"Certain critical infrastructure industries have a special responsibility in these times to continue operations." ~CISA.gov
As an Essential Service Provider, I am following the guidelines set forth by the CISA, CDC, federal, state and local advisories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to:
* I continue monitoring and being aware of new developments and adjust proceedures and practices accordingly.
I am offering deferred payment options in order to get your computer or Internet problems solved.
If your financial situation has been affected by the Covid-19 closures, I want to work with you until things get better.
The following Office Suites are similar to Microsoft Office and other commercial office software with one significant difference, these are free open-source products.
Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is quality software. You probably use FOSS, or access it several times a day and don't realize it. FOSS products power the Internet, web sites, phones and apps; even Apple and Microsoft make use of FOSS.
LibreOffice offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, vector graphics and math formula editor. LibreOffice files can be saved in several formats including those use by Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is based on OpenOffice, below. Either of which is an excellent suite.
Apache OpenOffice also offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, vector graphics and math formula editor. The differences between LibreOffice and OpenOffice are primarily cosmetic and history. It primarily boils down to personal preference.
Caligra adds a project management program to the suite, and also offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, vector graphics. Sometimes one feature makes the difference.
Scribus is a desktop publisher software. A couple comparatives are InDesign by Adobe and Publisher by Microsoft. " It is designed for layout, typesetting, and preparation of files for professional-quality image-setting equipment. Scribus can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms. Example uses include writing newspapers, brochures, newsletters, posters, and books."{wikipedia}
Thunderbird One thing the office suites above do not offer is an email, calendar, contact management system. Thunderbird meets that need.
I think one reason more prople don't use free open source software is the idea "free" means low quality. With these, nothing could be further from the truth. Plus, if you do not like them simply uninstall them. You will have not lost anything.
Transfer everything* from your old computer to your new computer.
You don't have to loose anything when you get a new computer.
* Learn MoreThe Alternative to Windows (and Mac), and its free
I have used and worked on Microsoft Windows since 1994. I have dealt with crashes, viruses, patches and numerous version upgrades, and the cost of software.
Then about ten years ago I installed Linux on an old computer that Windows would no longer work on. I've been hooked ever since.
Linux has become much more user friendly than it was years ago. It is stable; I hardly ever have any problem with it. It is secure; hardly any viruses infect it, and it is almost hack-proof.
There was a time when using Linux was not as user friendly, and the extent of basic software was limited. But not now, almost any software has a version made for Linux.
I still use Windows, occassionally, but my computer of choice that I use constantly runs Linux.
Finding a computer in the US with Linux already installed is rare; most new computers with Linux pre-installed are made in Europe. Most new computers in the US that do come with Linux pre-installed are not cheap.
However, if you have an old computer or buy a new computer without Linux, you can probably install Linux on it. Every Linux I have ever had was installed on an old computer that was to old or small to run Windows.
In some cases you can even try out Linux without installing it on a computer, by using what is known as a "live version". A "live version" runs the computer using a small thumb drive or CD/DVD without changing anything in the computer.
If you are a gamer (which I am not) you probably want to avoid Linux. From what I hear, while some games can be played on Linux.... some can't and some just don't work as well.
For everything else, Linux pretty-much has everything a general computer user will need - plus almost everything is free.
I still use and work on Windows, but three things I like most about Linux over Windows are its stability, its security, and I can do everything I want to do on my Linux.