this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2026
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I didn't use Linux in college, but I did use many FOSS tools. LibreOffice is easily my favorite office suite and there's no contest. So long as you export your documents as .PDF or submit them as .DOCX, nobody is likely to know or even care what you used to type them.
This is likely to be similar for other types of software- as long as your finished product is compatible and looks good on the proprietary software, you shouldn't run into any issues.
BTW, the university had student access for Microsoft Office. I could have chosen to use their tools at any time and I simply chose not to.
While I love and still use LibreOffice, there are sometimes slight compatibility/formatting issues between documents made in .docx on LO and MO. We have TS users at work and MS broke the function of TS install requiring all users to be licensed, so and LibreOffice. Sometimes users get weird issues with formulas not translating in spreadsheets and same with visual basic, so in those instances, I've had to create a 2nd file and rewrite those VB code.
I also FWD myself my resume and open at work so I can ensure my own stuff looks good in either format/program. I have noticed the latest version of Office supports .ODF extensions, which is pretty cool
This. I use LibreOffice at home and M365 at work. It's definitely not 1:1 compatible like most people say. That's not to bash on LO, it's just the reality of it.
I still swear by Excel. While Calc is fine for essential spreadsheets, I run a VM just for Excel because there's no alternative for the advanced tools.
Good to know about the odf extension though. That's a good improvement.
I use LO for all my Office Suite needs. When I have to share with someone that uses MSO, I just run it through Only Office, see if it keeps the way I want to share it, and call it a day. Also, I make sure I have all the MS fonts installed.