I thought I’d switched this bullshit off.
I am currently working on novel number six. It starts with a bank robbery thirty years ago. As mentioned once before, I thought I’d switched off the wokery in my grammar checker. But, then, despite me repeatedly changing the default to British English, it reverts to the US version and we go through the rigmarole again. Any reader who is alarmed or offended by my use of the word ‘goddamned’ needs to have a firm word with themselves. And perhaps not read any of my other work, which is guaranteed to give them the vapours.
This one, still very much in the brain dump stage, is a modern thriller with a supernatural element. I am giving my French detective, Pascale Hervé another outing.
The Daleks have updated their threats, from “Exterminate!” to a far more insidious “One size fits all!”.
Just like the NHS really. If your malady fits into their processes, resources, and workflow (“One size fits all”) it can be quite economic and effective. But have several issues, or a difficult diagnosis, or a need for chronic care and you are on your own.
What office program are you using?
I haven’t seen ‘this may be offensive’ anywhere…
(Using Libre office, moved to it after Microsoft decided to make Office a subscription. Twats)
It’s almost like office used to be. Only minor differences.
I’m still using MS Office. I have tried alternatives, but never found them as easy to use. Not to mention compatibility with others. I might look at Libre. I’ve not tried that one.
I haven’t come across any compatibility issues. You can choose what format to save in, including .docx
As BiCyprus says below, classic office menus, easy to use. The help is good as well if you get stuck. I haven’t looked back.
I agree. I stopped using MS Office for precisely the same reason when I retired and could no longer piggyback off the work licence. LibreOffice is a very effective replacement, and the updates are quite frequent. As for compatibility, I’ve sent LibreOffice Calc spreadsheets and LibreOffice Writer documents to other people and they have never reported problems. It’s free, but they accept donations without being pushy about it, so I contribute from time to time.
A far more insidious “One size fits all!”
That didn’t work with a pair of gloves I bought yesterday…
+1 for Libre Office – it is excellent and uses ‘Classic’ Office menus…
I never use any checker, either for grammar or spelling. Does that mean I make the occasional misteak? Sure. But at least it’s mine, and not some smartarse Left-coast American’s.
And although I’ve never written a novel (thought about it a few times, and all I can say is that my respect for anyone who actually gives it a go is enormous), I usually write anything of any length in a simple text editor then import it to LibreOffice or Scribus for formatting if necessary. Gets the job done.
I’m told the Game of Thrones bloke uses a vintage IBM PC running WordStar.
The mention of the word goddamned just made me think of The Song by Joe Iconis, a break up song that contains the line “And don’t you goddamn write a song about me.” And toward the end “And as I walk out the door with no shame she says hey, at least change my fucking name.”
Even Libreoffice asks for money at intervals, but it comes as a polite request rather than an enforceable demand. Also Word has a tendency to steer you towards uploading your work to Microsoft’s servers, regarding which they have a bit of a track record: https://www.infoworld.com/article/3679748/github-faces-lawsuit-over-copilot-coding-tool.html
I have Microsoft Orifice 2007-2013 (no, not a typo) on the computer but it is set up as a dual boot machine and I will only start Microsoft Windoze if it is work related and need to use Orifice or AutoCAD. I am suspicious of exporting something to a different program/O.S. so don’t use Libre Office for professional use, just in case. However the latest Office programs will opena nd read Libre Office stuff.
For every day use, I use Linux Mint (or Linux Ubuntu on a second computer) which comes bundled with Libre Office. It has one or two quirks but nowhere as bad as the difference between Office 97-2003 and Office 2007-2013. I have several licensed copies of Microsoft Office/Word 97 which, if needed, I can load and use and use Libre Office to convert to a .DOCX to a readable ’97 format.
Not ideal but I do have bright and burning contempt for anything Microsoft and avoid using it unless forced to do so.
I have used LibreOffice (and precursors OpenOffice, StarOffice ) for around 25 years. I’ve not used anything else in the last ten years, and have no problems exchanging .docx files with colleagues using Windows around the world.