Monday, October 27, 2008
Go Get Open Office 3.0
Open Office 3.0 is ready for you to download. For free, of course.
But now, the download situation seems under control. I was able to download and install Open Office 3.0 in less than a half hour. If you need a basic word processor, spreadsheet program, slideware, database, and drawing application -- take a look at the latest version of OO.
The main reason I downloaded the new version is that it can open Microsoft Office 2007 files like pptx and docx -- older versions of Open Office cannot. However, I noticed that even though Open Office 3.0 can open 2007 "x" files -- you can't "save as" a Microsoft 2007 file with OO 3.0. Further, Smart Art does not translate into Open Office 3.0 -- at all.
So, my main reason for wanting the new version wasn't nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be.
However, I'm glad I downloaded Open Office 3.0. I'm now able to access other dazzling features:
I first started my Open Office experiment in June 2005. My main reason for loving Open Office in 2005 was that it could export to PDF -- something Microsoft products could not do at the time. While I still use Open Office to some extent today, there are too many other lean and mean cloud programs that let me accomplishy many of the same tasks -- without using much of my computer's resources. And of course, you simply cannot beat the price of Open Office 3.0.
Start your own experiment! Open Office 3.0 is still a fine option -- but take a look at cloud apps (like Google Docs), too. You might find that you can still be lean, mean and productive -- without using Microsoft's suite of pricey "productivity" products.
Open Office 3.0 is ready for you to download. For free, of course.
But now, the download situation seems under control. I was able to download and install Open Office 3.0 in less than a half hour. If you need a basic word processor, spreadsheet program, slideware, database, and drawing application -- take a look at the latest version of OO.
The main reason I downloaded the new version is that it can open Microsoft Office 2007 files like pptx and docx -- older versions of Open Office cannot. However, I noticed that even though Open Office 3.0 can open 2007 "x" files -- you can't "save as" a Microsoft 2007 file with OO 3.0. Further, Smart Art does not translate into Open Office 3.0 -- at all.
So, my main reason for wanting the new version wasn't nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be.
However, I'm glad I downloaded Open Office 3.0. I'm now able to access other dazzling features:
- New background templates that I'll probably never use
- Enhanced support for exporting to PDF, including password protection. (That's actually pretty cool!)
- And oddly enough, the new splash screen makes Open Office more pleasant to use.
I first started my Open Office experiment in June 2005. My main reason for loving Open Office in 2005 was that it could export to PDF -- something Microsoft products could not do at the time. While I still use Open Office to some extent today, there are too many other lean and mean cloud programs that let me accomplishy many of the same tasks -- without using much of my computer's resources. And of course, you simply cannot beat the price of Open Office 3.0.
Start your own experiment! Open Office 3.0 is still a fine option -- but take a look at cloud apps (like Google Docs), too. You might find that you can still be lean, mean and productive -- without using Microsoft's suite of pricey "productivity" products.
Labels: Presentation Applications
¶ 10/27/2008 03:39:00 PM
