Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Office Now Available On All Chromebooks (theverge.com)
Microsoft has reportedly finished testing out its Office apps on Chromebooks as a number of Chromebooks are now seeing the Office apps in the Google Play Store. Samsung's Chromebook Pro, Acer's Chromebook 15, and Acer's C771 have the Office apps available for download. The Verge reports: The apps are Android versions of Office which include the same features you'd find on an Android tablet running Office. Devices like Asus' Chromebook Flip (with a 10.1-inch display) will get free access to Office on Chrome OS, but larger devices will need a subscription. Microsoft has a rule across Windows, iOS, and Android hardware that means devices larger than 10.1 inches need an Office 365 subscription to unlock the ability to create, edit, or print documents.
Don't trust the soft-spoken Nadella. Microsoft is still into sucking your soul and leaving your empty shell by the wayside. They haven't changed.
Free my ass. It's as free as the first heroine fix at your nice local dealer.
And if so, why shouldn't I use the website in the first place? Offline abilities?
Wow! already modded up.
Serious question: why would you want to use MS Office Lite for a fee when Google Docs and LibreOffice ownCloud are free? Maybe it's just me but I think the people who are buying Chromebooks aren't looking to throw away money on software.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
... ?
20 years ago $lashdot was a site with a consensus that knew the evil acts being performed by M$ to hold onto their illegal monopoly. Their tactic? Embrace, extend, extinguish. M$ started using astroturfers to infiltrate $lashdot. When Google was just starting to get huge and handing M$ their asses to them Sweaty B then threw a chair at someone that defected to Google and declared 'I'm going to fucking kill Google". Today M$ is using said tactics against GNU/Linux and, by extension, Android. M$ knows their Vista 10 as a portable OS is a huge flop and now they are using embrace, extend, extinguish to eliminate Google and eventually, GNU/Linux. $lashdot is practically nothing more than a M$ shillpiece, astroturfing for M$ and this story prove it. it is too late to do anything now that Sweaty B's buddy Trump is President. M$ will use the president to eliminate free software. Stallman warned us that there will be those that will eliminate free software and force us to rely on non-free software yet not many listened. M$ hasn't changed and M$ will become a monopoly again.
--
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Friends do assist M$ addicted friends in committing suicide.
Yes. If your job involves opening docx, pptx or xlsx files created with Microsoft Office, and you need 100% compatibility with those files, you need Microsoft Office. Period. Nobody is going to risk incompatibilities when their job depends on it or whine at people to resend as ODF, because their ability to pay rent and eat depends on that job. Then there are university students who need to open MS Office templates and presentations. In addition, Powerpoint doesn't mess up your slides when saving and restoring because something was an invisible half-pixel off (like Impress does), and Word doesn't redline words just because it chose to use a dictionary from another language (like Writer does).
Comment removed based on user account deletion
How high is the support cost for, say, gcc, or xfig? Or Perl, or Python? Or GNU R? For Microsoft, that'd be chump change. Yet they run on all GNU/Linux distros, no problem.
It's just Microsoft trying to gain influence in the (how they call it) "Open Source Ecosystem".
Embrace, extend... all over again.
We know you.
So it's an Android app.
They're also on Dex* in exactly the same manner, only without all the Chrome OS shit slowing them down. Again you have to have an Office 365 to use it in Dex mode. It also has an alternate screen mirror mode, if you switch to mirror mode, your MS Office on Android runs fine without needing the license, but it doesn't work like a desktop, it works like a landscape Android device mirrored to a big screen.
* Dex is Samsung's dock that turns their more recent Android phones into window desktop systems complete with support for wireless keyboards, wired Ethernet etc.
YET:
1) Android STILL doesn't run properly on a tablet, not because it can't but because Google don't let it. You can't get it on > 10 inch tablets because its total shit on large tablets.
2) Android closes and opens the activities, forcing apps to save everything and recreate everything each time. Mostly due to an old bug fix. It really closes and reopens apps simply by pressing the lock screen or flipping to another app to get an app into pause state. Press Bixby button and the app at the front is closed. This is much much worse on Android 7:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25369909/onpause-and-onstop-called-immediately-after-starting-activity
2a) It's been doing this since version 5, but its so bad now that even saving into a service won't guarantee your app will be kept alive and loaded. Even the services are killed often.
3) If the user has the tablet in landscape and a single app wants to run in portrait, Android still makes you pick up the tablet and rotate it, even if it has a keyboard attached.
4) Dex is based on Android N, and Android N treat apps that are portrait or landscape as non-resizable, yet those apps support multiple resolutions and densities so they are resizeable. App orientation != resizability. Conversely an app can be non-resizeable and yet runable in a window. Why should an app that's designed for a long-tall portrait window, also support a wide landscape window??? Presenting two interfaces for the same app, one for landscape and one for portrait is confusing.
5) Googles multi-windows for Android are based on Androids most-recent-used list, but users use the MRU list to close active apps, so its usually empty. There isn't a nice clean way to close apps when you've finished with them otherwise, most apps implement back back back... until closed. Since the MRU is useless because of this, Google's multiwindows are largely useless.
6) Android app stack was designed for single tasks and it doesn't work in multi-task systems..... a) Open App, b) click link in App, c) Press Home button, d) Open different App, e) click different link in app d)..... Android thinks a) app is finished with and can be closed... that's a false assumption. There's not one stack of unfinished tasks, there are two independent unfinished task stacks.
Google has put so much effort into a complicated pile of shit Chrome OS, that makes it a very bad Android platform, and yet they've done NOTHING to make Android run on tablets properly. Apple has increased market share with their iPad Pro range. Chrome OS runs in landscape only, it has a keyboard in landscape, yet web pages and documents are portrait.
So many bad choices here in Android land. Chrome OS being just the latest one.
Yes, I still use MS-Office. LibreOffice is still only 90% of the way there. I can produce much better quality documents with the formatting I want using Word, Excel, and sometimes Visio. However, the applications peaked in 2007 and I use only 2007 or 2010 versions for my company. Newer Office versions add no useful features for me and have extra tentacles going into your wallet.
Nice try MS.
I don't read AC
Then they laughed at it,
Then they fought it.
Then it won.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
On second thoughts, scratch that. I don't need no MS-Office polluting my pristine chromebook.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
It's far from ALL, but that's hardly Microsoft's fault. I'm typing this on a Chromebook right now without Play Store support which means I'm still stuck on the web app. It's still more functional than the G Suite in my opinion.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
And nothing of value was gained...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
If you need 100% compatibility you have to be running the exact same version, on the exact same hardware and configured to use the exact same printer... In practice, 100% compatibility is never achieved with the msoffice files and you can just get varying degrees of compatibility depending what you're doing... In some instances, libreoffice actually does a better job of opening files and in some it doesn't. The only real difference is that people are conditioned to accept the incompatibilities and bugs with msoffice so they overlook them.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
True.
I have quite a few documents, presentations, etc. which I couldn't consider to be especially complex or quirky...Full MS Office handles them OK, but LibreOffice and OpenOffice either fail to open, crash with, or open in some corrupted form. Even the free Office Mobile apps handle these files better than Libre/Open do.
In some instances, libreoffice actually does a better job of opening files and in MOST CASES it doesn't.
FTFY. I really wish LibreOffice was compatible enough (or that people would just not use word) but it's not.
I've had office on my chrome book since last summer, and there wasn't any indication it was new then. this is old news.
Which is why so many universities provide students with a license for the latest MS Office when enrolled (because that's what their professors use), and any serious professional who needs to open and edit docx, xlsx or pptx knows to have the latest version installed and so do the other professionals he/she works with. Hardware is irrelevant (when we are talking about the real MS Office here, not the little web version) and printer settings are always set to sufficient margin. That's how template and document exchange works in the real world. LibreOffice has too many gaps in OOXML support, sorry. However, LibreOffice is good for opening ODFs, hence many printing shops who need to open documents from both Libre and MS Office actually have both. So yeah, people are still using MS Office. And PhotoShop. And AutoCAD. And MATLAB. Deal with it.
"Microsoft has a rule across Windows, iOS, and Android hardware that means devices larger than 10.1 inches need an Office 365 subscription to unlock the ability to create, edit, or print documents"
So if I have a 9" tablet does it suddenly lock up when I use Chromecast w/ Bluetooth mouse/keyboard?
Twinstiq, game news
Microsoft Office Now Available On All Chromebooks
And in other excellent news, my dog has announced that its feces will be available from time to time on neighbours' lawns.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
If you need 100% compatibility you have to be running the exact same version
Different versions of Microsoft Excel are maybe 90 percent compatible. LibreOffice Calc, on the other hand, is maybe 50 percent because the macro APIs are completely different. An inventory feed validator application supplied by Amazon as an Excel workbook with macros is likely to run across supported versions of Excel but not on LO Calc.
Good thing observation bias is strong enough to maintain Office sales.
For $20/year, you can keep current with Office for 4 years if you have a student email address during the initial activation. Yeah boo-hoo what a bunch of money-grabbers. Other than the deceptive ways that MS shoved Windows 10 down everyone's throat, they're far better than they were 10 years ago.
But I guess a lot of people would prefer systemd-officed
Look, you little asshole: I'm using free software not because it doesn't cost anything (clue: it does cost, and you even can throw money at it), but because its developers don't treat me like shit.
.. it's only available if you pay the fucking microsoft tax you were trying to avoid in the first place by buying a chromebook.....
and this ain't no 99c app. it's 7.99... *a month*.... for a stripped down, slow, buggy, poke-the-finger version of office.
The German government just announce that they are switched to Chrome OS...
This is true, Libreoffice really sucks. I've had so many problems even copy/pasting into LibreOffice, since for some reason it doesnt recognize numbers.
Only Office is much more compatible, and even has the same glitches when opening documents in LibreOffice as Microsoft Office has.
As a grad student (who's also taken a few undergrad classes recently), I use LibreOffice. Opening things like syllabus documents isn't ever a problem. As far as saving and submitting online or via email, I just save in .pdf format, which basically guarantees that a document will be readable to the professor.
My experience. Yes, my kids use Google Docs/present/etc. in grade and high school.
As soon as they move into College, MS Office is a must. Suddenly, the Chromebook/Linux Box ceased to be as useful as there are formatting issues galore when converting to PowerPoint and Word. Though I did find the latest version of Libreoffice has improved, but still not perfect.
How does it determine screen size? Seems like this would be something fairly easy to spoof to "unlock" full functionality on devices with bigger screens.
Hmmm, even my *brand new* Chromebooks are too old to run Android apps without "migrating user profile data to Android N's new filesystem." Not sure I have time to engage that particular tar-baby... https://support.google.com/chr...
I am not left-handed, either!
...though not really Slashdot's fault as they're just passing the message along.
Microsoft Office is available on all Chromebooks that support running the Google Play Store and whatever Android apps it has in it
If you have a Chromebook not on the supported list and/or running the wrong kind of processor (though mostly just old Chromebooks) then you can't run the Google Play Store and therefore you can't run Office in the manner described here.
What the article was really trying to say is that for some period of time only selected Chromebooks that ran the Google Play Store could run it, artificially limited due to testing purposes. That's done now. But if you're like me and you still have some ancient Acer Chromebook you're not getting it. I know, I tried last night thinking this was an "app" in the way that most ChromeOS "apps" are (i.e., just web pages pretending to be apps)
Schnapple
IBM used to be a byword for proprietary lock in. Then PC clones took over and IBM's attempt at moving people from them to PS/2s, MCA and OS/2 failed.
And then IBM changed to be a proponent of open systems, The Cloud and so on.
Of course The Cloud gives another kind of lock in because the company that controls your cloud accounts controls all your data. For a long time Google kept people from noticing this because your Gmail data limit grew with time. Now it's stopped growing and because people don't delete their emails in Gmail, eventually they'll need to start paying. And Google have all your data, which means they can monetize it.
Microsoft could offer Office on iOS, Android and Chromebooks and then do what Google did. MS Office after all still has a certain amount of cachet in the mind of the general public.
Interesting thing is their pricing model
https://www.theverge.com/2016/...
Microsoft has offered Office free to Android and iOS devices for two years now, with some restrictions for larger devices. Now that Chromebooks are starting to get access to Android apps, those same restrictions will apply for Google's laptops. Just like the iPad Pro, Chromebooks with a screen larger than 10.1 inches will not be able to access Microsoft Office editing free of charge.
This restriction includes most Chromebooks on the market, and it's only devices like ASUS' Chromebook Flip (10.1-inch display) that will be able to use Microsoft Office free of charge. "Google Play on Chrome OS is in beta, we are partnering with Google to deliver the best experience for Chromebook users and plan to make the apps available on all compatible devices by general availability," explains a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to 9to5Google. "On devices larger than 10.1 inches, an Office 365 subscription is required to unlock the ability to create, edit, or print documents."
This isn't a new strategy or policy, and Microsoft isn't unfairly targeting Chromebooks. The software giant revealed last year that it would classify a machine with a 10.1-inch display or below as a "true mobile device." Microsoft applied the same rules to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, while the smaller iPad Pro still retains free access to Microsoft Office. Microsoft currently offers individual Office 365 Personal subscriptions for $6.99 per month, or $69.99 a year.
I.e. it's free on cheap device. It's $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year on expensive ones. Of course in the long run more devices will have screens above 10.1 inches and that means people will need to pay. It's smart, but it's a trap.
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
Saying "Chrome OS is Linux" is bullshit. M$ wouldn't dare to actually make a .deb or .rpm file for a Linux repository. They'd rather you use their emulator (WSL) instead.
FYI:
I am a university prof, and I use libreoffice. If students send me MS files that my software cannot read, I might just fail their course (well..i don't, layout is rarely that important and nice people can usually find a solution).
In fact, I find I grown important enough to force my habits on others (just like others have been doing to me during the last 15 years).
Don't pretend MS office does not have bugs. Also: impress never messed up my slides (unless saved as ppt).
So I notice you ignored the existence of LibreOffice ownCloud, is there some reason for that?
I had never heard of LibreOffice ownCloud. A web search produced a first result that isn't responding. (I checked on isup.me and the site appears to be down.)
The following is conjecture based on what little I know about ownCloud from other sources: In order to evaluate it, I would need to do one of two things, neither of which is without charge. One is purchase a server on which to run ownCloud and upgrade my home Internet to business class in order to have a static IP, avoid blocks of inbound ports 80 and 443, and avoid a disconnection penalty for running a server. The other is lease a VPS on which to run ownCloud. Either way, I would also need to buy a domain.
1997 .doc document I sent you? .wps files.
User1: Hey did you get the
User2: Yes, but my word processor only opens
User1: That is because you are using Microsoft Works. Switch to Microsoft Office, it is better / newer.
2003 .xml document I sent you? .doc files.
User1: Hey did you get the
User2: Yes, but my word processor only opens
User1: That is because you are using the old Microsoft Office. Switch to Microsoft Office 2003, it is better / newer.
2007 .docx document I sent you? .xml files.
User1: Hey did you get the
User2: Yes, but my word processor only opens
User1: That is because you are using the old Microsoft Office. Switch to Microsoft Office 2007, it is better / newer.
2010
User1: Hey did you get the Microsoft Office document I shared with you?
User2: No, I can't use SharePoint.
User1: That is because you are using the old Microsoft Office. Switch to Microsoft Office 2010, it is better / newer.
2016
User1: Hey did you get the Microsoft Office document I shared with you?
User2: No, I can't find it on the SharePoint server.
User1: That is because you are using the old Microsoft Office. Switch to Microsoft Office 365, it is better / newer.
A few observations:
A) Incompatibility by design. Side effect, your documents may become obsolete and unreadable.
B) A fool and their money will soon be parted. Be prepared to pay for the same word processor over and over.
C) The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.
Go read the Debian social contract to get an example on why that's not true. And there are many more.
Oh, what a shocker, an unnecessary cross-platforming decision that no one actually cared about in the long run. I mean, what's wrong with google docs? yet everyone seems to focus on how it's done. https://droidinformer.org/Stor... I probably sound like an asshole but this tricky strategy of no development is annoying as hell.