Do you really need Microsoft Office?

Microsoft Office has been around for years and it is arguably the top in word processing and spreadsheet software. However, it is not free. If you buy it outright, it costs anywhere from $149 for the home and student edition to $229 for the home and business version. There are also monthly subscription packages available from $6.99 – $9.99 for Office 365. For a breakdown of the features that each package offers, click the link below.

https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products

If you work in an office environment, you may definitely need the features of Microsoft Office. What if you just want something to write letters with and dabble in the occasional spreadsheet? There are a few free alternatives that will open Microsoft Office files. One of my favorites is called LibreOffice. (libre = free) It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux. If you don’t have any office software on your machine it is worth checking out LibreOffice. Click the link below to download it.

http://www.libreoffice.org/

One other popular Office alternative is Google Drive. It is web-based which means you can access your files from anywhere you have internet. You can also share documents created with other people and collaborate in real-time. If you already have a Google or Gmail account, you just need to sign into the website. Check out the link below.

https://drive.google.com/

Do you use Microsoft Office or any of the alternatives? Let me know in the comments below. Happy writing!

Firefox 52.0 update

Firefox 52.0 was released earlier this week with some noticeable changes. This new version increases awareness of insecure sites by showing a warning message where there are username and password fields.

One other big change is the removal of NPAPI-based plugins with the exception being Adobe Flash. So if you need sites that use Java and Silverlight, you will need to use a different browser or stick to an older version of Firefox.

To update, try the following steps:

Windows: Go to the Help menu and select About.

Mac: Go to the Firefox menu and select About Firefox.

To download a fresh copy of Firefox on either Windows or Mac, you can go to the link below and click the green Download Firefox button:

Link –> Mozilla Firefox

SOURCE: Mozilla

Firefox 51.0.1 update

Firefox 51.0.1 update

There were a few bugs in the Firefox 51.0 update released earlier this week. Mozilla has released version 51.0.1. Here are the changes:

– Multiprocess incompatibility did not correctly register with some add-ons
– Geolocation not working on Windows
– Reference link to 51.0 release notes

To update, try the following steps:

Windows: Go to the Help menu and select About.

Mac: Go to the Firefox menu and select About Firefox.

To download a fresh copy of Firefox on either Windows or Mac, you can go to the link below and click the green Download Firefox button:

Link –> Mozilla Firefox

SOURCE: Mozilla

Firefox 51.0 update

Firefox 51.0 update available

Mozilla has released Firefox 51.0 for Windows and Mac. This update includes various security updates and several new features.

– URL bar shows zoom level percentage.
– Non-secure login pages shows warning message.
– Added FLAC audio support.

To update, try the following steps:

Windows: Go to the Help menu and select About.

Mac: Go to the Firefox menu and select About Firefox.

To download a fresh copy of Firefox on either Windows or Mac, you can go here and click the green Download Firefox button:

Mozilla Firefox

SOURCE: Mozilla

Apple released iOS 8.2 software update

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Last week Apple released an update (iOS 8.2) to their iPhone/iPad operating system. Besides fixing numerous issues including the FREAK vulnerability, it also adds support for the upcoming Apple Watch.

To install the update directly from your device, go into Settings –> General –> Software Update.

Once you install it, you may notice a new icon on your device called Apple Watch. If you have no plans on getting the Apple Watch, you may be wondering how to get rid of the app. While you can’t delete the app, you can move it into a folder so it is out of the way.

For a full list of all the fixes in this update, please check out the Apple support document.

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1794?locale=en_US