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Nothing to do with gardening but computers

granmagranma Posts: 1,929
in The potting shed
Can anyone tell me please ?
grandson Got a new pc do his school homework he is only at junior school .other than office  does anyone know if a free app he can download like Microsoft word ,are there anymore .Microsoft word ha s  to be paid for now I think
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  • SkylarksSkylarks Posts: 379
    I use Open Office. 
    http://www.openoffice.org/
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,840
    Microsoft 365 includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and isn't too expensive.  Ours is a family subscription and covers 3 PCs but you can get individual versions too.

    Make sure he gets malware protection such as Malware Bytes or McAfee to protect from viruses, worms, SPAM etc.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,937
    It’s important to ensure that whatever he uses is compatible with whatever his school uses, or the teachers may not be able to read his work. Maybe ask advice from the school?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,811
    Check with the school to see if they have an agreement with Microsoft for educational discounts. My old office had a deal which meant I could buy the whole Office package for about £10.
  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,816
    Yes open office is free I use it but don't know if it's compatible though.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,557
    Open Office is okay but I found it did weird things to formatting and fonts when opening and editing documents originally created in Word. 

    Microsoft offer a free online version of Word, you just need an email account with them. 
  • PeggyTXPeggyTX Posts: 556
    I am using LibreOffice 6.2 for some months now.  It's free, is very nice and has had no problems opening any MS Word documents to date (no formatting jumbling and such).  I'm slowly getting used to it.  It's as powerful and complete as MS Office.  Here's a link: https://www.libreoffice.org/.  The computer geeks on my favorite techie forums DSLBroadband recommended it over OpenOffice.  But I don't know if LibreOffice is compatible with your son's school's requirements.
    My low-carb recipe site: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/
  • steveTusteveTu Posts: 3,031

    I use Linux so Open office and then Libre Office have been the defacto tools since blah. They have been brilliant - from recollection Open Office supported PDF exports (Libre Office does). Both Open and Libre Office can read and save Microsoft format files (see web page for exceptions) - but I have had some formatting issues when trying to work on Microsoft stuff. But if the school is happy to accept PDF files then I would just use the 'open' file formats (odt instead of doc(x)) and export those as pdf for document interchange. It may be a problem if the school provide pre-formatted .doc(x) files to work on though. If you're running Windows anyway and you can get a cheap 'student' license, then I'd err on the side of caution and go MS tools.



    UK - South Coast Retirement Campus (East)
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,117
    edited October 2019
    granma said:
    Can anyone tell me please ?
    grandson Got a new pc do his school homework he is only at junior school .other than office  does anyone know if a free app he can download like Microsoft word ,are there anymore .Microsoft word ha s  to be paid for now I think
    Many Education depts subscribe to Microsoft's Education programs for their school networks. If your grandsons Education Authority is part of these programs he will likely be entitled to a free copy of MSOffice. Check with your Grandsons school or Education Authority. I manage school networks and all of our students are entitled to a free copy of MSOffice for the entirety of their education ( or until such time as the Education Dept ceases to pay for this facility) I belive if your Grandsons school ispart of such a program you can download Office365 for up to 3 devices.

    There's also another option. Just create a Google Gmail account for Grandson and you have access to a full Office suite with Google Doc's all free.

    Or as mentioned Open Office. Just remember to save any documents created in open Office in a format that can be read by MSOffice if that is whats used in your Grandsons school. The RTF format can be read by all word processors.

    Just a note regarding antiviral software. If your running Windows 10 it has its own built in Antiviral program. You do not need to buy another.

    Kili

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,527
    I use Google Drive.
    Can be somewhat limited at times fut I would assume for school work it would be quite adequate.
    Also use Open Office as well.
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
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