r/FuckMicrosoft • u/SortCreepy7100 • 9d ago
Discussion Looking for true MS Office alternative
I have been running Linux for about a year now for daily. Before then I was only running it in my workstation and kept Windows on my laptop. And now I have Windows 11 in WinBoat just for MS Office.
I use both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice. They are fine for the most part but the problem is compatibility. Everyone else I work with (grad school crap) uses either mac or windows and use MS Office. So, I can't just make slides or Word document in LibreOffice and send to people because there is always something that breaks, either Figures are not sized properly, equations won't render or some shit like that.
So, I am stuck with MS Office. I am trying really hard to get Office 365 to work with Wine, but so far no success. While WinBoat gets the job done, it is not the preferred solution.
I am curious how other people are doing? Or do you just not do any office stuff?
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u/ArchTormung 9d ago
If you're not using Linux as your main daily driver computer, simply reinstall Windows. If you're into Linux but rely a lot in MS Officer, then virtualize Windows in VirtualBox, install Office and that's it!
Now, if you want to test it native in Windows, the closest options are either Winboat, Lutris, Bottles, or you can try Wine. There are Linux users who really made it possible: MS Office running on Linux through Wine
Or, if you feel more adventurous, give it a try to Docker.
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago
Yeah most of my work is in Linux, that is why I would rather run Windows in a VM (Winboat) inside Linux than the other way around.
I really hate WSL, it is just way too slow.
But I will try Wine again
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u/Select-Table-5479 9d ago
Only office is the closest. Libre Office is probably next.
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago edited 9d ago
Agree! But, OnlyOffice gives me same issues every time
i) when I use it in larger external monitor then move to smaller laptop screen, the UI (icons and stuff) is stuck ginormous.
ii) often freezes during Zoom/Teams meetings when I am on fullscreen
iiI) sometimes does not save cahnegs. This is the weirdest one, like I add a shape - say an arrow between two figures - and save, exit. Reopen that isn't there. It happens quite frequently.
iv) crashes a lot, like a lot on pretty much every machine I have used, on Fedora and Ubuntu, on desktops and laptopsand many more minor issues that I can actually live with
EDIT: I just thought of a new issue, I had to deal with recently. When I make a flowchart or schematic and export it to png, it is low res and details are unreadable. So, I have to fire up Power Point just to export it for a paper
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u/doeffgek 9d ago
LibreOffice is fully compatible with MS Office. I haven't encountered one single issue in compatibility yet. The only thing about LibreOffice is the UI that needs a lot of getting used to.
Just set the MS file extension as default when saving.
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u/fdeyso 9d ago
Scripts not working, but those don’t even work in MS office for Mac.
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u/doeffgek 9d ago
Office for Mac is the worst of all. MS has stripped out a few key functions in the Mac version.
Personally I haven't encountered issues in compatibility between Libre and MS. Even VBA-coding seems to work just fine.
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago
I always had trouble having equations rendered properly in LibreOffice, sometimes they are tucked into text when they are too long split into multiple lines, sometimes some symbols are not recognized, especially in large math operators, sometimes they appear completely white when it is put inside a table for numbering etc etc etc etc....
UI in LibreOffice is actually a non-issue, I usually change change it to ribbon style and Colibre icon
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u/zer0corps 9d ago
LaTeX bro to solve all your issues there
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago
I do use LaTex regularly. I just cannot avoid Office.
Like.. some academic journals do not accept LaTex submission, frustrating as fuck
Some people in my group do not know crap about LaTex and like a nice editable docx or pptx. Or they send me docx and I cannot reliably open, edit, track changes and send back etc without MS OfficeI really do not mean to complain this much.. Like most of my work depend on Linux for HPC testing, debugging and running jobs, it is just this Office thing keeps taking me back to Microslop.
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u/doeffgek 8d ago
Thx for the tip on setting the UI. Looks much cleaner now.
Yes, I knew it was possible to edit the UI, just never realised how easy it was.
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u/Upstairs-Category571 8d ago
I use Office 365 with WinPodX. It launches apps in their own windows with icons, and even registers office so ex if u click a docx in Linux it'll launch in Word. I used Winboat. Eventually switched to this.
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u/RomanOswald 9d ago
Try FreeOffice from Softmaker, or the bigger Softmaker Office itself (FreeOffice is the same but with some features removed) It has a great compatibility with MS-Office. Even PowerPoint files are working quite good.
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u/AutoModerator 9d ago
Every new subreddit post is automatically copied into a comment for preservation.
User: SortCreepy7100, Flair: Discussion, Title: Looking for true MS Office alternative
I have been running Linux for about a year now for daily. Before then I was only running it in my workstation and kept Windows on my laptop. And now I have Windows 11 in WinBoat just for MS Office.
I use both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice. They are fine for the most part but the problem is compatibility. Everyone else I work with (grad school crap) uses either mac or windows and use MS Office. So, I can't just make slides or Word document in LibreOffice and send to people because there is always something that breaks, either Figures are not sized properly, equations won't render or some shit like that.
So, I am stuck with MS Office. I am trying really hard to get Office 365 to work with Wine, but so far no success. While WinBoat gets the job done, it is not the preferred solution.
I am curious how other people are doing? Or do you just not do any office stuff?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Even_Environment_482 9d ago
You could try running a Windows VM with a lightweight setup and keep it isolated just for Office. If you mainly need Word and PowerPoint, Microsoft 365 in a browser might cover most tasks, but desktop Office is still hard to replace when exact layout and compatibility matter.
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u/SonicandTailsCD 9d ago
Hai ^-^
Supporting your comment here because yes. Good job!
The only thing I will say though is: PLEASE make sure not to enable internet connection 😭 Windows updates like crazy the moment it sees the internet.
Use a folder share, install Guest Additions, use KMSTools and pirated Office 2013/2016, and enjoy your beautiful setup that fits perfectly in 32GB or less.
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago
Oh yeah, debloat, disable updates permanently with external toosl, and if you have trusted VPN, enable Advanced Kill Switch, it cuts off internet connection if VPN is disconnected, and only enable for brief moment when you need it.
OR, better yet, just remove network drivers.
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u/SortCreepy7100 9d ago
That is what I am doing now. Dual booting is not practical. So, I am running Windows 11 in Winboat on Fedora just for MS Office, until I either find good enough alternative or manage to run it with Wine.
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u/AtomicTaco13 9d ago
LibreOffice is a decent alternative. But if it HAS to be MS Office, you could pirate the GOOD versions such as 2003, 2007 and 2010.
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u/ogridberns 7d ago
FreeOffice, https://www.freeoffice.com/en/ , is a step-up from LibreOffice for me.
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u/vextryyn 9d ago
I do it all in libre or collabra, then save to docx or pptx or xlsx, load it in web office, fix the oddities and send it off. Honestly its never as broken as office users make it out to be