Isn’t just awkward that you use a different app? How do you explain?
Does this actually cause compatibility issues? If not, no need to explain
“Hey, I never liked Office 365, Microsoft as a company and all the Cloud shenanigans… And have you noticed how their products all become shittier and more invasive by the day? All while they increase subscription price each year now to finance all the AI stuff I rarely use? I’m a long-term fan of this other product, called XYZ which is just better in every aspect. No offense. If you want me to send you a link…”
(Edit: It’ll become easier after a while. At some point they all know you’re a Linux nerd and disassembled your wifi router at home, dishwasher… To get rid of proprietary spy components. And people will deliberately decide to listen to your opinion and lengthy rant, or make an effort to not bring up the topic 😆 At that point, you’re relatively free to speak your mind… Just read the room a bit. The goal isn’t to annoy people.)
I think that will really help if you really need to explain lol. Yeah, tell them you’re a nerd, that’s why!
Hehe. It depends a bit on the social group. But most people will be aware of it before I even open my mouth… Dunno, maybe it’s the long hair, or Debian t-shirt or something like that. But I rarely have to (verbally) disclose the fact I’m a nerd 😉 There’s some danger of confusion with the metalheads, but you know, people can fulfill several stereotypes simultaneously, so… confusion avoided…
For work, I have a work computer with a build on it provided by work.
If your work is letting/having you use something different, then explanations shouldn’t be needed. If youre doing this on your own, that may be a problem.
At my work, anybody can have Windows, Mac, or Linux. Each have an approved set of software that they can use. If it’s not on the approved list, and it’s something freely available and gets regular security updates, it’s usually not a problem to get it on the list.
I don’t have to explain to my co-workers what software I use. Most of the time, it’s cloud-based or web-based and universal, anyway.
this was my thought.
Literally no one will care. Just make sure that your documents works well for them.
“I use LibreOffice Writer and other Linux apps”. There, simple as that.
If they ask why and show a more actual concerned interest, I usually mention Microslop history of privacy invasions and history of deliberate incompatibilities in Office, and recommend a few links documenting that stuff as well as some legal hot waters Microslop has gotten into.
“Ewww, Windowsssss!”
Pinch my nose, spray my fingers with hand sanitizer, then walk away from their desk.
Hit them with a final “Yuck” as you walk away.
Hit them with a final “Yuck” as you walk away.
If the colleague is provoking you, a dismissal answer could be a good call, like (hypothetical case) “you use iPhone and I use Android and I don’t make a fuss about it”.
But if the awkwardness question is something your colleagues asked, and/or they’re genuine curious why you do, a more objective answer could be “I compared the two and for the reasons x / y / z, I decided to use LibreOffice / Linux stuff instead”.
I don’t use Libre Office, but regardless, I give absolutely zero shits what other people think.
I don’t. I just export to PDF if I need them to see formatting the same.
I practically never need to. I’ll find a way to make things work one way or another.
“Moral issues” or “to leave a better tomorrow” for the ppl I don’t wish to talk to all that much (or just can’t have a proper convo with them).
What, do i need a reason? Why do you use fitness app X and not Y?
I teach, so trying to adjust old ppts for lecture got a little weird because it turned the bulletpoints into mailboxes, and equation formulas are done completely differently so libre just makes them uneditable (a picture?).
When things got wonky in lecture though I managed just fine. My students are much worse, they open shit in non-MS apps all the time (.notes for takehome exams, or like, keynote, whatever) and fuck up formatting all the time, often without even realizing it. (I do provide PDF alternatives at least). Explaining I use libre really easy in that case, lol.
I only use LibreOffice and don’t tell anyone. It has only been a problem once when a client wanted me to use Word so she could keep track of changes. As a freelancer I wasn’t about to go and use Word for one client. I just submitted the work as a PDF and they never brought it up again.
LibreOffice Writer can also keep track of changes and it is compatible with Word 👍
It is the superior choice, doesn’t have ads, doesn’t try to sell you shit, it never updates without your permission, it doesn’t spy on you, it doesn’t sell your data, it is the superior choice, and penguins be cute.
