Erik Hanberg is debating whether to buy the next update to Microsoft Office on his Mac or to opt for another solution. I say go for it! I have written four books and lived without Office on my Mac since 2000.
How? I have used a variety of tools over the years - Nisus Writer, OpenOffice.org and others - but my main tool now is the latest version of NeoOffice. With this program loaded, I don't miss anything from Microsoft Office. I can use track changes without any problems, which is the main differentiator between other tools and Microsoft Word. Meanwhile, I can use a tool like Google Docs for simple opening, saving, sharing and minor editing of documents.
Yes, I do use Office at work, where the entire work environment is Windows-based. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. But I have so far avoided forking over hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Office on my last three Apple laptops. It can be done!
