How do you explain to your co-workers that you use Libre Office Writer and other Linux apps?

Do NOT tell anybody in the office that you use Libre Office.
If you do, you will be blamed for every problem anyone encounters.

Font size looks incorrect - Carl's fault for using libre office to edit the file (even though you never worked on that project at all).

Paper jamb in the printer - Carl's fault for printing a document from that weird libre office program.

I got fired for saying something racist on twitter - Carl's fault for using that weirdo libre shit.

Does this actually cause compatibility issues? If not, no need to explain

I don't owe my co-workers any explanation.

"Hey, I never liked Office 365, Microsoft as a company and all the Cloud shenanigans... And have you noticed how their products all become shittier and more invasive by the day? All while they increase subscription price each year now to finance all the AI stuff I rarely use? I'm a long-term fan of this other product, called XYZ which is just better in every aspect. No offense. If you want me to send you a link..."

(Edit: It'll become easier after a while. At some point they all know you're a Linux nerd and disassembled your wifi router at home, dishwasher... To get rid of proprietary spy components. And people will deliberately decide to listen to your opinion and lengthy rant, or make an effort to not bring up the topic 😆 At that point, you're relatively free to speak your mind... Just read the room a bit. The goal isn't to annoy people.)

For work, I have a work computer with a build on it provided by work.

If your work is letting/having you use something different, then explanations shouldn't be needed. If youre doing this on your own, that may be a problem.

"I use LibreOffice Writer and other Linux apps". There, simple as that.

If they ask why and show a more actual concerned interest, I usually mention Microslop history of privacy invasions and history of deliberate incompatibilities in Office, and recommend a few links documenting that stuff as well as some legal hot waters Microslop has gotten into.

I was asked by a friend of the family why I had to "mod" everything, "You make it all so it doesn't work right!"

...because "working right" in this day and age is a privacy nightmare, a security disaster, and relinquishing your rights, duh! Then I asked her how much the lawyer cost to understand what she's agreeing to in all the EULAs of services she's signed up for just to make things "work right".

Literally no one will care. Just make sure that your documents works well for them.

I didn't use Linux in college, but I did use many FOSS tools. LibreOffice is easily my favorite office suite and there's no contest. So long as you export your documents as .PDF or submit them as .DOCX, nobody is likely to know or even care what you used to type them.

This is likely to be similar for other types of software- as long as your finished product is compatible and looks good on the proprietary software, you shouldn't run into any issues.

BTW, the university had student access for Microsoft Office. I could have chosen to use their tools at any time and I simply chose not to.

I use Libre Office. It runs faster than word.

Thanks to the behaviour of the American Government the past year, it has become really easy. Everybody suddenly understand and respect the argument of boycotting american products and software.

Why would it be awkward? Most non-technical people are so thrown by my white-text-on-black desktop theme that they can't even tell what software I'm using, and the few technical people around know that I have Opinions about software and aren't interested in talking about it. Keeping everything adequately compatible with the company-issued software is my problem.

If the colleague is provoking you, a dismissal answer could be a good call, like (hypothetical case) "you use iPhone and I use Android and I don't make a fuss about it".

My usual experience with non-computer people is that they really couldn't care less and glaze over at any discussion of software choices what so ever. I've given up even trying to tell them for the most part. If you're not required to use specific software by your employer (thankfully I'm not), then just use what you want and nobody will care, at least in my experience.

"Ewww, Windowsssss!"

Pinch my nose, spray my fingers with hand sanitizer, then walk away from their desk.

I practically never need to. I'll find a way to make things work one way or another.

The better question asked is:

How do they explain to you that they don't?

"I use Libre Office"

"I use _____ ______"

I only use LibreOffice and don't tell anyone. It has only been a problem once when a client wanted me to use Word so she could keep track of changes. As a freelancer I wasn't about to go and use Word for one client. I just submitted the work as a PDF and they never brought it up again.  

I will use whatever they will provide me. If i am to use Microsoft products, so be it. Not only that, but I don't give a flying fuck for the company's data i work for. They asked for it 🙃

I don't use Libre Office, but regardless, I give absolutely zero shits what other people think.

"Moral issues" or "to leave a better tomorrow" for the ppl I don't wish to talk to all that much (or just can't have a proper convo with them).

You don't. Enjoy better, faster and more effective software and laugh when their shot breaks.

I teach, so trying to adjust old ppts for lecture got a little weird because it turned the bulletpoints into mailboxes, and equation formulas are done completely differently so libre just makes them uneditable (a picture?).

When things got wonky in lecture though I managed just fine. My students are much worse, they open shit in non-MS apps all the time (.notes for takehome exams, or like, keynote, whatever) and fuck up formatting all the time, often without even realizing it. (I do provide PDF alternatives at least). Explaining I use libre really easy in that case, lol.

"MS Office with its integrated spyware and other anti-features doesn't meet basic security and data protection requirements so I use LibreOffice"

What, do i need a reason? Why do you use fitness app X and not Y?

I don't. I just export to PDF if I need them to see formatting the same.

Why would they even need to know? You can save it in .docx if you need to share it with someone.

It is the superior choice, doesn't have ads, doesn't try to sell you shit, it never updates without your permission, it doesn't spy on you, it doesn't sell your data, it is the superior choice, and penguins be cute.

I don't.

Just shit on Microsoft they'll probably find common ground in that

They'll never understand unless you SHOW them, not tell them: they need to understand through their eyes, not their ears.

_ /\ _

Depends on how long you've been working. After some amount of time like a year or two you can drop it into a conversation when helping a person "oh, I actually use libre office so I'm not sure where MS put that, let me check" and if they want more info they'll ask. Sometimes they might be surprised that you can actually do this stuff on Linux.

No problem and no need to explain. LibreOffice is commonplace at my place of work.

I would never tell them how I do stuff unprompted. If they ask I'll vaguely tell them because I suck at lying but no specifics.

Sadly I can't. The only approved software I can use is Office on Windows.

"Oh yeah, I use that too."

I use it because it works for me.

Most of the time I use MarkDown and export as PDF, if I need more complex layouts I'll use Libre Office

I haven’t really looked into it, but what are the options for VBA macro writing in excel alternatives?