http://www.openoffice.org/
I downloaded this (Open Office, abbreviated OO) the other day and am currently poking around it when I have a few minutes. Seems like it is about 90% of everything I want, at least regarding their word processor (Writer) and spreadsheet (Calc). I'll only rarely use their versions of database and presentation software, so I'm not so interested in them.
Certainly the price is right (free), emphatically vs. the absurd amount M$ wants for their Office Suite. I actually have a legal copy of Excel, Word, and Powerpoint...but they're an old version (97). When I tried to install them on my Visturd PC, they actually installed correctly, sort of. The help features no longer work, and M$ cheerfully informs you of this. Never realized how much I used them until they were gone. And upgrades are almost expensive as buying the damn thing new. So bleep that. They also have many more features than the M$ Works stuff that came preinstalled with the PC.
Anyway, so far I've not noticed any problems with opening old Excel or Word files in OO, nor with saving OO Calc and OO Writer stuff back into an M$ Office 97 format. I figure since Sun Microsystems is the driving force behind this attempt to cut the, errr, appeal off of Micro$oft Office, it'll be supported at least for a fair while longer, and I won't need to be too concerned with some Hax0r dude creating bogus upgrades, at least as long as I only do it from the main site.
Just curious if anybody else has used it and what their impression are, mostly. I don't think I've used it enough to the point where I can personally give it a ringing endorsement, but so far it seems to basically get me where I want to go. And, yeah, free is good. :smile:
I downloaded this (Open Office, abbreviated OO) the other day and am currently poking around it when I have a few minutes. Seems like it is about 90% of everything I want, at least regarding their word processor (Writer) and spreadsheet (Calc). I'll only rarely use their versions of database and presentation software, so I'm not so interested in them.
Certainly the price is right (free), emphatically vs. the absurd amount M$ wants for their Office Suite. I actually have a legal copy of Excel, Word, and Powerpoint...but they're an old version (97). When I tried to install them on my Visturd PC, they actually installed correctly, sort of. The help features no longer work, and M$ cheerfully informs you of this. Never realized how much I used them until they were gone. And upgrades are almost expensive as buying the damn thing new. So bleep that. They also have many more features than the M$ Works stuff that came preinstalled with the PC.
Anyway, so far I've not noticed any problems with opening old Excel or Word files in OO, nor with saving OO Calc and OO Writer stuff back into an M$ Office 97 format. I figure since Sun Microsystems is the driving force behind this attempt to cut the, errr, appeal off of Micro$oft Office, it'll be supported at least for a fair while longer, and I won't need to be too concerned with some Hax0r dude creating bogus upgrades, at least as long as I only do it from the main site.
Just curious if anybody else has used it and what their impression are, mostly. I don't think I've used it enough to the point where I can personally give it a ringing endorsement, but so far it seems to basically get me where I want to go. And, yeah, free is good. :smile: