Are there freeware versions of Microsoft Excel & Word software that people can use without installing Office?

Answer 1

Yes they run on linux.

Answer 2

Yes, there is open.office.org which like a generis Office - it is called open_office and is comparable to the Office package:

Welcome to OpenOffice.org
(free – compare to MS Office)
http://www.openoffice.org/about_us/new.html

OpenOffice.org is both a fully-featured office suite compatible with leading office products, and a virtual community working through OpenOffice.org's numerous projects. The community comes together at www.openoffice.org to develop, support, and promote the use of OpenOffice.org. For information on joining the OpenOffice.org community, visit our Introduction page.

Much more information at the web site.

Answer 3

YES!!!

http://www.openoffice.org

Compatible with MS office and FREE!

(and will run on many platforms, including Windows, Linux and Solaris)

Answer 4

I am not sure, but Office products have an option to save it for someone to open who doesn't have it. They might have a reader. Check office.microsoft.com or download.com