You need to have a word processor period. Each and every computer user needs one. It is like sugar in the pantry, you just have to have it on hand. At least I have never in my over Ten years in the I.T. field met some one that did not need a word processor at one time or another. But might I digress, this article is not to convince you you need a word processor, it is to show you how to get a Free Microsoft Office.

If you are like most people you are using Microsoft's Windows Operating system. And you have a word processor called WordPad installed on your PC.

Where is it? Start Menu : Programs : Accessories: WordPad

What does it do? Not much. It will allow you to type a document and format it with some basic formating such as Font, Style, Paragraph settings, etc. Very basic rudimentary functions. It doesn't have spell check or a thesaurus, tables support, extended image functions. In short it is a wimpy, light weight text editor but not a full fledged word processor. WordPad is included with Microsoft's Windows Operating system, so it is not free. The most important thing to note is that it is just a text editor, and not a full Office suite of applications. That is to say it does not come with spreadsheet, drawing, HTML, Database, Presentation functions. For that you will need some thing like Microsoft Office Professional.

Hands down Microsoft Office is the most widely used office suite of applications used in the world. But Microsoft Office and or Microsoft Office Professional does not come with Windows. Some times your new PC will ship with Free Microsoft Office 2003 with a 60 trial period if you activate it with Microsoft. But of course you must be prepared to pay for it if you wish to use it for more than 60 days. Otherwise you will have a bunch of useless code that you either un install from your PC or allow it to take up valuable disk space on your hard drive.

Lets face it most times your colleagues and associates are using Microsoft Office to create the documents, spreadsheets and presentations that the world uses everyday. But the cost of a Microsoft Office is pretty steep. In fact in some cases you can spend as much or more for software that you actually paid for your new PC. What to do? Illegal copies of Microsoft Office are rampant but not really a solution. What you need is a Free Microsoft Office Professional. Is there such a thing? Yes! There is a Free Microsoft Office Clone. It will allow you to read, edit, print, and save in native Microsoft Office formats, and the best thing is that it is FREE! The Office Suite is called Open Office. This is what for many is going to liberate them from the abusive pricing that Microsoft's so insistent on foisting upon it's customers. You see it was built to function and perform just like Microsoft's Office, but it is an open source application. That means that the license to use it is free for life. You will never have to pay for it NEVER!

To a certain extent, the value of Open Office on the desktop and other open-source desktop applications is to limit Microsoft monopoly lock-in. It is in the world's best interest for there to be an alternative to Microsoft's monopoly on desktops. When it comes to an office suite Open Office is the obvious choice for its openness, compatibility, reliability, flexibility and low cost. There remains no more technical and functional barriers that must be addressed before Open Office is mainstream. Some would say that this Free Microsoft Office Clone already is based on it's over 2 million installed user base. So what are you using? How much are they charging you for the very things you need? In this day and age tools like a full fledge office suite are a necessity and not a want. For some there is no choice but to have an Office Suite such as Microsoft Office or Open Office. What is now a choice is whether you want to pay Micro$oft or get what you need for Free?