- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: August 30, 2009
- Total Downloads: 2,197,480
- Downloads last week: 14,393
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 1154 votes
See all user reviews -

CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
A credible rival to MS Office, OpenOffice.org includes powerful applications for making text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diagrams, and databases, as well as HTML and XML documents. Not only does it let you edit basic documents, such as letters and faxes, it also handles equations and complex and multipart documents with bibliographies, reference tables, and indexes.
The interface is similar to that of MS Office, and even advanced Office users will find almost everything they're used to: templates, collaborative features (versions, recording changes), macros, and even a programming language. OOo, as it's known, lets you open and save documents in formats as diverse as MS Office formats, PDF, HTML, and XML. It can also import files from those formats, as well as WordPerfect and others. However, it normally saves files in the open-standard Oasis OpenDocument XML format, for maximum compatibility with other applications.
The latest versions of OpenOffice have seen a spurt of growth in the extensions available for the program. These include templates for professional writers, an export tool for bidirectional functionality with Google Docs, blog publishing, and others. Blog publishing assistance especially strikes us as a natural area for word processing to grow toward.
We were pleased to find that stability has improved too. No doubt about it, the multilingual and crossplatform OpenOffice.org is a compelling option for anyone in search of an alternative office suite.
Watch the CNET video review of OpenOffice.org:
Publisher's description
From OpenOffice.org :OpenOffice.org is both an open-source product and a project. The product is a multiplatform office productivity suite. It includes desktop applications such as a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation manager, and a drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to those of other office suites. OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office. Localizations of OpenOffice.org are available in 27 languages, with more being constantly added by the community. OpenOffice.org runs on Solaris, Linux (including PPC Linux), and Windows. Written in C++ and with documented APIs licensed under the LGPL and SISSL open-source protocols, OpenOffice.org allows any knowledgeable developer to benefit from the source.
What's new in this version:
Version 3.1.1 fixes Framework showstopper and includes some enhancements.More popular Office Suites downloads
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.4 stars out of 1154 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 66 user reviewsSee all 66 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: OpenOffice.org 3.1.1
"A good program works extremly well."
Pros: See comment above
Cons: No problems.
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: OpenOffice.org 3.1.1
"Appears to be an excellent program."
Pros: Simple format for those who aren't as computer savvy as some.
Cons: Haven't used it yet so can't speculate as to what might be wrong with it.
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Version: OpenOffice.org 3.1.1
Pros: Easy to us.
Cons: Haven't found anything yet.
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Version: OpenOffice.org 3.1.1
Pros: just like ms office
Cons: none nada zip
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Version: OpenOffice.org 3.1.1
"Very credible alternative to MS Office."
Pros: As a functional easy to use package it serves it's purpose very well. Begs the question "why buy MS Office"!
Cons: Lack of intergrated mail manager to complete the packages rival to MS Office, apart from that not much can be said for a free product that works well.
Summary: No long explianation needed. You can jump stright from Ms Office to Open Office with a minimal learning curve.
- See all 66 user reviews Write review
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