Everyone Loves Free Gifts - Day 5 : Libreoffice

Not everyone thinks that the Cloud is a good idea. Some people still live in areas where it is not possible to get a decent reliable broadband connection, some don't trust having their data on someone elses server. For those they simply must have software that is running locally.

If you are one of those people then the chances are that you need a suite of Office programmes. For many the default position is to buy a copy of Microsoft office and be done with it however there is a very credible alternative available for Free.

Libre Office describes itself as "the power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. Support and documentation is free from our large, dedicated community of users, contributors and developers."

The roots of Libre Office go back 20 years and it is a very stable product with a good track record. While it is not quite as feature rich as the latest offering from Microsoft it is completely free, which given that most of us don't even scratch the surface with the more advanced features of Office, means that Libre Office will do everything that we want an more. Libre Office is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, so no matter what your hardware you should be able to get a version that suits.

Users of Microsoft Office will find it easy to learn and use, with the feel of the software being familiar and intuitive. It is compatible with all major file formats, and you can easily save back to Microsoft Office versions when required.

So before you buy your next license for Microsoft office, have a look at Libre Office. You will probably be pleasantly surprised and may just save yourself a few quid in the process.

http://www.libreoffice.org/

Everyone Loves Free Gifts - Day 3 : Google Docs

Google Docs is quite simply an amazing achievement, and for the majority of individuals presents a very credible alternative to buying a copy of Office.

Google describe it as " a suite of products that lets you create different kinds of documents, work on them in real time with other people, and store your documents and your other files -- all online, and all for free. With an Internet connection, you can access your documents and files from any computer, anywhere in the world. (There's even some work you can do without an Internet connection!) "

It has some amazing features built into it, including the ability to collaborate on documents, use forms to get feedback, to name a couple. It will convert documents from most major formats, and gives a number of export options to download it to your machine.

It also integrates with other google products including google translate. This allows for quick and dirty translation of foreign documents or spreadsheets and can be an invaluable time saver, when a precise translation is not required.

For the majority of us who don't need some of the more complex features of Excel or Access then Google Docs is going to cover what you need from an Office Suite. Don't let the simple appearance of the product convince you that it isn't any good. Underneath the basic exterior is a very powerful tool.

If you still haven't checked it out, go to

https://docs.google.com/