LibreOffice an Alternative to Microsoft

[Steve R.]

Why I Use LibreOffice Instead of Microsoft 365

LibreOffice is more than just a good substitute; it’s a worthy replacement in its own right.

www.makeuseof.com

At times it may be worth considering alternatives to Microsoft products.

 

[Isaac]

My favorite aspect is that it is able to save things in office format. Good article

 

[Cotswold]

I use LibreOffice all the time, have done for years now and recommend it.

However, I only use the Calc Spreadsheet and Writer, both of which will read and write to MS formats.
Some aspects are a little irritating and it maybe as good as MS Office from ten or twenty years ago.
Basically, it does everything I want but I cannot be considered a power user with spreadsheets. Just
some simple stuff now and again. If I need to do anything serious I'll use Access.
I have Office2021 but have never used the included Word and Excel. Only used Access2021.

Some do claim that the LibreOffice Base Database is an alternative, or replacement for Access but that is
pure nonsense from people without a clue. Base possibly may be useful to some but I cannot think of a
single application where it could be a consideration. You'll often see the ten or eight alternatives to Access
with Libra Base Database being at, or near the top. Clearly, as with most other "best of" declarations they are
compiled by the seriously inexperienced with an agenda of some sort.

 

[Steve R.]

Some do claim that the LibreOffice Base Database is an alternative, or replacement for Access but that is
pure nonsense from people without a clue.

Glad you brought that up. When I quit using MS Access, I experimented with Base. Very frustrating. Never understood it. Moved onto MariaDB as the alternative to MS Access. I would not recommend Base.

As an afterthought. Upgrades to the LibreOffice suite are periodically released, but I have not seen any upgrades for Base. That would seem to imply that Base may be an orphan application that no one is really interested in.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Moved onto MariaDB as the alternative to MS Access.

Really, you can develop actual applications with MariaDB? What language does it use to add code to your forms and reports?

 

[Steve R.]

Really, you can develop actual applications with MariaDB? What language does it use to add code to your forms and reports?

HTML & CSS

 

[Pat Hartman]

So, MariaDB isn't actually a replacement for Access. It is simply another database engine that needs a front end in order to do anything useful. Access is a RAD tool that creates applications. Jet and ACE are the database engines that are frequently confused with Access. It is Jet/ACE that MariaDB replaces, Not Access.

 

[Isaac]

RAD is an overused acronym. The R in RAD is proportionate to your skill level

 

[Steve R.]

@Pat Hartman, you are correct that MariaDB "is simply another database engine". There is no "front end" or "back end" when using MariaDB. You interact with the database through your internet browser, essentially you are implementing a web-based methodology. The web-base approach is made possible by the Apache server (in my case).