11:29pm

A while back, I mentioned that I was giving LibreOffice a try to replace Microsoft Office.

I now consider that experiment to be a success. Aside from Microsoft Teams, I no longer have any Microsoft software installed on either my MacBook or my gaming box… and I’m not sure I’ve even re-installed Teams on my gaming box, since I’m experimenting with Linux again.

(I just like it better than Windows.)

The UI of LibreOffice Calc (their spreadsheet software, which is what I use the most) takes a little getting used to. But once you do, I feel it’s a little better than Excel.

I’ve pretty much decided that I will re-build my Writing Log from scratch in the ODS format (OpenDocumentSpreadsheet). Microsoft is notorious about not following or respecting the open document standards, and I think I already mentioned how kludged-up the styles are in my converted 2025 Writing Log spreadsheet.

Yeah… I don’t think I’ll miss Microsoft Office at all.

Final verdict… if you haven’t tried LibreOffice, why not? It’s 100% free and open source, and from my testing, the software is just as powerful and capable as Microsoft Office or Corel WordPerfect (is that even still around?) or other ‘mainstream’ office productivity suites.

I just had to commune with Google about it, and yes, WordPerfect is still around. You can find it here, if you are so inclined.

Okay. That’s all well and good, but I also tagged macOS Tahoe. That’s the newest version of Apple’s “computer” operating system, even though the lines between iOS, ipadOS, and macOS are getting increasingly blurry. I generally do okay with each new version of Apple’s OS, but I will confess I have a bone to pick with Tahoe.

They got rid of the Launchpad feature. Gone. Now a part of history.

I loved the Launchpad feature. I had all my program icons organized by groups and knew without hesitation where to look for what software… assuming it wasn’t pinned to my Dock.

I had a Publishing group where I kept the software I specifically used during the publishing process. I had a Writing group. A Utilities group. Once upon a time, I had a Microsoft group, but that vanished long before Tahoe came along.

Now? I have no idea where to look for anything. Okay, yes… I know. Go to Applications in Finder, and everything’s there.

But dammit, I have a right to rant about a beloved software feature going the way of the dodo.

So, if I miss Launchpad so much, why don’t I try to revert to macOS Sonoma?

That’s a very good question. I’m glad you asked.

Our brains are just like any other part of our body. We have to exercise them to keep them in as good a condition as possible. As much as I will gripe and whine and rant about Launchpad going away, I won’t revert to an older version to get it back. I’ll learn the new software.

Learning is how we exercise our brains.

I recommend it as often as you can manage. I also recommend approaching learning with an open mind and a willingness to fact-check your sources… but enough said about that for now.  😉🤣