Why won't my computer(windows 10) stop trying to do some freaky update?

[Telok]

From my experience of having to use Windows products at work and Libre/Open products at home I'd say that all the functionality of the programs is essentially the same. The difference is in the user interface, workflow, and MS account requirements.

Although I have found the search and filtering in Outlook to be definitely substandard.

[factotum]

Although I have found the search and filtering in Outlook to be definitely substandard.

On the other hand, though, I don't think there's an open source equivalent of Outlook that also has all the PDA and calendar functionality--there's certainly nothing in the OpenOffice/LibreOffice suite that comes close.

[Fri]

From my experience of having to use Windows products at work and Libre/Open products at home I'd say that all the functionality of the programs is essentially the same.

Pretty sure that's one of the whole point of company developer. I was a product design student. For 3d modelling, the standard is 3dMax, which is super intuitive to use, but obviously it's super expensive, so only big professional studio use them. I tried using Blender, which is an open source free 3d modeling program. The functionality is essentially the same, it's a program to make 3d computer graphic, I'm pretty sure a pro 3d artist proficient with Blender can make breath taking 3d CG as much as someone proficient with 3dMax. But the UI, oh god. Comparing it, if using 3dMax is like you're controlling a sculpting robot hand that's controlled by your two hand, using Blender is like you're controlling a sculpting robot hand with joysticks that can only be moved with your teeth and your left foot.

[factotum]

I'm pretty sure a pro 3d artist proficient with Blender can make breath taking 3d CG as much as someone proficient with 3dMax.

If you want an example of that, go and look at the "Big Buck Bunny" video that was entirely animated and rendered using Blender.

[Bohandas]

It's best to steer clear of for-profit editing programs entirely

Instead use stuff like Libre Office, Blender, GIMP, Audacity, Notepad++ and so on

[Telok]

On the other hand, though, I don't think there's an open source equivalent of Outlook that also has all the PDA and calendar functionality--there's certainly nothing in the OpenOffice/LibreOffice suite that comes close.

Well that's because Open/Libre are office productivity suites, which doesn't include an email program.

[factotum]

Well that's because Open/Libre are office productivity suites, which doesn't include an email program.

And Microsoft Office isn't?

[Brother Oni]

Wow. That's weird, coulda sworn I always used backspace as the delete button is small and well hidden on my Surface keyboard.

You can remap the keyboard shortcuts in Libre Office - Tools > Customise > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys, then assign whatever key you want to whatever operation. Assigning Clear Contents to the Delete key will give it the same functionality as Excel.

Your post reminded me to double check how I had my Calc setup and it's got the same functionality as Excel - I must have remapped it some time and forgot about it.

[Fri]

It's best to steer clear of for-profit editing programs entirely

Instead use stuff like Libre Office, Blender, GIMP, Audacity, Notepad++ and so on

And it's best to steer clear of a commercial OS like windows, but you still keep using it instead of open source one like linux. That's life I guess.

[halfeye]

And it's best to steer clear of a commercial OS like windows, but you still keep using it instead of open source one like linux. That's life I guess.

If I can run Oblivion, Skyrim, Civ5 and half a dozen other games under Linux I'd be very interested in getting out from under Microsoft's thumb. It's why only reserve computers are running Win 10 here, but I don't believe I can yet, SteamOS was promising, but it seems to have died.

[factotum]

You can remap the keyboard shortcuts in Libre Office - Tools > Customise > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys, then assign whatever key you want to whatever operation. Assigning Clear Contents to the Delete key will give it the same functionality as Excel.

I think they may have changed this in recent versions of Libreoffice--I have version 5.2 and I noticed the other day that Delete was doing the "Delete without notification" thing while Backspace did the "make sure all ticked" thing. This is not something I've ever changed, so I assume it's a change in the defaults.

[Telok]

And Microsoft Office isn't?

Oh no, MS Office is. But the near monopoly on business/personal laptop OS that Microsoft has means that they can safely assume that anyone who has Office also has Outlook. So they have the luxury of integrating Outlook into Office at a fairly deep level that other makes of office suites and email clients don't have.

Libre/Open can't make any assumptions about what email client you use, it could be Outlook or even some custom program that you wrote, so instead of trying to support integration with everything (or even just the top 5 or 10) they just call your default email program through the OS. With Office it can assume that you have Outlook, and probably even Windows, so when the Office and Outlook programs are being designed the programmers can tightly integrate them. In fact I don't know if Office supports integration with anything but Outlook.

[factotum]

The problem is, you're viewing Outlook as just an e-mail client. It really isn't--in fact, it's rather average as e-mail clients go. It's the calendar and meeting request functionality in Outlook that makes it a good fit for an office application, and that's what there is no equivalent of in Libre/OpenOffice.

[Telok]

The problem is, you're viewing Outlook as just an e-mail client. It really isn't--in fact, it's rather average as e-mail clients go. It's the calendar and meeting request functionality in Outlook that makes it a good fit for an office application, and that's what there is no equivalent of in Libre/OpenOffice.

Oh I've seen other email clients with calendars and appointments, they've existed for decades. They aren't even that hard to write, I'm doing one next month. It's just that Outlook is bundled with the other MS products and MS is essentially a monopoly in business situations. It's not that it's any better than or there are no alternatives, it's just sort of ubiquitious and people don't usually look for anything else if something 'good enough' is already in front of them.

[halfeye]

Oh I've seen other email clients with calendars and appointments, they've existed for decades.

I was (reluctantly) using Outlook in 1998. Others, not so obviously present.

Outlook has been in some Office bundles, and not in others, since that time.

I did like that the Demon email client sat waiting and picked up email in the background, nothing since that I'm aware of has done that.