Question about Microsoft Office or another product to download for classes.....

I have a Compaq Presario Laptop computer. I have to install something so I can type my papers and assignments. I was wondering what most of you have installed on your computer for your distance learning education. I was looking at Microsoft Office, and I see they have a few different ones, ie. Home, student, business, university, etc. I know NOTHING when it comes to this kind of thing!aranoid:

Any recommendations on what is good to use is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

This is probably your best bet:

Buy and download Office University 2010, create, share Microsoft Office 2010 documents - Microsoft Store Online

 

Get OpenOffice. It allows you to create and read all MS Office documents... and it'S FREE.

OpenOffice.org Downloads

 

Indeed, OpenOffice gives you everything you'll need for free.

 

I dont have a link handy but if you are already a student/have a .edu email you can purchase Microsoft Office student edition for like 9.99 I believe

 

Before you spend money, call FHSU and ask if your technology fee covers discounted or free dowloads of software like MS Office. Several schools do this.

 

Thank you for all of the replies!

I called FHSU and was told that it HAS to be a Microsoft Office product. I then referred to one of their online computer course syllabus, and it states "Other software packages such as Open Office, Google Docs, i-works, and Microsoft works are not acceptable." Hmm. I wonder why?

Soupbone, there is a discount for students. $99.00! Jeepers, that seems so expensive!

 

The reason they probably won't let you use OpenOffice is because the Computer courses probably have textbooks with steps specifically written for MS Office program procedures, and OpenOffice has only very very slight differences but differences nonetheless.

 

It is. It's also almost monopolistic.

I would imagine their prejudices against the other options fall into a couple categories:
1. Support. If FHSU staff doesn't know how to operate these other products, they can't help students with any problems.
2. Compatibility. Most people have never used the "Save As" command to save a document from one of these other programs into MS Office formats (see objection #1). To be fair, some document specific formatting may not carry over well-- but that shouldn't be a problem for standard college papers and whatnot. But you can always download a free viewer from Microsoft to check your documents to see if they look right.
3. Incentives. M$ may be giving them incentives to standardize on their products.

I use the free Office alternatives almost always at home, and only resort to MS products when absolutely necessary (or when using a Mac).

 

Microsoft Home Use Program - Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. The software suite includes Word, Excel PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access and more! $9.95

 

The link is no good without the program code and a recognized email from someone that is part of the program. I have used it through work.

 

Then share the code with our privileged degreeinfo.com members. lol :yes(1):

 

Every school I have attended and every school I have taught for the last ten years has required MS Word. A few schools I currently teach for go so far as to specify which edition. Several course ware platforms do not give you the ability to upload any assignment that is not in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. There may be some cheaper options to get you by for a while, but in the long run you will wish you would have just bought Office. The student deal for $99 is a great deal.

 

^ OpenOffice actually allows you to create .doc and .pdf files and they are compatible with MS Word. But as someone else pointed out, the main issue is that the steps and procedures in the books/course materials are going to be written specifically for MS Word.

 

...I did my undergrad @ FHSU and not once used MS Office .. OpenOffice was all I ever used, but that's just my experience.

 

Thank you to everyone for the continued replies.

BlueMason, I got the information from a class syllabus that is one of my mandatory classes. It is called MIS 101 Intro to Computer Information Systems, from the dept of Informatics. Do you remember taking this? Maybe Microsoft Office is only a requirement for this course.....

 

Again, thank you to everyone who took the time to reply. It is just ONE course that I have no choice. For some reason, the instructor will only accept Microsoft Office for MIS 101 Introduction to Computer Information Systems. Every other course at FHSU doesn't care what you use. So, I guess I am going to purchase Microsoft University for $99.

 

I took an online class through a local vocational college and was able to install the Microsoft Office demo I downloaded directly from Microsoft's website.
The class required a specific version of Office which I didn't have at the time but I really wanted to learn it for a job (the class is at Community Business College and 100% online).
The demo is a full version. The limitation is you only get to use it so long and then it stops working. In this case, the demo lasted me through the whole class time and later when I enrolled as a full-time student, I was eligible for the Microsoft student discount to buy the program with no expiration.
That's another way to go.

 

The MS Office Student Edition contains Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
I use all three of these programs during my degree programs and for personal use. At $99 it is a bargain. The Pro edition is several hundred dollars.