this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2024
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Now that I have a work laptop, I've installed Linux on my home computer and it was simple and runs fantastically - actual results may vary as I work in IT and have grown up with a high tech involved family. However, the hill I'm happy to die on, is the fact that using Excel above a basic level in business, where information needs to be shared with non-technical staff cannot be replicated in Linux, and that Excel is still the best product to do this.
People saying libre office is a full replacement for Excel haven't seen what excel power users in offices can do. It's usually people who in another life would be programmers but for whatever reason they can't/won't make the leap out of excel and into full fat programming. Expecting these same people to convert to a free clone of excel that uses slightly different syntax and has less polish is a great way to lose a very valuable employee extremely quickly.
I absolutely love the environment that Linux affords one, and I would financially support the developers of the tools I rely on (which of course includes libre office) if I were in the financial position to do so, but I'm not delusional when it comes to the role Excel plays in the 21st century office. The business world is run from poorly backed up, undocumented Excel spreadsheets on anemic desktops, and that ain't changing anytime soon
I just looked up the definition of excel power user, and it's mostly stuff I deal with on a daily basis, so I guess I'm a power user.
That being said I am switching to libreoffice currently because I'm tired of proprietary bullshit. I also like the idea of being able to change libre for my needs if I want. I haven't seen any degradation other than a rough around the edges UI. What is libre lacking that MS has?
The uphill battle isn't technical it's social. The UI is a little less polished, the syntax is slightly different, and Excel has close to 30 years of market recognition. For 99% of excel users LibreOffice Math will absolutely cover their needs 100% with as much time spent figuring it out as they would spend figuring excel out. That last 1% of users however will complain that the syntax changed, they'll complain that they have to entirely redo the formulas in every one of their old spreadsheets, they'll feel undervalued and you better believe they're some of the most valuable people in the company because they learned long ago about working smarter and not harder, plus they know how to automate their work and are therefore much more efficient workers.