Are there any good, free alternatives to Word/Excel?

Dark Age Iron Savior

I'm looking for word processors and spreadsheet programs would work under Windows 98 and which would open files created with their Microsoft equivalents. Anyone have any suggestions? Any blatant clones Microsoft hasn't gotten around to shutting down?
_________________

newave · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles

Open Office?

LWJoestar · Joined: 25 Jan 2007

Notepad
_________________

CaineDNA · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

IE6 or Firefox ussing docs.google.com.

PianoMap · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: victoria, british columbia

hell yeah google docs. i'm just discovering that shit now and it is so pretty
_________________
o-/< --- o-\< --- o-|-| --- o^-<

BEIGE · Joined: 04 Dec 2006

I'll second OpenOffice. I haven't noticed one feature in Word that I wished OpenOffice had, and OpenOffice is sure a lot less bloated. Plus, I can open all my old documents and stuff in it.

Dark Age Iron Savior · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:21 am

Hot Stott Bot · banned Joined: 05 Dec 2006

I suggest pirating Microsoft Office.

108 · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:30 am

psiga · saudade Joined: 04 Dec 2006

Google apps have security holes, last I heard. Using them while browsing unsafe webpages can result in your account information being scraped from cookie and javascript caches. I recommend taking the Zen Koan approach: When you are using Google apps, be sure that you are only using Google apps.

What I do is have Firefox for browsing and IE for web applications.

On a thoroughly contrarian note: Yesterday I installed Office '07 on my mom's new laptop, and I have to say that it is the most polished and approachable Microsoft product that I've ever touched. They have basically reimagined what Office is supposed to be, and no free application comes anywhere close to what Office has now become.

But yeah, if you don't want bloated things like an integrated equation builder, text effects, multilingual dictionaries, and edit comparison features, all in a friendly and tight package, then Google docs should suit you nicely. If you need portability, though, OpenOffice on a USB flashdrive can fit in your pocket.
_________________

negativedge · banned Joined: 04 Dec 2006

Openoffice is terrible and bloated. Just use google docs.

gooktime · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: no

Dark Age Iron Savior · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:03 am

This person is using Windows 98, I think there will be some difficulty in adjusting them to Google docs. Enough that it probably wouldn't be worth it.
_________________

BenoitRen · I bought RAM Joined: 05 Jan 2007

OpenOffice is quite big and bloated. Sadly, it's the only good alternative for what you want. Well, except Abiword, though that's only an alternative for the word processor.
_________________
Get Xenoblade Chronicles!

dmauro · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: Broker

slipstream · hates LOTR films Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Mr. Apol · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:03 am

guys use emacs
_________________

gooktime · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: no

inmatarian · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:51 am

More like... Open Orifice.

But no, seriously, OO Writer and Calc are the way to go.
_________________

2993 badness blog email

Hot Stott Bot · banned Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Felix · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 4:24 am

Corinth · thatbox Joined: 05 Dec 2006

DAIS, don't forget AbiWord. Google it! It's more efficient than OO.o, but more limited in scope!

luvcraft · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 4:04 pm

You want OpenOffice, and anyone who says otherwise deserves a swift kick in the nuts over IP.

I say this having not used GoogleDocs, so maybe that's pretty good too. But for a standalone Office alternative, OpenOffice is the way to go.
_________________

Felix · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:25 pm