Can i use microsoft word on ubuntu?

Question

So heres the deal....all of my mates have switched to ubuntu and they say its pretty good so i want to give it a go but there are a couple of things i need to know. I started my physics coursework on microsoft word on windows 7 on my laptop so if i install ubuntu onto it would i be able to finish the coursework basically can i use microsoft word on ubuntu?? Also they told me that u could dual boot with windows 7 but that went straight over my head so some decent instructions or a link which explains it in detail would be appreciated cheers.

Answer 1

If you've got a lot of complex formating, no. If it's just fairly straighfoward formating then Open or Libre office will read the files just fine.



You also have more engines availible for the LaTeX engine, which is a typesetting program that is very nice for more complex documents that you want to fine tune, and for being able to display formulas correctly without a lot of hassle. It also has more advance typographic features than any WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) word processors. For something like a term paper it may be worth converting to this because the final result will look nicer (better word spacing, advance ligatures, some fonts such as libertine have three different number sets (fixed width for tables, normal, and capital-like to fit into captions and titles better), and more consistent and logical formatting throughout the work because the logic of the paper is revealed plainly to you, letting you more easily match it to the logic of the content.



If your friends have set up a dual boot before, they can help you do it, just make sure to back everything up first.

Answer 2

Overall a Linux based platform can perform most of the tasks equally as well as a proprietary platform using the likes of Ubuntu and its derivative distros. However Linux does have its limitations with some applications and in particular gaming. For example I retain a dedicated Windows partition to run specific applications such as Office 2010 etc.



I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 10 which is built upon Ubuntu 10.10 its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 10 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67



How To Dual Boot Linux Mint 10 and Windows 7

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2010/12/08/how-to-dual-boot-linux-mint-10-and-windows-7/



Linux Mint 10 Release Notes/User Guide

http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia.php



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 10 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto



Linux Mint 10 can also be run straight from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive



Once installed I recommend updating to Firefox 5 as Firefox 3.6 comes as default with Linux Mint 10



How To install Firefox 5 on Linux Mint 9 LTS/Linux Mint 10 using the Firefox Stable PPA

http://www.webupd8.org/2011/06/firefox-5-lands-in-firefox-stable-ppa.html







LUg.

Answer 3

No and YES, you can run Windows programs using W.I.N.E., but Ubuntu has there own version of Word, and its free and works that same, so theres no reason for installing Word unless you really want to use it.

Answer 4

Frankly, Yes you can use it through WINE, but it might piss you off while trying to install it.