Microsoft Office on a Linux Machine?!
My middle child is headed to college this fall, and although the college doesn’t require a specific type of computer, it does require students to have Microsoft Office. Not Microsoft Office-compatible, but specifically Microsoft Office. That bums me out, but I figured Office 365 might be just the answer for a daughter who doesn’t want to get a Windows laptop.
The coolest part about Office 365 is that college students can get it free if they have a college email account. The free subscription doesn’t include a downloadable, installable version of Office, but for Linux users, that doesn’t matter. The online version is all we’d be able to use anyway, so for a college student, Microsoft Office doesn’t actually include a Microsoft tax.
The surprising part? Office 365 works great on Linux. No really.
I opened a few native Microsoft files and created a few of my own. The OneDrive storage worked wonderfully from the web browser, and even printing worked well. You can see in the screenshot that Microsoft converts the document into a PDF file so it can be printed natively on whatever system you’re using.
I’m surprised to report that Office 365 works so well on Linux, but it honestly does. For a college student, the online offering might be enough to meet all the requirements most colleges have for software. Even if you aren’t a fan of Microsoft and its products, I recommend at least trying Office 365 if you’re in a position that requires Microsoft Office, because it sure beats installing Windows 10!-Shawn Powers