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Cheaper Alternative To Microsoft Office
By Mark Hocking
We all know software can get extremely expensive… and I’m not talking about graphics and design software suites from Adobe and Macromedia. I’m talking about the basics such as email, word processing and presentation software. Most of us are aware of the famous Microsoft Office Suite—it’s a great package and it covers all the basics mentioned above, but it’s expensive! It costs hundreds of dollars and for a lot of people—it’s simply too much (Especially if you’re a student!). But what many PC users don’t realize is that Microsoft Office is not the only Office suite out there, in fact there are dozens of cheaper alternatives to Microsoft Office that match it in terms of features, usability and compatibility.
The expense of the famous Microsoft Office Suite has also introduced another problem—software piracy. Thousands of users out to save money are tricked into purchasing illegal copies of Microsoft Office over the internet. The nastiest part of it all is that many computer users who purchase the pirated software don’t even know it’s illegal; they just think they are getting a special deal! Of course that’s not to say that most are oblivious to the fact, unfortunately they simply don’t care because they are saving money.
The main concern is that many people out there simply don’t know that cheaper alternatives exist. If people were more aware of the other choices out there, it could potentially solve part of the piracy issue. The knowledge that for less than $50 a PC user can purchase an almost identical package to Microsoft’s Office may persuade people to rethink piracy. By all means, I’m not saying Microsoft Office is not worth the money, because it is an excellent package. My point simply is that there are alternatives out there that offer as many features for a lesser price, and PC users should seriously consider them.
So what is the highest quality, cheaper alternative to Microsoft Office? Well, we’ve seen many office suites pop up in recent times, but many have simply fallen short in terms of features and compatibility. Especially in the earlier days when smaller software companies struggled to match what Microsoft offered in their packages. Nevertheless, there are now a reasonably high number of quality Office suites from independent companies that can cost you as little as $50. Some of the more popular ones include: EasyOffice, gobeProductive and the very popular Open Office Suite.
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