stupid question...

encore1

Hi, Im buying a new laptop. Do i need to buy ms office for it to work?

(im actually laughing at how retarded that sounds!)

Thanks!

aidanathome

If you want to use MS Office, then it's more than likely that you'll need to buy it separately. It usually doesn't come free with it.

goingitalone

encore1 wrote: »

Hi, Im buying a new laptop. Do i need to buy ms office for it to work?

(im actually laughing at how retarded that sounds!)

Thanks!

yup ya might get a trial for so many days . you have to buy a licence if you want the full version . why just use open office or the equivalent free software

encore1

aidanathome wrote: »

If you want to use MS Office, then it's more than likely that you'll need to buy it separately. It usually doesn't come free with it.

Ok thanks, so if i wanted to do college assignments id have to get it? What can i do on the laptop without it?
Sorry to sound so dense!

goingitalone

encore1 wrote: »

Ok thanks, so if i wanted to do college assignments id have to get it? What can i do on the laptop without it?
Sorry to sound so dense!

well no you could use the likes of open office etc that are free, so you dont have to buy , personal choice really .

aidanathome

Like goingitalone said above, you'll probably get a trial for 30 (or so) days, and after that you'd need to buy the full version. If you're a full time student, I think the student version is a lot cheaper (for the same functionality) as the full version.

Another option would be to use Open Office. It's free and allows you to view and modify MS Word files. It might have some issues with formatting, etc though, so it could come down to how strict your college is.
It might be worth asking your college IT staff?

bonzodog2

Depending on what kind of content you want, you might even get away with Wordpad

PaddyBloggit

You can also use Open Office (a free alternative to Microsoft Office):

https://www.openoffice.org/

encore1

Thanks for all your replies. I didn't really fancy forking out an extra €100ish!

I nearly bought one in a shop last week but the salesman had me convinced that the laptop was essentially "only a machine" and that it wouldn't work (as in do anything) without the ms office...can't knock the guy for trying i suppose!

Thanks again!

the_syco

What will you be using Office for? Basic Word, or would you be using it for formulas and/or programming Access & Excel?

encore1

the_syco wrote: »

What will you be using Office for? Basic Word, or would you be using it for formulas and/or programming Access & Excel?

Just basic word. Maybe excel at some point

backspacer

Open office or libre office are ideal alternatives and are free.

PaddyBloggit

Open Office will do all that for you and it's free.

longhalloween

encore1 wrote: »

Just basic word. Maybe excel at some point

I'd go for Open Office.

It has most of the features of MSWord, including Open Office Calc, which is similar to Excel.

You can save in MSWord formats, so formatting errors are rare enough.
I generally export as a PDF just to be sure nothing gets lost in translation when I submit assignments.

Steve F

Hi encore1
Why not just use G Mail and Google Docs? The Docs do everything that MS do like Word,Excel etc

the_syco

Steve F wrote: »

Hi encore1
Why not just use G Mail and Google Docs? The Docs do everything that MS do like Word,Excel etc

Mainly because if his internets go down, he's fecked. Sh|t tends to happen before an assignment is due in

encore1 wrote: »

Just basic word. Maybe excel at some point

Just get Open Office in that case. Unless you're doing fairly advanced Excel formulas, you'll be fine. Bare in mind that a Word document opened in OOO and a Word document in MS Office can look slightly different, so check your doc on the normal MS Office before sending it off, if using it as a CV.

riclad

GET openoffice,
google docs needs web connection to work.

Capt'n Midnight

aidanathome wrote: »

Another option would be to use Open Office. It's free and allows you to view and modify MS Word files. It might have some issues with formatting, etc though, so it could come down to how strict your college is.
It might be worth asking your college IT staff?

the latest versions of Libreoffice / Openoffice have less problems with formatting and file compatibility than older versions of office would have.

I prefer Libreoffice to openoffice.

Impress rocks , when giving a presentation on an external projector the laptop screen shows the next slide, easier to use than power point

Anyway saving files as .pdf
or office 2003 format means they can be opened by everything (except really really old versions of office)