Toolkit

Story: Alternatives to Microsoft Office

Posted by: George Wolf (Friday 2 July 2004, 4:34 PM)

My wife is not "computer savy," so I think twice before installing a new office suite on her computer. For years she used WordPerfect 4.5 for DOS! Then we went to WordPerfect 7.0 (Windows) and that went seemlessly. After several years, we both went to MS Office 2000. Despite there being a filter, she lost several of her WordPerfect docs, and never seemed quite happy about the switch. I began using OpenOffic.org (OOo) two years ago, when version 1.0 came out. For as long as I used Word 2000, I had problems with system lock-ups that occured about once or twice a week. I never figured why. That disapeared completely when I switched to OOo. Given problems the last time, I hesitated for months before switching my wife's system. I gave her lots of warning, and got her to back up all of her documents. The result was anticlimax. She had no trouble with the switch at all! In common with my own experience, she was productive in OOo immediately, and hasn't told me of any problems.
And oh yes, I like OOo's support sytem better than anybody else's. A mailing list "manned" by a combination of volunteers and Sun employees, I've had every question I ever asked answered accurately, usually within a few hours.
The OOo organization emphasizes giving back to the community. I have done so by answering a few questiions myself. Others have written macros and others submit detailed bug reports. I am told that still others have written some of the code (you can download and comple it if you want). It is an amazing, vibrant and close-knit community.