OpenOffice.org Office Suite

http://www.openoffice.org/

If any one needs some good officeware, OO.o is worth a shot. OpenOffice is a free and open source office suite providing a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, image, fomula, and database programs. It runs on most operating systems, from Windows to BSD. The word processor is as good as MS Word for processing but lacks stuff like Words Resume and label wizards. OpenOffice however supports Microsoft formats, including Word and Excell and "pocketword", plus HTML, StarOffice formats e.t.c., you can also type up a document and export it as a PDF file, one of my favorite features of the app. I can write my document in a word processor and do all the stuff there then make a PDF out of it quick n easy for a professional touch.

The standard format used is a international standard for office software (ISO/IEC 26300), since the Microsoft Office Word XML Format that will become standard in Word 2K7 is an open format OpenOffice will be able to quickly support the format in the future if it does not all ready! Some rumors from before the beta said that Word 2k7 may even support the office standard format used in OpenOffice as an option to an MS Format.

I rarly have need for spreadsheets so I've never used excel very much, but OpenOffice hasn't given me any problems with excel file formats and the only problem I've heard tell of is it's not compatible with some scitific software that intregates with Excel. I love this thing, since I can't offord a copy of MS Word or MS Office.

I usually try various types of word processors and office suites when possible, and I must say OpenOffice has to be one of the best things I've seen. To top it I'd probably have to buy an expsensive copy of the new Microsoft Office 2007 when it comes out, the new User Interface looks awesome. For older versions it's likly that the KOffice suite (very big extensive one) could top Office, but 2007 looks great from where I've sat, only it's of course BIG BUCKS unlike OpenOffice which is also portable unlike MS and K Office suites.

MS Word has been my favorite word processor since I started using word processors, but OO.o's for it's price (free) works a hell of a lot better when you need to equip several computers with office software. OO.o has become my best word supply of office software, not to mention that MS Word is the best app MS has ever done IMHO, and with how I feel about allot of their stuff thats high praise indeed. (Generally tough judge of word prococessors, exspellically ones other then MS Word ones.)