TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER NINE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER NINE - OPENOFFICE.ORG
CHAPTER OVERVIEW .......................................................................................277
WHAT IS OPENOFFICE.ORG?...........................................................................278
WHAT DOES OPEN SOURCE MEAN? .............................................................278
FACTS ABOUT OPENOFFICE.ORG..................................................................279
WHY IS OPENOFFICE.ORG IMPORTANT TO ME? .......................................280
WHAT DOES A FREE VERSION OF OPENOFFICE.ORG IMPLY? ...............281
WHAT APPLICATIONS MAKE UP THE OPENOFFICE.ORG? ......................281
OPENOFFICE.ORG/OFFICE APPLICATION COMPARISON. .......................281
FILE FORMATS SUPPORTED BY OPENOFFICE.ORG ..................................282
MAJOR USERS OF OPENOFFICE.ORG ............................................................282
HOW DO I ACQUIRE AND INSTALL OPENOFFICE.ORG? ..........................282
HOW DO I START AND RUN OPENOFFICE.ORG? .......................................283
WRITER ................................................................................................................284
CALC .....................................................................................................................286
IMPRESS ...............................................................................................................288
DRAW....................................................................................................................293
MICROSOFT OFFICE VERSUS OPENOFFICE.ORG .......................................295
RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................302
KEY TERMS .........................................................................................................304
CHAPTER SUMMARY ........................................................................................305
CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS ................................................................................305
REVIEW EXERCISES ..........................................................................................305
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OPENOFFICE.ORG
Chapter Objectives:
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
 Describe what OpenOffice.org is.
 Describe each component of the OpenOffice.org Suite.
 Explain the differences between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org.
 Explain the term Open Source.
Questions to Consider:
 What is the OpenOffice.org Suite?
 What applications are most useful?
 Are you in favor of Open Source?
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter will help familiarize you with OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org is an
open source competitor to Microsoft Office. The chapter starts with a look at what
OpenOffice.org is, and then continues with the different software applications that
make up the suite. A comparison between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org is
also included.
http://www.openoffice.org/
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WHAT IS OPENOFFICE.ORG?
Watch a short Video on OpenOffice 3.3
OpenOffice.org 3.0 is the leading open source office software suite for word
processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is
available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all
your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files
from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used
completely free of charge for any purpose.
What does open source mean?
1. Unrestricted redistribution, open source software can be redistributed at
will.
2. Source code availability: The source code for the software is readily
available and modifiable
3. Derived works: The source code can be modified to produce derived works,
or in other words to make additional features or programs.
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FACTS ABOUT OPENOFFICE.ORG
 Originally developed as a product called StarOffice. StarOffice was
acquired by Sun Microsystems, and supported by Sun Microsystems from
2002-2010.
 Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and took over development from 20102011
 Oracle stopped supporting commercial development of OpenOffice in late
2010 and turned over all code and future development to the Apache
software Foundation 2011-present.
 Initial release in 2002.
 Written in C++ and Java.
 Support for over 120 different languages.
OpenOffice.org mission statement:
To create, as a community, the leading international office
suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access
to all the functionality and data through open-component
based APIs and an XML-based file format.
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WHY IS OPENOFFICE.ORG IMPORTANT TO ME?
When asked why OpenOffice.org is important when Microsoft already has the
Office suite of products, there are always two answers: choice and free.
We are always taught that choice is a good thing. Choice breeds creativity in
products of all kinds. If a consumer has a choice of products that do basically the
same thing, he or she will decide which product to use based on which product
appeals to them. OpenOffice.org is much the same way. OpenOffice.org is an
alternative to the Microsoft Office suite of applications. It is no surprise that
both products function about the same and in fact mirror each other in some
features.
Which product is better depends on your point of view, but one fact is undeniable.
OpenOffice is free and Microsoft Office is not. The old saying “You get what
you pay for” is not part of the OpenOffice/Office debate. Microsoft will always
have more documentation, web resources, and templates, but that comes at a price
- the price you pay for the software.
OpenOffice.org will always be free. It may lack a few advanced features here and
there and it may not be as polished as Office. OpenOffice.org will never be able to
match the marketing and documentation machine of Microsoft Office. At the end
of the day, however, OpenOffice.org is free.
Have you tried to install your licensed version of Office on another computer you
just bought only to find out that it will not install because the “product key” is
invalid due to a previous use? Have you ever installed a trial version of Office
only to find out in sixty days you no longer have a functioning piece of software?
OpenOffice.org changes all that. You can install OpenOffice.org on as many
computers as you like. There is no limit. Free means free.
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WHAT DOES A FREE VERSION OF OPENOFFICE.ORG IMPLY?
 OpenOffice.org software is free, as in no cost to you. Free!
 You can install multiple copies of OpenOffice.org without any restrictions
 You can look at and modify the computer code of OpenOffice.org.
 OpenOffice.org is not a trial version. OpenOffice.org is free now and in the
future.
WHAT APPLICATIONS MAKE UP THE OPENOFFICE.ORG?
 Writer –Word processor application
 Calc – Spreadsheet application
 Impress – Presentation application
 Base – Database application
 Draw - Graphic editor application
 Math – Tool for creating and editing mathematical formulas
OPENOFFICE.ORG/OFFICE APPLICATION COMPARISON.
Application
OpenOffice.org
MS Office
Word processor
Writer
Word
Spreadsheet
Calc
Excel
Presentation
Impress
PowerPoint
Database
Base
Access
Drawing
Draw
None
Email
None
Outlook
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FILE FORMATS SUPPORTED BY OPENOFFICE.ORG
 MS office formats
 Rich Text Format
 MS Works
 WordPerfect
 Quattro Pro 6
 Star Office
 Lotus
 And others
MAJOR USERS OF OPENOFFICE.ORG
 Large scale users include Singapore’s Ministry of Defense
 Bristol City Counsel in the UK
 Banco do Brasil
 Some government agencies in India
 Grafton Frasier Inc, Canadian menswear, dropped MS Office in all stores
HOW DO I ACQUIRE AND INSTALL OPENOFFICE.ORG?
Getting a copy of OpenOffice.org is easy. OpenOffice.org is
available in multiple places on the internet but we suggest you
download from the OpenOffice.org web site by clicking the link below.
Please note that the actual website is an .org address NOT a “.com”. The “.com”
website is unaffiliated with the actual OpenOffice .org
OpenOffice Website to download OpenOffice.org
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Once you have saved the download file to your desktop, double click the
OpenOffice.org icon for install. The OpenOffice.org applications will be installed
into your All Programs area of the Start button on your Windows 7 Desktop.
OpenOffice.org installed on a typical Windows 7 PC.
HOW DO I START AND RUN OPENOFFICE.ORG?
The best way to open up the OpenOffice.org application suite is to click on the
OpenOffice.org Base icon that was newly installed in the programs area of
Windows 7 (see graphic on
previous page). When you
click on the OpenOffice.org
base icon you are presented
with a main menu of all the
installed OpenOffice.org
applications. Simply click
on the application you want
to open.
Main menu of OpenOffice.org Base
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WRITER
The Writer application is a modern word processor that shares many similar
features with the popular Microsoft Word application. The current Writer version
has the look and feel of Microsoft Word 2003 rather than Word 2007 or Word
2010. This is not to imply that Writer is not up to par with the current Word
version; instead it means that the user interface is much more like Word 2003 than
the Word 2010 interface. As you might imagine, Writer is simple enough to
quickly add text in a letter or memo, but powerful enough to create large research
papers and books with table of contents, diagrams, indexes, and more.
Writer application
Writer Features
Writer features Wizards that help automate tasks such as formatting letters, faxes,
memos and even mail merge functionality. The Writer wizards are very similar to
their Microsoft Word counterparts. Writer also provides templates, basically
preformatted documents, for many common documents. You can download
additional templates as needed from various sources on the internet.
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Typical Writer document
Also included in Writer are a spellchecker and an AutoComplete feature that
suggests common words and phrases to complete what you are typing. The Writer
application also features tables and frames that make creating newsletters, flyers
or other desktop publishing-like documents easy. Another nice feature of Writer is
the ability to display multiple pages while you edit. This feature is ideal for
complex documents, or if you have a multi-monitor setup.
Writer file formats
When you save your documents in the default OpenDocument format, you are
saving your document in an XML based format. This format ensures that you can
access your documents from any OpenDocument compliant software.
Still like to use Microsoft Word documents? Writer can read all older Word
formats and save your document in a Word format that others can read with their
version of Word. In addition, Writer can read the current Word format of .docx
which is used in Word 2007 and Word 2010. Documents created in Writer can be
saved in HTML and exported to the web, or published in the popular Portable
Document Format (.pdf).
Writer Tutorials
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CALC
Video Overview of Calc
Calc is a full featured spreadsheet program that is very similar to Microsoft Excel.
As we learned in previous chapters, we can define a spreadsheet as a computer
program that is used for storing, organizing and manipulating data.
When you look at a spreadsheet screen (refer to the example on this page) you see
a rectangular grid of rows and columns. The horizontal rows are identified by
numbers and the vertical columns with letters of the alphabet.
The intersection point between a
column and a row is a small
rectangular box known as a cell.
A cell is the basic unit for
storing data in the spreadsheet.
The current Calc version, much
like the Writer application, has
the look and feel of Microsoft
Excel 2003 rather than Excel
2010. Calc is easy to learn for the beginner and professionals appreciate the
comprehensive range of advanced functions.
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Calc Features
 DataPilot makes it easy to pull in data from databases, cross-tabulate,
summarize, and convert it into meaningful information. This feature is
similar the Excel pivot table.
 Natural language formulas let you create formulas using words (e.g. "sales
- expenses"). This feature is great for creating formulas that are easier to
read and work with than traditional formulas that only use the cell reference
(e.g. A2-B3). This feature is similar to the cell name feature in Excel.
 The Intelligent Sum Button inserts a sum function or a subtotal
automatically, depending on context. This feature allows Calc to total a
column or row automatically.
 Calc features Wizards that help guide the user through choosing and using
many advanced spreadsheet functions. The Calc wizards are very similar to
their Microsoft Excel counterparts. Calc also provides templates, basically
preformatted spreadsheet solutions, for many common spreadsheet uses.
You can also download additional templates as needed from various sources
on the internet.
 Scenario Manager allows "what if” analysis. This feature allows the user
to change the values of certain cells to see the effect on other cells. For
example, the user may use the scenario manager to find what the company
budget may look like if they reduce expenses by 15%.
 Encourage collaborative working on spreadsheets with CALC's multiple
user’s support. By sharing a spreadsheet, other users can easily add their
data to the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet owner can then integrate the new
data with ease. This collaboration feature helps avoid editing conflicts.
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Calc file formats
You can save your spreadsheets
in OpenDocument format, which
ensures you can access your
spreadsheets from any
OpenDocument compliant
software. Calc can read all older
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
Typical Calc application
formats. In addition, Calc can
read the current Excel format of .xlsx which is used in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010.
Spreadsheets created in Calc can be published in the popular Portable Document
Format (.pdf).
Calc Tutorials
IMPRESS
Video overview of Impress
Impress is a software tool for creating multimedia presentations also known as
slide shows. Impress is the equivalent of Microsoft’s presentation software,
PowerPoint. A presentation can be defined as multimedia pages that can be seen
one page after another on the computer screen, as well as projected onto a wall or
external screen for a large audience.
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An Impress presentation is made up of pages. A
page that is part of the presentation is called a
slide. The slide can contain all the normal word
processing formatting such as bold, colors, text
alignment, etc. Also included on slides are
borders, drawing, templates, animation, 2-D and 3-D graphics, bullets and
numbered lists to name a few.
Notes can be added to a slide that are not projected but can be seen by the
presenter.
Impress Features
 Master pages are the backgrounds for your presentations. A template or
presentation might have one or more master pages included.
 Multiple Views are supported: Drawing / Outline / Slides / Notes / Handouts
to meet all the needs of presenters and audiences.
 Impress supports multiple monitors, so that presenters can look at something
else while presenting their slides on a projector.
Drawing and diagramming tools to add visual enhancements to your
presentation. 'Park' your most commonly used drawing tools around your screen
ready for single-click access.
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Slide show Animation and Effects bring your presentation to life. Fontworks
provides stunning 2D and 3D images from text.
Create lifelike 3D images with astounding speed
and response.
Impress file formats
You can save your presentations in OpenDocument format, which ensures you can
access your presentations from any OpenDocument compliant software.
Impress can read all older Microsoft PowerPoint presentation formats. In addition,
Impress can read the current PowerPoint format for 2010 versions.
Alternatively, use Impress's built-in ability to create Flash (.swf) versions of your
presentations. Impress Tutorials
Base
Video overview of Base
Base is the database application of OpenOffice.org, similar to Microsoft Access.
Base allows the creation and manipulation of databases and the building of forms
and reports to provide easy access to data. Base is a database management system.
Base works in the same manner any database does, by storing related information
together and letting you create connections (commonly called relationships)
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between different things. A database such as Base is a collection of information
that you can easily work with.
Data is stored in tables. A table can have many fields. Each field contains the data
or information. Base allows you to create tables, queries, forms and reports.
Base Features

Create new tables for your data and also change them as your needs change.

Maintain indexes on the tables to make data access faster.

View a table in an editing grid and add, change, and delete records.

Use the Report Wizard to produce reports from your data.

Use the Form Wizard to create visual database applications.

Perform simple (single column) or complex (multi-column) sorts.

Create powerful queries to show your data in new ways, including
summaries and multi-table views.
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Base file formats
Base has database support for many different databases including: MySQL,
Adabas, MS Access and PostgreSQL. In addition, support for JDBC and ODBC
standard drivers allows connection to virtually any existing database.
Base Tutorials
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Draw
Overview of Draw
Draw is a graphic drawing program from OpenOffice.org. Suitable for a quick
sketch to a complex plan, Draw gives
you the tools to communicate with
graphics and diagrams. With a maximum
page size of 300cm by 300cm, Draw is a
powerful graphic tool for technical or
general use.
.
Draw Features
 Arrange objects: group, ungroup, regroup, and edit objects while grouped.
Sophisticated rendering lets you create photorealistic images with your own
texture, lighting effects, transparency, perspective, and so on.
 Smart connectors make short work of flowcharts, organization charts,
network diagrams, etc. Define your own 'glue points' for connectors to 'stick'
to.
 Dimension lines automatically calculate and display linear dimensions as
you draw.
 Use the picture Gallery for clipart; create your own art and add it to the
Gallery.
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Draw File Formats
You can save your graphics in OpenDocument format, which ensures you can
access your presentations from any OpenDocument compliant software.
Import graphics from all common formats (including BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG,
TIFF, and WMF).
You can also use Draw’s built-in ability to create Flash (.swf) versions of your
presentations.
Typical Draw application
Draw Tutorials
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MICROSOFT OFFICE VERSUS OPENOFFICE.ORG
The following article is courtesy of Idealware, which provides candid information to help nonprofits choose effective software.
The article was written by Brett Bonfield and Laura S. Quinn. The views expressed in the article seem to be in line with other
magazine and internet reviews of the two competing software suites and serves as a credible review. The article was written
from the point of view of the non-profit sector but can be easily applied to other business and consumer models.
Once upon a time, nonprofits that wanted a powerful, useful-friendly word
processing, spreadsheet, and presentation package were faced with limited options:
Microsoft Office or... Microsoft Office. But over time, an open-source alternative,
OpenOffice.org, has become increasingly popular, making it a viable, affordable
option for organizations seeking a productivity suite.
Should your office consider OpenOffice? Will it make sense for your users and
infrastructure? How do OpenOffice and Microsoft Office differ?
In this article, we will compare key features of the brand-new Microsoft Office
2010 Professional to OpenOffice.org 3.2, released in January 2010. We’ll look at
their word processors (Microsoft's Word 2010 versus OpenOffice's Writer),
spreadsheets (Excel 2010 versus OpenOffice's Calc), and presentation tools
(PowerPoint 2010 versus OpenOffice’s Impress).
There's more to both office suites, of course. OpenOffice's Base is similar to
Access. OpenOffice’s answer to Microsoft's Visio is Draw. OpenOffice offers an
equation editor called Math, while Microsoft Office offers Publisher for desktop
publishing. Due to limits on word count (and patience), however, we'll leave these
comparisons for another article.
Underlying Philosophy
Before we examine the specific features of Microsoft Office and OpenOffice, it
may be helpful to step back to compare the philosophical differences between the
two packages, and how these differences might impact how you purchase and use
them.
With commercially licensed software like Microsoft Office, a product is developed
by a single company; sales help fund product testing and development, marketing
and sales, as well as salaries and shareholder dividends. In contrast, open-source
software like OpenOffice is developed collaboratively, often by volunteers, and
freely distributed, allowing anyone to use, redistribute, adapt, or improve the code
— all free of charge.
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The open-source philosophy is not just limited to software, and can attract loyal
adherents who believe that information should be shared freely. Likewise, some
consumers feel more comfortable with a for-profit model they feel rewards
ingenuity and innovation. If you have deep convictions in either direction, we
suspect that we're not going to change your mind here. However, each model does
offer tangible advantages:
1. Open-source applications often cost nothing. OpenOffice is free — and who
doesn’t love a bargain? Bear in mind, however, that Microsoft Office 2007
and 2010 are available to eligible U.S.-based nonprofits and libraries for a
minimal fee ($20-30 depending on the version and edition through
TechSoup, for instance).
2. Updates to open-source
applications also cost nothing. As
an open-source product,
OpenOffice updates are free; the
same is not always true of
Microsoft updates. Microsoft,
however, gives Office to nonprofits as part of a philanthropic program,
meaning that it is possible (although not likely, given the length of
Microsoft’s commitment to philanthropy) that if the donation program
ended, you would have to pay to update the suite down the road. If you
currently hold a valid license of Office with Software Assurance, you may
be able to upgrade to the newer versions for no cost.
3. You can do what you like with open-source code. You can study OpenOffice
and adapt it to your needs. You can improve the program or build something
completely new with it and release your changes to the public. If this is
important to you, Microsoft doesn't offer anything comparable.
4. Commercially licensed software offers a viable company behind their code.
Companies such as Microsoft depends on the sales of Office and its other
software to remain profitable, giving it a strong incentive to offer the
features, support, and interface that will make it attractive to users and
competitive in the market. Microsoft has built a vast pool of talented
developers, a mature platform, and polished user interfaces, and Office’s
success has provided it with a large user and support base. Although
OpenOffice has a formal relationship with Oracle, the mandates for opensource applications like OpenOffice are a bit fuzzier and tend to be driven by
tech-savvy programmers. In practice, this has resulted in a somewhat less
polished interface and more limited documentation.
5. Open-source has code beyond a company. Because its source code is
available to all, OpenOffice is not solely dependent on its current crop of
developers and current corporate sponsor. If all these people were to
disappear, the code would still exist and other people could pick of the
project. The same is not always true for closed-source, commercial projects.
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That being said, it doesn't appear that Microsoft is in any danger of going
bankrupt in the foreseeable future.
Usability and Interface
Microsoft Office is nearly ubiquitous in office settings these days, making its
interface the de-facto standard for how office suites operate. However, Office
2007’s new “ribbon” interface is different enough from the Office 2003’s interface
that the average user may require additional training and support when making the
transition. Even Microsoft Office “super-users” may find the upgrade frustrating,
as features they learned inside out have moved.
Office 2010 keeps with the ribbon interface, with only slight modifications. It has
also implemented several important interface improvements, such as adding the
File menu back into the tool bar, which makes it easier to find the controls to open
and save documents. The pretty, modern interface lends additional polish to the
suite.
OpenOffice 3’s interface, in contrast, is very similar to Office 2003, making it an
intriguing option for those who are concerned about a wholesale move to the
ribbon interface. Anyone who has used Word or Excel 2003 will feel comfortable
in Write and Calc. A move from Microsoft Office 2003 to OpenOffice 3 might be
compared to a move from Office 2000 to Office 2003: there are small differences,
and users who have learned things by rote may require some training, but the
concepts are all the same. In fact, many regard OpenOffice 3 as simpler, and thus
easier to learn, than Microsoft Office 2010. OpenOffice 3 is also about as polished
as Office 2003 — perfectly functional, but not as sleek as Office 2010.
Some of the more advanced features differ more between any version of
OpenOffice and Microsoft Office. For instance, the available templates are
substantially different between the two suites, so those accustomed to using prepackaged layouts for documents or charts may need to make some adjustments.
System Requirements
For most computers that you would actually want to use, both OpenOffice 3 and
Microsoft Windows 2010 will work fine. While OpenOffice is said to run a bit
slower, particularly when opening up complex documents in Microsoft's
proprietary formats, the difference is negligible if you've purchased your computer
in the last couple of years. Both platforms also offer comparable support for Macs.
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OpenOffice 3 offers better support for older computers than the latest version of
Microsoft Office. For instance, Office 2010 notes its minimum spec is a Pentium
700MHz with 512 MB of RAM, while OpenOffice lists 256 MB of RAM
(although 512 MB RAM is recommended). While Office 2010 requires Windows
7, XP, or Vista to run fully, OpenOffice will run on Windows 2000 or 2003.
What's more, OpenOffice will run under Linux, and Linux runs much more
effectively on old computers than Windows 7 or XP. This makes Linux and
OpenOffice a practical combination even on older computers, especially those that
require few other applications (as you might find in a public computer lab setting.)
Support
There's more support for Microsoft Office than anyone could possibly take
advantage of: Official support from Microsoft itself, authorized support from
people who have earned Microsoft licenses, professional call centers, dozens of
books, and countless websites offering tips and guides for modifying, configuring,
and using Office software. OpenOffice's support is more community driven, and
generally free, with a documentation project and discussion forums led by
volunteers. It's easier to find Microsoft Office training and support, and there are
some free resources specifically for nonprofits, but tailored support is likely to cost
more.
One final consideration: because OpenOffice has much looser licensing
requirements, you needn’t worry about installing unlimited copies around your
office or for friends or partner organizations. When you buy or receive a version of
Office 2010, however, you may only install it on a specified number of computers
within your organization, so you'll need to keep track of exactly where it's been
installed.
Document Sharing
In general, both Office 2010 and OpenOffice can create files that can be read by
others, with some caveats. In the case of Office 2010, this is because Microsoft has
established de facto file standards such as .doc (and .docx) for Word documents
and .xls (and .xlsx) for Excel. Partners that are running Office 2003 or older
versions may need to convert the files Office 2010 creates from the new file
formats (docx) to the older ones (like .doc) to be able to open them. This isn’t done
automatically in the older versions, although Microsoft offers a free utility to do it
for you.
OpenOffice, on the other hand, uses open standards for its native files, but can both
read and write files in Microsoft's format. In fact, OpenOffice users can choose to
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automatically save out files in Microsoft 2003 formats by default. OpenOffice has
invested a lot of effort in ensuring that Writer, Calc, and Impress users can share
documents with Microsoft users and has succeeded in all but a few specific
cases… as long as you’re trying to share documents in Office 2003 or prior.
OpenOffice can open and save Office 2003 documents with a high degree of
fidelity, with only a few exceptions. If you’ve created Word documents that make
extensive use of columns, header formats, and embedded images, the file is likely
to show up in Writer with minor formatting issues that have to be adjusted by
hand. This isn’t likely to be prohibitive for a document or two, but could be a time
consuming for a whole library of templates and collateral.
The two applications are also incompatible when it comes to macros or spreadsheet
pivot tables. Both applications support both features (pivot tables are created with a
feature called Data Pilot in OpenOffice), but you will not be able to use the macros
or pivot tables created in one application with the other. You may also have some
minor issues with translating charts from one spreadsheet program to the other.
Interestingly, OpenOffice can open substantially older versions of Microsoft Office
files than Microsoft Office itself can, or even some corrupted files that Microsoft
Office can’t open. For an IT department, OpenOffice is worth having around just
for that.
However, OpenOffice does not have complete support for the new file formats
created by Office 2007 and 2010. In our tests, simply saving an Office 2003
document into the Office 2010 file format and then opening that same document in
OpenOffice resulted in a substantial loss of formatting fidelity, particularly from
Word to Writer. As these file formats are fairly new, one would expect the
OpenOffice community to improve their support over time. OpenOffice also
cannot save to the new 2007 and 2010 file formats; however, as Office 2010 is able
to open the Office 2003 file formats; this is not a substantial limitation.
Both applications now provide the ability to export any file to an un-editable PDF
format – ensuring that viewers can see the document exactly as you intended.
Remote Access
Microsoft Office 2010 also introduces new web-collaboration features. You can
save any Office document to Microsoft’s SkyDrive, the company’s online server,
and access it via Microsoft’s new Web Apps, which provides online stripped-down
versions of the office applications. Here, you can view the complex formatting of
your offline versions, although not necessarily edit it. For instance, Web Apps will
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allow you to apply heading styles that you’ve created in a desktop version of
Word, but not to edit those styles or create new ones.
Microsoft is also moving (slowly) toward supporting real-time online
collaboration. Currently, multiple users can edit documents simultaneously in the
Web Apps version of Excel but not Word or PowerPoint. However, this is likely to
change over time. Interestingly, Microsoft has just announced a version of Web
Apps called Web Docs that integrates with Facebook. Presumably, this will allow
easy document collaboration among Facebook contacts.
OpenOffice doesn’t offer any of these features, continuing to operate on a pure
desktop model. You can certainly email files to yourself or others, but you can’t
edit them directly on the web, or collaborate with others in real time.
Security
Microsoft Office and OpenOffice are both reasonably secure as long as you follow
standard security procedures: install updates and patches as soon as they're
released; maintain firewalls, antivirus, and antispyware; and so on. However, while
OpenOffice let everyone know about possible security issues (allowing users to
protect themselves and hackers to potentially exploit issues), Microsoft keeps
security issues close to the vest — possibly preventing hackers from finding out
about them, but also forestalling users' ability to take protective measures beyond
the standard security updates Microsoft provides automatically. It's like the
dilemma that arises each time police officers are faced with a serial killer: Should
they alert people and possibly make the perp move on to another community, or
should they keep their investigation quiet and zero in on the guy? There are strong
arguments for both approaches.
Email Integration
For many folks, one of the big advantages of Microsoft Office is its integration
with Microsoft Outlook, an email and calendaring software package (among other
things). These features not only allow you to send a document directly from the
Microsoft Office (for instance, you can send a Word document in an email directly
from the Word interface), but to preview Microsoft Office documents directly in
Outlook without opening the application.
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Specific Features: A Comparison
So let's get on with it, you may be saying. I want a head-to-head comparison of the
feature differences between the two suites. This is very difficult, primarily as the
applications are so fundamentally similar. Each suite has been copying the best
enhancements and innovations of the others for years, so you need to be doing
pretty complex things before you find either suite lacking.
In general, Microsoft Office has a greater depth when it comes to very advanced
features. For instance:

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Grammar checking. Microsoft Word has a built-in grammar-checking tool.
The Open Office community has provided a few add-ons that you could
install to provide grammar checking, but they’re generally considered to be
less robust than Word’s default options.
Document-viewing options. The options to view documents are not as
powerful in Open Office’s Writer as they are in Word. You can only choose
to see a “Web View,” which doesn’t show all the formatting that you’ve
included for a printed document, or a full-page layout that shows the entirety
of the page including headers, footers, and margins. Word gives you several
more choices, including a nice view that preserves the page layout without
showing margins or headers.
Conditional formatting. Both spreadsheet packages offer conditional
formatting (the ability to automatically format cells based on the properties
of the data within them), but Microsoft offers a lot more flexibility and
control in this realm.
Microsoft Office’s “Smart Art” diagrams. Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
all introduced a new feature in the 2007 version: Smart Art, a useful feature
that allows you to easily create diagrams in a many common formats (like
pyramids, cyclical diagrams, org charts, and more). OpenOffice doesn’t
offer anything that comes close to the diagramming power.
On the other hand, OpenOffice tends to be somewhat simpler to understand, and
can output to some more useful file formats. For instance:
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A single interface for the whole suite. OpenOffice provides an overall
gateway to easily get to any of the individual components. Using Microsoft
Word, you need to open each application separately.
File size. OpenOffice’s native format generally creates much smaller files
than Microsoft Office. When saving files out into Microsoft’s file formats,
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however – for instance, to create files that can be opened in Word – the file
sizes are similar to Microsoft’s.
HTML production. HTML purists tend to favor Writer's markup to Word's,
though few people with knowledge of HTML use either editor in producing
web pages. For simple tasks, Writer’s Web Wizard makes it incredibly easy
to produce pages with HTML, PDF, and images.
RECOMMENDATIONS
What do we recommend? If you still haven’t made up your mind, we’ll leave you
with a few specific scenarios for when one package might work better than
another:
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Your office is happily using donated Microsoft Office 2007 licenses. Are
you able to get Office 2007 and 2010 for free or very little money? Is your
staff happy with it and comfortable using it to get your work done? Then we
don't see a lot of upside in changing for the sake of change. Upgrading from
Microsoft Office 2007 to 2010 is a relatively easily transition.
Your office is happily using donated Microsoft Office 2003 licenses. This
is a little more complex. To upgrade, you’ll need to move to the new
Microsoft ribbon interface, a sizable change that will require a learning
curve and possible training for your staff. OpenOffice will be more familiar
(and completely free), but you’ll lose some very advanced features, and the
ability to seamlessly open highly formatted documents, charts, pivot tables,
and macros. Is your staff actually using these features? Do you have a
sizable repository of complex document, spreadsheets, and presentations that
you need to frequently open and edit? For instance, it may be challenging to
move your accounting staff — which may in fact be creating complex
spreadsheets with macros and charts — off of Excel. In this circumstance, it
likely makes sense to take a careful look at what your staff is actually doing
with Microsoft Office to decide whether the extra transition and cost is
worth it for the sake of more advanced functionality.
You have a small, technically comfortable staff, philosophically aligned
with open-source tools. If your staff would prefer open-source over
Microsoft for philosophical reasons, and can roll with small changes in
interface and less formal support, OpenOffice is a completely viable
alternative that doesn't sacrifice productivity.
Your staff depends on sharing highly formatted documents or complex
Excel functionality. Do you create a lot of highly formatted Word
documents, pivot tables, or use a lot of macros? Do you share these files
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with other organizations? Then it may not make sense to move to
OpenOffice.
You need to provide basic office software on old computers. If you are
looking to support only basic functionality and need to use older computers
— for a public computer lab, for instance — then a Linux/OpenOffice
combination is hard to beat.
Both Microsoft Office and OpenOffice are strong platforms that will support office
productivity. You might want to consider installing both office suites to allow your
users a choice. Personally, we like having choices. If you've read this far, the same
may apply to you.
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KEY TERMS
OpenOffice.org
Open source
Writer
Calc
Impress
Base
Draw
Wizards
Templates
AutoComplete
OpenDocument Format
Cell
Scenario Manager
PDF
Presentation
Master Pages
Smart Connectors
Dimension lines
Relational Database
Tables
Fields
Reports
Forms
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CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter details the many different applications in the OpenOffice.org suite.
Topics covered include OpenOffice.org, open source software, Writer, Calc,
Impress, Base, and Draw.
While this chapter is not intended to be a tutorial on any of these OpenOffice.org
applications, it focuses on explaining to the reader what each application is for and
what it looks like. A short video is included for each application, and tutorial
links are also provided to help the student learn how to use each of the
OpenOffice.org applications. An independent comparison of OpenOffice.org and
Microsoft Office is also included.
After reading the chapter the student should be able to explain all the applications
in the OpenOffice.org suite.
CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS
1.
Explain in your own words what OpenOffice.org is. Include the different
types of applications included in OpenOffice.org and what each application
does.
2.
Compare and contrast OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office.
3.
Explain in your own words what open source software is and why you like
or dislike the concept.
REVIEW EXERCISES
1. Explain what Open Source software is.
2. Explain the applications in OpenOffice.org.
3. Describe the features of the Writer application and what it is used for.
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