When I first gave Linux a try, I tried to install Microsoft Office with wine because that's what I was used to. It failed, so I checked out libreoffice to see if it was "at least good enough" for my needs and now I like it even more than Microsoft's.
At first, the biggest reasons I was glad to have moved to libreoffice were because it wasn't expensive, and it felt pretty lightweight compared to the other. But recently, microsoft decided that they own the rights for anything you type on Word and used that excuse to use your documents to train AI:
Switching to linux may have a slight learning curve at first and not all the programs some people need are available, but in this case there is no excuse: move to some other office suite, like Libreoffice, onlyoffice or anything that doesn't have spyware baked as an opt-out option, or at worst stay with an old and unsupported version of MS Office; no sacrifices have to be made there for the most part, as most office suites usually run even on Windows if you can't fully daily-drive linux for one reason or another
This isn't even just about the idea of privacy anymore, this is literal theft
The last time I attempted to install Microsoft Office on GNU/Linux was Zorin 6 or possibly 9, the 2010 Student version on an Eeepc netbook for my manager. She never even bothered to try it!
If anyone needs to prepare .docx files for work, there is only one option, FreeOffice or the Pro version of SoftMaker Office. It is what I used, working from home during lockdown through to retirement. My workflow was quicker using that than MS Office!
I am so tired of Microsoft and other large companies putting AI into everything just so they can steal whatever they want. Adobe also comes to mind with their somewhat recent fiasco.
Normally I only used LibreOffice on my Linux installs, and Office 365 on Windows, but having learned this I also installed LibreOffice on my Windows 11 and made it the default. I'll keep 365 just in case.
Recently I made an effort to find replacements for Google and Microsoft apps:
Google Keep -> Joplin with OneDrive sync
Microsoft Authenticator -> Ente Auth
Microsoft To Do -> TickTick
Unfortunately I can't find a suitable replacement for OneDrive. ProtonDrive doesn't have a client for Linux and I don't know if I can make it work reliably otherwise like I somehow managed with OneDrive. And if I do switch to another cloud service it will affect my Joplin notes, Proton is not supported there yet
I fully agree re Ente Auth. I have it now on all my devices (android, windows 10 and Zorin). I love that it is tied to an email address, not a phone number. Much safer, in my opinion (having previously lost logins when a previous phone died, I was foolishly using google authenticator at the time).
I don't use Joplin, but according to its sync page:
Currently, synchronisation is possible with Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, S3, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive or the local filesystem.
NextCloud
I run several websites, and installed Nextcloud on a subdomain of one of my websites. I use the video-chat facility within it as my own private Zoom-equivalent for occasional webchats. I also use it as my own personal filesharing service between my computer, partner's computer, and often being in 2 different physical locations. (It also includes an Office suite which I haven't tried as I use SoftMaker Office.)
I realise this may not be an option for you - but you can rent Nextcloud instances ready set up for you, usually a few $/£/Eu per month.
If you have a NAS, some allow Nextcloud to be set up on it. It also depends if you want to risk opening it up so you can access it from outside your local network.
Nextcloud integrates into Zorin already so it appears in Files as a location. (In Settings -> Online accounts).
There was a thread here recently about using an old mobile phone set up as a local Nextcloud host - that might be fun to try.
S3
S3 storage is available from AWS (Amazon Web Services) where you would probably fit into their free tier with low usage. Its a bit technical to set up... If you would rather avoid Amazon then Backblaze also offer directly compatible S3 buckets. Their free demo tier is free up to 10MB, enough to check that it works. I use this for off-site storage of a few critical files. Basically it gives you a cloud service totally under your control. It should work well in your situation.
I use Expandrive (a paid for app) which opens Backblaze/Amazon S3 storage within Zorin 'Files'. It also syncs with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and any FTP or SFTP account, making it easy to drag and drop between these services.
Dropbox? Another behemoth. I have an account as clients sometimes send me files that way.
