open office.org vs ms office 2003/2007

[dutchboy]

Does anyone have experience using both programs? If so, what has been your opinion of using open office as a replacement for microsoft.

I am trying to find an alternative to spending $500 for ms office pro and I need to decide in 3 days.

[michiken]

Since openoffice is a free download, why don't you install it and run a 3 day trial yourself?

I run oppenoffice on linux and have no problems.

[PeteKoch]

Does OpenOffice have the ability to perform web queries?

Last time I tested it, it didn't. Big drawback (for me).

[tupper]

Does OpenOffice have the ability to perform web queries?

Evidently, OO has had web query capability for a while:
http://www.openofficetips.com/blog/archives/2004/11/webquery_scrapi.html

A more recent mention of this OO capability:
http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid26_gci1317058,00.html

Here is a post regarding an OO web querying macro:
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=4103

[jcrabboy]

I have been using open office for a while-no glitches. A friend uses it in her home based business applications without problems. If you want to give Bill the finger I would say give it a whirl.

Jimmie

[Tom]

What programs are in OO?
Is there an Access substitute?

[barn32]

Does anyone have experience using both programs? If so, what has been your opinion of using open office as a replacement for microsoft.

I am trying to find an alternative to spending $500 for ms office pro and I need to decide in 3 days.

My opinion is this: open office is a great idea, but I am so used to Excel that I just couldn't stand navigating around with OO. I just couldn't get used to it. It was just so counter intuitive. I didn't want to spend a lot of time learning a new program after I had spent all these years working with Excel.

I had a student friend get me a copy of Office 2007 at a local college. Cost was about $65 for everything including about 7 or 8 programs, but you can only install it on one computer.

By the way, Office 2007 (Excel) is one of the slowest programs I have ever run. Slow to open, slow to save, slow to do a lot of things...can be very frustrating at times.

[dutchboy]

What programs are in OO?
Is there an Access substitute?

open office.org vs ms 2003/2007

1. oo writer same as ms word

2. oo calc same as ms excel

3. oo impress same as ms power point

4. oo base same as ms access

5. draw not sure of the ms equiv but it is a graphics editor

6. math not sure of the ms equiv but it is used to edit and create math formulae

[dutchboy]

Since openoffice is a free download, why don't you install it and run a 3 day trial yourself?

I run oppenoffice on linux and have no problems.
There is not a 3 day trial. The entire suite of programs is free from the start. Updates are free also.

[Tom]

Thanks!

[michiken]

There is not a 3 day trial. The entire suite of programs is free from the start. Updates are free also.

I was refering to the original post where it said 'I have 3 days to decide'. I know it is free.

[robert99]

You can set up OO to mimic MS Office menus.
Very little relearning curve at all.
Full visual basic compatibility for importing MS macros will be in next edition - September.

OO can be programmed with Sun Basic (VBA), Java , Python and C++ so it is far more powerful than what MS Office provides for web usage.

Bad points are that it is a little slow to open as the full office is really one program. Appearance is not so snappy and there are less ready provided functions.

Good points are that it is free/donate.
Database links to MySQL large style databases just as well as Access
Documentation from Sun etc and video tutorials are good
Upgrades are regular and you can vote on what is done and discuss with actual coders.
Open source of the software is available to use and recompile as you wish.
Forums are knowledgeable and helpful.
It is open document format ready.
Compatible to import/export to any major office suite
Extensions as per Firefox are free as well as quality.
It does not mess up dates with odds etc
It runs in Linux as well as Windows.

[PeteKoch]

open office.org vs ms 2003/2007

4. oo base same as ms access



Full relational database capabilities or just a flat-DB, like the one in MS Works ???

[traveler]

For personal use I would use O.O. The Dbase seems a little clunky compared to Access but I am no expert with either. Just an aside, i don't know why you need it in three days, but if anyone here needs MS office for a college student, I got Office Pro for about $100(includes Access) with a training video and software CD's, not just a download. Just need to prove student status - seemed reasonable to me. journeyed.com

[equicom]

There is no really simple answer because it depends on how you use it and which elements of the software that you install, but in general:

1. OpenOffice uses far more space on your hard drive, but the trade off is that it uses a lot less memory

2. OpenOffice is waaaaaay cheaper! $0 vs $500.... no contest!

3. OpenOffice has the advantage that it can read more file types

4. OpenOffice comes with a built-in PDF converter (time saver for me)

5. MS-Office comes with access to an extensive online clip-art gallery

6. Potentially clip-art is available for OpenOffice via user submitted content

7. MS-Office is easier to manipulate programmatically with Visual Studio (most users won't care about this).

8. If you're a Python programmer, then you will definitely prefer OpenOffice

9. The database program that comes with OpenOffice has a steeper learning curve than Access, and is still in its infancy (so potentially buggy).

10. Files exported to web pages contain less Microcrap ("span" tags inserted by Word/Excel that are exclusive to Microsoft and make debugging HTML really difficult).

11. OpenOffice has a few features not found in MS-Office, while MS-Office has more "glitz-and-glamor" special effects (but who cares?)

12. MS-Office has more extensive help files, but if you have a problem with OpenOffice support is free (but bitchy), while Microsoft charge $$$$$ for support calls (and still seem pretty bitchy to me, despite this!).

13. Most of the hot-key combinations and other things are the same between the two application suites

14. Because OpenOffice is open-source, it means that if you know how to program you can delve into the inner-workings and make changes. The Microsoft product is closed-source, and so you can't (legitimately) modify anything.

15. You can install OpenOffice on any computer you want, whether it is for business use or personal (but of course, under the terms and conditions, you're not allowed to sell copies of OpenOffice to other people). Microsoft only allow you to use one copy of their product at a time unless you purchase individual licenses for each copy.

16. Although this has nothing to do with the question, it is interesting to note that Germany has replaced all Windows/MS-Office computers in their government, and now use Linux with OpenOffice.

Personally, I use OpenOffice to create all my documents, and then use the free Microsoft "viewer" programs to verify that the documents look right before publishing them or sending them to somebody else.

One final note.... all Microsoft Office products contain a tracking code that identifies the computer on which a document was created. OpenOffice, as far as I know, does not include this annoyance. So when you send that annonymous letter to your boss telling him what you really think, it actually is anonymous if you use OpenOffice.

[robert99]

Good introduction on what OO does at:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/16-OpenOffice-tips.html

[LottaKash]

I have nothing to add, except that it works and works well for me, and all that has been mentioned previoiusly in this thread is true....FREE is Good.....Enjoy...

best,

[equicom]

4. oo base same as ms access

Somebody revived this thread and I just noticed the above clanger. No disrespect intended, but Base is definitely not equivalent to Access in any way. But you can still get a powerful relational database for free by downloading MySQL, plus the Jet engine that powers Access is included with Visual Studio, so if you have that, you also have (sort of) got Access as well.

But Base is not Access or even remotely similar. It does serve the same purpose, however.

[robert99]

There is an article (now a bit dated) which sums up the Access/Base/MySQL issues at:

http://www.linux.com/articles/47878

If you have learned Access and are happy, to me there is little practical point in changing.
If you have not invested in Access or are starting out then making full use OO Base flexibility as an anchor point can achieve the same or more.

[equicom]

Yes, and that's another important thing too, because Base is natively cross-platform, while Access isn't. MySQL with a visual plugin is my choice as the best option, especially if you want to take your DB online.

Number one decider really is that Access costs money and is designed for Windows, while MySQL and Base are both free (in more ways than one), and can be used on any operating system, including Windows.

[richrosa]

I use OpenOffice exclusively in my business doings. I send documents, spreadsheets, and presentations to my business partners and never once in the last two years since I've converted have I had a single issue of compatibility.

OO works just fine.