Even though I've used Microsoft products for the vast majority of my IT career, I've started wondering what competing products are out there, especially after seeing the rising price tags on some of these software packages. I've had some exposure to "Nix" operating systems such as Red Hat Linux, Solaris and HP-UX, but not much in the way of productivity suites that contend with Microsoft Office.
I recently read an article titled Alternatives to Microsoft Office, in the review section of CNET that gave a brief rundown of traditional packaged software suites and some of the online services such as Google Apps that do compete in this arena.
The article included links to reviews of the various productivity suites and offered a comparison chart that proved to be a good primer on what alternatives are available, licensing costs, their capabilities and support plans. I don't know if I'm ready to switch to an open source operating system on my home PC, but some of the productivity suites look promising.
Would you consider replacing your Microsoft Office suite in the workplace or at home? Have you tried any of these alternatives? If so, please feel free to comment on your experience.
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