OpenOffice.org: An alternative

RIVER BENDER - January 2010

You just bought a new computer with Microsoft Windows and discovered it doesn't come with a word processor or spreadsheet like the last one you bought. What can you do?

It used to be that most lower-priced Windows computers came with an office suite called Microsoft Works that included at a minimum a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database program. More expensive computers came with full featured Microsoft Office that included MS Word, MS Excel and other software. So what do you do now about office software when it doesn't come with your computer?

The easiest thing to do is to reinstall the office software that came with your old computer if you have the original diskettes or CD. If it did the job for you and you liked it why bother learning new software.

If you really like MS Works you can buy the latest version 9.0 for $39.85 at http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/default.mspx. Or if you want the full MS Office version 2007 you can buy it at WalMart for $119.49.

But folks, what many members of the New Bern Computer Users Group (NBCUG) are using now is called OpenOffice.org. It's free and can be downloaded from Sun Microsystems at http://www.openoffice.org/. I'm hearing it's every bit as good as expensive MS Office and documents are interchangeable. Here are the five programs that make up free OpenOffice.org:

Writer is a fully equipped word processor or desktop publisher. It has lots of powerful features and is simple enough for a quick memo, powerful and stable enough to create complete books with lots of graphics, headings etc.

Calc is the spreadsheet you've always wanted. Newcomers will find it intuitive and easy to learn and yet professional number crunchers will appreciate the powerful features similar to MS Excel.

Draw gives you tools to communicate with graphics and diagrams; anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan. Manipulate objects, rotate in two or three dimensions; use sophisticated rendering to create photorealistic images.

Base enables you to manipulate database data seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, either using your own database or Base's own built-in HSQL database engine. Base offers a choice of using Wizards, Design Views, or SQL Views for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users.

Impress lets you create effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will stand out with 2D and 3D clip art, fontworks, special effects, animation, and high-impact drawing tools.

Installation of OpenOffice.org requires that you have Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP, Windows 2003, or Windows Vista. You will need at least 256MBytes of RAM, although 512MBytes is recommended. You'll also need at least 650MBytes of available disk space. After installation and removal of temporary files OpenOffice.org will occupy about 440MBytes of disk space. By the way, new Windows 7 is not yet mentioned by Sun Microsystems but folks are installing OpenOffice.org in it as discussed in the Forum at http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/