[Discuss] LibreOffice and .docx files

[smallm at sdf.org (Mike Small)]

Nancy Allison <nancythewriter7 at gmail.com> writes:

> Hello, all.
>
> I painfully conclude that I must install Word on my Ubuntu 16.04 machine. I
> need to be able to handle Word files consistently.
>
> So I opened Synaptic Package Manager and searched for Microsoft Word. No
> luck.
>
> What do I do? How do I get it installed?
>
> I know, it pains me! But I don't see a way around it. All suggestions
> gratefully received!
>
> --Nancy
>

Okay, you said "all suggestions," remember that.

So here goes: The sooner you (and whatever network of people forcing
your hand here) can migrate away from Microsoft Word AND Libreoffice or
Openoffice and over to something like LaTeX the better off you will
be. You'll need to learn LaTeX of course (a wrapper for it named Lyx may
help smooth the learning curve, and there are various quite well written
books about it) but once you master it you should be much happier and
won't have to deal with these sorts of headaches, or with a number of
other headaches intrinsic to the PC wordprocessing WYSIWIG
approach. That was kind of a temporary abberration of the 20th century,
like Reaganomics, urban renewal or the cold war. WYSIWIG word processors
and their free software clones belong in a museum of popular culture
next to the hoola hoop, the Apple II and Barry Manilow albums.

-- 
Mike Small
smallm at sdf.org