Which Mas operating system is fairly new, yet doesn't require Cloud support? I dont want to be required to pay monthly costs for use of cloud stuff.

No version of Mac OS requires paid iCloud support. You may e seeing advertisements but there is no requirement to pay for the additional features that iCloud offers. You can simply not use them

A Zip drive is a technology that used hard-cased 100MB disks, and which died out not long after OS 9, so can you explain what you mean by "Zip drives" and how they're being sent to you.

During macOS initial installation, macOS does show option to enable/disable iCloud, by default it provides only 5GB free iCloud.

You can disable or enable iCloud at initial stage.

But sometime various other settings still keeps the 5GB iCloud Drive active/ON or partially active.

So you will have to go inside iCloud settings/configurations, it has a list of apps which are pre-set to use iCloud, turn-off / disable all those app's icloud usage, then turn off iCloud completely, if that is what you want to do.

Basically you are instructing the phone/device/computer to use available local storage, as storage & backup, instead of using internet connection based remote server (aka: remote cloud) based storage.

But if your apple-ID is icloud based, then keep "iCloud Mail", or else disable this too. By the way, you can change your email-address in your apple-ID, if you dont want iCloud based email-address/ID.

Change your iCloud settings - Apple Support

KossJo wrote:

Must I pay for add-Ins to get Microsoft Word suite, etc.?

Microsoft is a 3rd party product. You will have to pay for it if you want to use it. Apple offers Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for free. They are functionally equivalent to Microsoft apps, better in some ways, worse in others.

Also I have no idea how to use this “check sum” popup when trying to download and unzip files obtained. Driving me nuts!

What does this check sum thing “All” do?

That's some app you downloaded. It is not part of the operating system.

I no longer have Adobe acrobat reader! Where did that go?

Are you saying that you uninstalled Adobe Acrobat reader? If so, then why do you wonder where it went? It looks like it is still there. No one here can look into your computer and see.

What is “Archive Utility” used for?

Archive Utility is used to expand Zip files. It sounds like your "checksum" app may be a 3rd party Zip tool that has broken your built-in support for zip files.

How do I get acrobat reader back on the Mac OS Monterey?

You can download Acrobat here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/

If Acrobat is already installed, then reinstalling shouldn't hurt.

Thinking I need to go back to a less involved OS system. Which would that be? What are the order of Mac systems prior to Monterey that aren’t too slow?

You will find that 3rd party system modification software will cause just as much trouble on old versions of the operating system as they do on Monterey.

The Standard iCloud Storage Capacity for new account is 5 GB and is Free.

If the user has availed themselves of ALL the 5 GB Capacity - the warning presented, if one was presented, this you can upgrade to a larger iCloud Capacity at a Monthly Cost to the User

Below link may present addition information on both the Standard Storage and also on the iCloud Plus ( subscription - Paid upgrade )

" With iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free iCloud storage for your photos, videos, files, and more. If you want more storage and premium features, you can upgrade to iCloud+ from any of your devices."

links below

Upgrade to iCloud+ - Apple Support (CA)

iCloud+ plans and pricing

When you download a zip, rar, etc compressed file, then that website usually also have another file that ends with the file-externsion such as .sha256 , or .md5 etc etc,

so download that file too.

The .sha256 or .md5 file has hash-code inside the file.

Hash code is a fingerprint code of a file.

if even 1 byte is changed/modified in a file, then calculated hash-code of a file, will not match with file's hash code in .sha256 or .md5 file that was obtained from a website.

These are file's integrity verification related files.

Those files help us to make sure, our downloaded file is not modified, somewhere in the middle of the internet path.

checksum ~= hash code ~= digest code ~= integrity code ~= fingerprint.

So when you decompress a compressed (zip rar etc) file, by using that Archive-Utility app,

that app wants to use the hash file from website, so its asking to you, to provide that, to make sure, file integrity is ok or not.

By the way, try to use LibreOffice , its totally free ... free alternative of Microsoft Office apps.

https://www.LibreOffice.org/

Some earlier MS Office apps were using 32-bit codes internally.

But few versions earlier, macOS disabled support for 32bit based apps ... so older 3rd-party apps, may not run in newer macOS.

If your MS office is online subscription based, then, you can reinstall Microsoft365/Office365, & re-verify your subscription from inside the app, then MS servers will re-authorize your MS Office apps/functionalities, running-instances, etc.

More info on full-verison MS Office 2016 64-bit : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/office-for-mac/office-2016-for-mac-64-bit-upgrade

More info on Microsoft365 , Office Home & Student 2021 etc etc : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products?&rtc=1&activetab=tab%3aprimaryr1

Apple's "Preview" is free & a very good alternative of Adobe's Acrobat Reader.

But if you still need Acrobat-Reader : https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/install-reader-dc-mac-os.html

Add more RAM in your macbook to speed it up.

Yes, it's true, MicroSoft expect you to pay for using their software. And when you run old software eventually it stops working and you have to upgrade it.

Also I have no idea how to use this “check sum” popup when trying to download and unzip files obtained

You don't. You double click on the zipped file and this app does the work in the background.

You get Acrobat Reader back by installing it from Adobe, or by using the in-built pdf reader - Preview - or any of the dozens of pdf readers out there both free and paid.

Slowness of the Operating System is a matter of the hardware usually. What Mac are you on?

• As Apple has mentioned in the below link " We recommend that you stay on-topic."

Link below

Community etiquette guidelines - Apple Support

Which the original question was " Which Mas operating system is fairly new, yet doesn't require Cloud support? I dont want to be required to pay monthly costs for use of cloud stuff ".

Reviewing the replies that specific question, it has received several responds by at least two Contributors

Now, if the Users wants to move sideways on this - that is OK but will tend to muddle the Original Issue

It is suggested the user opens a New Question pertaining to the sideways move away the iCloud Issue

EDITED