Well, that boy from next door, he come over the other day, talkin’ ’bout this here o365 Linux thing. Says he’s gonna put it on my old computer. I said, “Son, what in the tarnation is o365 Linux?” He just grinned, said it’s somethin’ fancy, somethin’ new.
What’s this o365 Linux?
So, he’s fiddlin’ with my computer, clickin’ and clackin’ away. I’m watchin’, tryin’ to make sense of it all. He says this o365, it’s like that Microsoft Office thing, you know, where you write letters and such. But he says it’s all online now, in the cloud. I don’t know ’bout clouds, I just hope it don’t rain on my computer! And then he says there’s this thing called Linux, it’s like an engine, but for computer, it makes all run.
He’s tryin’ to explain it to me, but it’s like tryin’ to teach a pig to sing. It just ain’t gonna happen. All these words, like “kernel” and “distribution.” Sounds like somethin’ you’d spread on a field, not somethin’ you’d put in a computer. But that boy, he’s patient. He says, “Grandma,” he always calls me that, even though we are not related by blood, “it’s like this. You got your regular way of doin’ things, right? Well, Linux is just a different way, a new way.” I still do not understand, but it is new.
Why Use o365 on Linux?
Now, why would I want this o365 on Linux? That’s what I asked him. He says it’s faster, safer, all that. Says it won’t get them nasty computer viruses like before. Remember that time my computer got that virus? Lost all my pictures of the grandkids. Had to get that other boy, the one who’s real good with computers, to fix it. Cost me a whole apple pie, it did. This time, he said, Linux will keep computer safe, no more virus. This is important to me.
- Faster, he says. Like a greased piglet at the county fair.
- Safer, he says. Like keepin’ your money under your mattress.
- No more viruses. Thank the good Lord for that!
He says with this Linux, you can do all sorts of things. You can still write your letters, make your spreadsheets for the church bake sale, all that. But it’s just…different. Different ain’t always bad, I reckon. My old shoes are different now, got holes in ’em, but they’re still comfortable. I guess I am open to trying new things, even if I don’t fully understand them.
How to Get o365 on Linux
This is the part where it gets real muddy. He’s talkin’ ’bout “installing” and “repositories” and somethin’ called “Wine.” I thought he was offerin’ me a drink! Turns out, it’s another one of them computer things. He said, this “Wine” can help run windows program on Linux. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds helpful. He says it’s not perfect, but it can work.
He showed me all these steps on the computer screen. Click here, type this, wait for that. It’s like followin’ a recipe, but a recipe for somethin’ I don’t even know how to eat. He did it all for me, though. Said it was easy for him. He’s young, these things come natural to them, I suppose. He did all the steps and install o365 for me. He also installed some other program, he call them “alternative”.
Alternatives to o365
Now, he’s sayin’ there are other things, other programs, like o365 but not exactly. He calls them “alternatives.” Like substitutin’ margarine for butter, I guess. Says they can do the same things, just in a different way. He showed me one called “LibreOffice.” Sounds fancy, but it looks kinda like that old Microsoft Office thing. Another one is called “OnlyOffice”.
- LibreOffice: He says it’s free, like the air you breathe. That’s always good.
- OnlyOffice: This one, he says, works real good with them Microsoft files. That’s important, ’cause everyone else uses that.
- There are others, too, but those are the ones he likes best.
He says these alternatives are good for folks like me, who don’t need all them fancy bells and whistles. Just the basics. And they work on this Linux thing, so that’s a plus. I can still write my letters to my sister, keep track of my garden, all that. And it won’t cost me an arm and a leg, which is good, ’cause I need both my arms for huggin’ them grandkids, and both my legs for chasin’ after them chickens.
Is o365 Linux for Me?
So, is this o365 Linux thing for me? I don’t rightly know. It’s all still a bit of a mystery. But I’m willin’ to give it a try. That boy next door, he seems to know what he’s doin’. And if it means my computer will be faster and safer, well, that’s somethin’ this old lady can appreciate. I might not understand all the ins and outs of it, but I understand that. I think this can help me keep in touch with my family. That is most important.
And who knows, maybe I’ll even learn a thing or two. You’re never too old to learn, that’s what they say. Even if it’s just learnin’ how to turn the darn thing on! But I do think, it is good to keep up with the times. Maybe this o365 Linux is the future, and I don’t want to be left behind, even if I’m draggin’ my feet a little.
