Yeah you usually can. LibreOffice works fine for most things. Some classes need things like Solid works that only run on Windows, and the remote testing software can be a nightmare. You might get an O365 license as part of your enrollment but doubt you really need it.

Protip; learn how to typeset your papers in something like LyX and integrate Zotero for citation management. The typesetting usually got me a few extra points alone.

Yeah this part is truly infuriating

Oh im not defending it. Just saying we’ve been well-fed geese for a very long time now. It has just changed from cramming us full of the Tootsie Pop Owl and the Doublemint Twins with a chaser of Sears Christmas Catalog to a succotash of targeted ads.

No different than the decades of ad supported broadcast television.

I know its a major security tool widely used but it bugs me it’s not open sourced