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An increasingly 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 complex and multipart documents with bibliographies, reference tables, and indexes.
The interface is similar to that of MS Office users, 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. OpenOffice.org lets you open and save documents in formats as diverse as MS Office, PDF, HTML, and XML. However, it normally saves files in the open-standard Oasis OpenDocument XML format, for maximum compatibility with other applications. We were pleased to find that stability has improved too. No doubt about it, OpenOffice.org is a compelling option for anyone in search of an alternative office suite.
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. OpenOffice.org 1.1.3 is primarily a bug-fix release with no new feautes.
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All versions:
4.3 starsout of 1,951 votes
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Current version:
4.7 starsout of 51 votes
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My rating:
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"Absolutely a great solution for home or student"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
very easily works between MS applications and Open Office. I haven't experienced any problems.
Cons
none to date, and I've been using these tools for 13 months.
Summary
Can't beat the value here.
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"Potentially useful... if you have won the national spelling bee."
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
It's a free program that can create MS Word format documents.
It's open source.
Cons
Unless you've won the national spelling bee you might find its extremely unintuitive (non-working? nonexistent? overly complicated? pathetic?) spellcheck function a hassle.
If you're an everyday user and you want something that's useable then perhaps look elsewhere. If this product really wants to compete with MS Word then it might be an idea to not alienate the users out there who aren't programmers by making it easy to get up and running effectively (i.e. with the same easy to use features as Word). At the moment this seems more like an ugly 'poor-mans' version of Word.
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"Some of the Best Freeware Available"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
This program can be used to create spreadsheets, presentations, databases, and any word processing document. All programs are fully compatible with their Microsoft counterparts. However, this is completely FREE!
Cons
-No email program or caldendar (just download Thunderbird and Sunbird for free)
-No Publisher clone
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"The best office pack yet. . .and it's free"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
Easy to use and very similar to other applications. Great recovery as well!
Cons
Not eveyone uses .odt, . . .ect., but the .doc,. . .is still there for you if you need to share a file with someone who does not have open office.
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"Excellent freeware alternative to Microsoft Office, but MS Office is still bette"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
Its free.
It includes all the programs you would normally find with MS Office...Word, Excel, Access, etc.
I think there is a deeper level of customization with this over MS Office.
Cons
It might be free, but MS Office is still better. MS Office feels better and supports more stuff that people usually put into documents. Open Office has a long ways to go in my opinion.
Pretty big download size.
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"Office XP? Why?!"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
This is phenomenal. Excellent replacement to Office, and has better integration between programs, e.g. bettern mail merge.
The quick launch-style menu in the system tray saves a bunch of time.
The price is the best bit, though.
Cons
Takes a little while to load on my machine(?)
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"a very sophisticated office suite"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
I was not about to buy MS Word a third time! Somehow MS rigged it so that documents from the newest version of Office would not work on versions just a few years old.
Enter OpenOffice:
OpenOffice is probably about as good as, say, MS Office 97. (Plus a few added features.) It has way more features than most people will ever use. It's compatible with documents from all the main word processor and office programs and even some I'd never heard of.
It will open MS Office documents from the latest version of Office, proving that the incompatibility thing was rigged.
If you're getting tired of being forced to upgrade every couple years, get OpenOffice. It will do everything you need very well.
Cons
Not enough people know about it.
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"a good free alternative to M$ Office."
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
Contains alot of features and abilities.
Cons
slow
not very stable, save alot :)
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"OpenOffice>MS Office"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
OpenOffice is WAY better than MS Office. Price was no comparison. OpenOffice is forwards & backwards compatable with MS Office (I tend to save in .doc form for easy emailing.) It also has a lot of updates. Very little trouble typing. Like that anyone can update it but not make it worse!
Cons
It has a tendancy to crash (but so does MS Office), no e-mail/calendar program (i would like the calendar) and sometimes there are just too many updates!
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"covers a multitude of sins"
Version: OpenOffice.org 2
Pros
like everything about the product
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