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Winapps for work stuff (lemm.ee)

submitted 19 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

tl;dr : Does Office 365 work well on Linux via winapps?

longer version:

At my work, I'm currently using my own (Windows) laptop. But its getting a bit long in the tooth, and my tolerance of Windows continues to drop... So I'm considering my options.

One option is to buy myself a new laptop and use Linux. The main barrier to this is that I use Office 365 stuff a lot for work. (Specifically: Word, Excel, and OneNote).

In my brief look around, my impression is that the only reliable way to get those products running on Linux is using winapps; which, as I understand it, basically runs the apps in a virtual machine but tries to make them look like they are running on the host OS.

(The alternative option is that my work will lend a Windows laptop to me indefinitely. But I generally like my stuff to be my own, and I don't like to create waste by accepting cheap and crap laptops with short life-spans.)

I'm writing here to ask if anyone has any experience using winapps. Does it work reliably? Is it easy to open and save files without any weirdness? Will I be able to use a stylus to write notes in OneNote?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (4 children)

All the Office suite has browser based versions. Why would you even bothering to install them?

Regardless, they will work just as well on a VM under Linux as they would on Windows.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago

I'd prefer not to rely on browser based versions if I can help it. (I don't like having a weird hybrid of browser UI and app UI. Also, the browser versions are not as responsive, and are not feature-complete.)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 18 hours ago

A virtual machine is the move, I've had a great experience with virt-manager. Strongly recommend debloating the windows VM if Microsoft is getting on your nerves. Here's my go to software: https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat

Worksorks on both windows 10 & 11. It'll allow you to remove telemetry, tracking, and even software Microsoft prevents you from uninstalling. I just can't get it to remove Edge. But MentalOutlaw has a fantastic walk through of the process on his YT channel if you want some guidance with the debloating process.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 18 hours ago

The browser based apps really don’t feel like alternatives. Scrolling in Excel 365 is particularly painful and it doesn’t seem to have the full range of functions and graph creation tools etc

[–] [email protected] 4 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I keep forgetting that's a thing.

I've been using LibreOffice since switching to Linux and that's working plenty fine for me. But I'm a one-man business with nobody else to please so 🤷‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Also 90% issues people say they have with Libre Office making docs look weird is is fonts. Unless you are power pivot master Libre Office covers all you need.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I'd be happy enough to move to Libre Office exclusively; except that I need to be able to collaborate with others who are using MS Office - and that's a battle I don't really want to fight right now.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

That's what I'm saying at this point if you update to use default windows fonts you can save docx files no problem the formatting will be 99% there

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago

Maybe so, but then there's still Excel and OneNote.

Regarding OneNote in particular, I'm not using that for any collaborative work; but I do have extensive notes and useful past work there. I reckon OneNote is pretty good - but I regret using it now because of the lock-in effect. And there doesn't seem to be any Linux analogue at all. (What I need is xournal++ integrated into Joplin. I sometimes fantasize about trying to hack that together myself; but that's just a dream really.)