn't new, how old is it?
  
• If it's a vehicle, how many miles does it have and what work has already been done? What else is needed?
  

[dels]

10 years ago when I started using Google Docs it was like a miracle coated in both honey and chocolate, seeing a colleague type at the same time as you was almost spiritually moving !
Sadly they didn't go for the jugular and didn't bring the feature set up to what Office based desktop applications had to offer, so there was a gap for the advanced features users.
In the last year or two Microsoft caught up with the online offering and has left Google for dead.
Knowing how Google turn on themselves from time to time (butchering Photos sync to Drive) I wouldn't be surprised if they retired their Docs/Sheets offering in the coming years.

[arrnaya]

At one time Microsoft Office was the major word processing and spreadsheet software suite to buy, however, more recently free software and online alternatives such as LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Zoho Docs, which include a lot of the same features as Office, have become increasingly popular to use. With Microsoft Office slowly shifting to a yearly subscription model with the introduction of Office 365, is there any reason left to buy or subscribe to it?

Why do you use or not use Microsoft Office, and why or why not? If you use an alternative, what are you using instead, and why did you choose that particular software or service?

I would say - NO need for Microsoft Office! Though I myself have the Student version of Microsoft office subscribed to, I must say that I mostly use Google Sheet and docs. The biggest advantage of using Google Docs is that I get to keep my files online and share them with others who can make edits in real-time. Google Docs makes collaboration easy.

For business emails, I have been using Zoho mail and I have completely stopped using outlook or windows mail.

I rarely use Microsoft office now.

[chiyancheung]

At one time Microsoft Office was the major word processing and spreadsheet software suite to buy, however, more recently free software and online alternatives such as LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Zoho Docs, which include a lot of the same features as Office, have become increasingly popular to use. With Microsoft Office slowly shifting to a yearly subscription model with the introduction of Office 365, is there any reason left to buy or subscribe to it?

Why do you use or not use Microsoft Office, and why or why not? If you use an alternative, what are you using instead, and why did you choose that particular software or service?

Sorry to not give a definite answer, but it really depends on your use case. If the people that share documents with are all on GSuite, then there is really no reason to get MS Office. But if your coworkers and customers still use MS Office documents, then it is a necessity, as 3rd party office suites still do not offer 100% compatibility with MS Office files (either import nor export). Note that if you need to work with Office files and don't want to pay, you can see if you can get away with using the free web-only versions of those apps from Microsoft.