"When you finally take the plunge into alternatives to closed and proprietary software, you may find yourself wondering where you should go first and what programs do I use for certain things. It is true that when people think of an office suite, they think of Microsoft Office. The real question is, how many people actually paid for that piece of software? Many people and companies I know just install the software without thinking of the cost and basically perform copyright infringement. This can cost lots of money in the end, but why do this in the first place? There are good free and open source alternatives to use for nearly every program."