Nothing (not just office suites but any topic) is ever best at everything. You need to pick your top priorities and that's what you use to determine best. Every option is a matter of making compromises and you have to determine where you're willing to compromise.
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Best Office suite
- Thread starter MacBH928
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I have used MS Office since 1990, reluctantly since 5.0, though. Each one is a step backward. I use MS Office because when students send documents, some are in .doc or .docx format. Just easier. Excel is better than anything else, even if crippled on the Mac side.
For word processing (and other suite options) I began using NeoOffice. But when they began charging for the app, I switched to OpenOffice. When the fiasco and split happened, I kept OO and also began using LibreOffice. It was the best of the bunch of open source. But this latest upgrade (this week) in LibreOffice is not a good move. So, now I am back to using OpenOffice.
The biggest issue I have found in exchanging is in the word processing use of tables. Anything made in one program does not translate well into or out of MS Word. Frustrating if you have to use tables a lot, which I do.
For word processing, Nisus Writer and Mellel are my top choices. Either is a pleasure to use to us compared to any of the others. For writing projects I do most of it Scrivener and export in an appropriate format.
For word processing (and other suite options) I began using NeoOffice. But when they began charging for the app, I switched to OpenOffice. When the fiasco and split happened, I kept OO and also began using LibreOffice. It was the best of the bunch of open source. But this latest upgrade (this week) in LibreOffice is not a good move. So, now I am back to using OpenOffice.
The biggest issue I have found in exchanging is in the word processing use of tables. Anything made in one program does not translate well into or out of MS Word. Frustrating if you have to use tables a lot, which I do.
For word processing, Nisus Writer and Mellel are my top choices. Either is a pleasure to use to us compared to any of the others. For writing projects I do most of it Scrivener and export in an appropriate format.
What version of LibreOffice, and why wasn't it a good move? I'm at 4.4.1 and I haven't noticed anything broken. Why go to OpenOffice rather than back to the previous version of LO that you were using?
You can sign for an Outlook email account and have a light version of MS. Office (Word, Excel,Powerpoint) share & download your office files.
I was at 4.4.1 but this update was 4.4.1.002.
I am in a crunch for time. Yes, I considered going back a version, but time for such a move will be at least two days. Yeah, my schedule is that busy.
Hello,
maybe, this is related to the Sift theme which has been chosen as default theme for OSX: http://arstechnica.com/information-...etter-looks-and-opengl-to-your-presentations/ , a theme which can be modified in the Preferences dialog ( LibreOffice, View, User Interface, Icon size and style )
maybe, this is related to the Sift theme which has been chosen as default theme for OSX: http://arstechnica.com/information-...etter-looks-and-opengl-to-your-presentations/ , a theme which can be modified in the Preferences dialog ( LibreOffice, View, User Interface, Icon size and style )
Relative to the other themes, I like Sifr, but they all seem a bit amateurish. I ended up installing an MS Office 2013 theme. Not only are the icons cleaner, but it makes switching between office suites less visually jarring.
I am surprised there is some one else out there who uses Nisus. Why would you? I got it because its supposed to support RTL languages better, but unless you are exporting to PDF you will have trouble with formatting.
What can Nisus do for you that others won't? And why not just use pages
Can you get an app or is it the web version? I mean the light version
From my experience, most users only use Office because it's the standard, not because it has features they really need, except for Excel.
Pages '09 and Keynote '09 could do almost everything that a person needed and really the only reason to use Office was for compatibility and co-authoring, of course there are some users who do leverage Office's unique abilities.
The exception is Excel. I use excel ALL the time and about 70% of the time I do submit my final reports as PDFs, but no app I've used has come close to Excel's functionality or flexibility. I really did try to use Numbers years ago (both old a new versions) and it was just infuriating for me.
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Overall, if I could ONLY have one suite, I'd never be without Office because it is "Ole reliable" so to speak, it can do what you want (usually) and can be sent and edited by anyone.
With iWork '09 gone and bound to loose support in later version of OS X and Office:Mac getting an update I may jump ship to all Office in the future.
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The new iWork or the older one?
I just realized you changed your icon, it threw me off because I was used to the face with the cigar!
Pages '09 and Keynote '09 could do almost everything that a person needed and really the only reason to use Office was for compatibility and co-authoring, of course there are some users who do leverage Office's unique abilities.
The exception is Excel. I use excel ALL the time and about 70% of the time I do submit my final reports as PDFs, but no app I've used has come close to Excel's functionality or flexibility. I really did try to use Numbers years ago (both old a new versions) and it was just infuriating for me.
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Overall, if I could ONLY have one suite, I'd never be without Office because it is "Ole reliable" so to speak, it can do what you want (usually) and can be sent and edited by anyone.
With iWork '09 gone and bound to loose support in later version of OS X and Office:Mac getting an update I may jump ship to all Office in the future.
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The new iWork or the older one?
I just realized you changed your icon, it threw me off because I was used to the face with the cigar!
I can only speak to my experience with excel and those using it. I find the features that MS provides in that app are used quite extensively, either pivot tables, complex macros, or in-depth data analysis. We also use Excel to integrate into a number of enterprise applications, i.e., use spreadsheets to feed different systems.
I mentioned Excel as the exception, there really is no viable substitute for it and I use it every day. A lack of Pivot Tables and advanced functions like VLOOKUP are one of the reasons I never bothered to learn Numbers or any other suite. Sadly, so many users just Excel as a table, not a functional spreadsheet.
I was more speaking on Word and PP. Most presentation I see are rather generic and most Word documents have very little special formatting. Both of those could be easily replaced for most users if collaboration wasn't an issue.
I'm an accounting major, I use excel for master budgets, SWOT analyses, financial data analysis and manipulation, etc.
Part of my Excel preference is the familiarity aspect, but it's also the best option for the job. For example, I use Pivot Tables to draw data from several variables in an easy manipulatable table. VLookUp functions and statistical tools are all effective ways to analyze data.
I tried to use Numbers, but even something simple as putting a double underline under a cell (standard for financial calculations) is difficult (and I think impossible directly). Also, collaboration is needed at times so Excel is a must.
I also use Excel for personal things such as budgets, financing, and data recording. It's just an amazing tool if you know how to use it. Numbers seems geared toward tables will frilly images, while Excel is geared at spreadsheets with raw data manipulation. It isn't exciting, but it was one of most significant computer innovations 30-ish years ago.
thanks, I am one of those that use Excel as a table and was wondering how are the more sophisticated formulas and options in the app is used in the workplace.
I've been using MS Office Suite as well mostly because of Excel. For me, it's been the pivot tables and analytical tools, where competition don't even come close unfortunately.
Best is a relative term
I've recommended OO and LibreOffice to a lot of parents looking for an office suite for a college bound kid. For most majors, unless they involve number crunching, they are great free options.
Some schools give students MS Office for free, making it a viable best choice.
MS Office is best for me since I must be able to exchange files with no formatting problems. Thus, its worth whatever it costs.
When I write an article or story, Scrivener is it.
In the end, best is the tool that does what you need at a price that makes it worth buying.
I've recommended OO and LibreOffice to a lot of parents looking for an office suite for a college bound kid. For most majors, unless they involve number crunching, they are great free options.
Some schools give students MS Office for free, making it a viable best choice.
MS Office is best for me since I must be able to exchange files with no formatting problems. Thus, its worth whatever it costs.
When I write an article or story, Scrivener is it.
In the end, best is the tool that does what you need at a price that makes it worth buying.
I Wish there were other alternatives, but honestly, the best choices are:
1) MS Office - the best by a mile, great touch interface for iPad
2) iWork - a distant second
No other suite is at all refined IMO.
1) MS Office - the best by a mile, great touch interface for iPad
2) iWork - a distant second
No other suite is at all refined IMO.
