Introduction
OpenOffice.org is software that is used for various applications such as spreadsheet, word, presentation, and graphics among others which is an alternative to Microsoft office. It is called open because, any one can download at no cost and use it for any application. Also, it can be used in any operating system platform, for example Mac, Linux, Unix etc. OpenOffice.org can also be used to read or write on other types of applications. In other words, OpenOffice.org is an open source where any one can make changes to fit without contacting the developer or even distributing it to other people. There are many advantages of using OpenOffice.org which include simplicity of usage, free to acquire, possible to modify to meet users’ purpose, can be used for business purpose or personal use and can be used in any platform. According to Weber (2004), “A completely open development process means that anyone can report bugs, request new features, or enhance the software. The result: does everything you want your office software to do, the way you want it to.”
Problem Statement
In the past, there had been no way of accessing someone work or code without contacting the developer and be given authority to do so. This had various limitations because some could not get it due to high cost and one could not improve it or use it at any application. Also the advancement of the software was not possible. But due to open source, it is possible for the user to modify in order to meet his need or market. This paper describes about OpenOffice.org, how to obtain it, features and some of the applications which differentiates it with Microsoft office and how compatible they are.
Why OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org can be obtained by downloading it from the internet at no cost. Therefore, the user is free to run it for any application, learn how it works, distribute it to others, make some improvements and redistribute it at a charge or for free but to some extents, access to code is precondition. To run it means, one can install it for personal or organization use to any type of computer system, do any type of work and purpose without having to make contact with the developer. In this case it depends with the purpose of the user but not the developer. When redistributing, one is free to redistribute it with its code, all versions including modified one and usable form of the software if the language used allows it. Although it is said to be free, commercializing it does not translate to a crime. Haugland (2004) observes that, “It’s free, but is it good? It’s a full fledged office suite, as big as MS Office. It’s got a great set of features—everything you need to do word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation slides. Plus extra programs for drawing that you don’t get with Microsoft Office: OpenOffice.org Draw is like Canvas, with a bit of Visio thrown in.” In this case, open office has given chance to users to modify it for their own benefit unlike in Microsoft office where the user must pay and no modification to fit his purposes.
OpenOffice.org is an open source. This is because it can be used in operating system platform such as windows, Mac, Linux and some of Unix version. Also it matches with all application of Microsoft office applications such as word, spread sheet, presentation and drawings as well as databases.
Open sources have licenses which is copyright. This license allows access of code, which makes it possible for modification without contacting the actual developer. But sometimes, there are restrictions to maintain the name of the developer and a statement to indicate it’s a copyright. Hence open source licenses gives what the user is supposed to fulfill in order to use the software. Some licenses do not offer the privilege to access the code. According to Gurley (2006) “The proliferation of open source licenses is one of the few negatives aspects of the open movement because it is often difficult to understand the legal implications of the differences between licenses.”
Many peoples have adapted to using OpenOffice.org due to its simplicity and free to acquire. As noted by Gurley (2006), “When you’re starting something new, it’s great to know tens of millions of people have been there before you. OpenOffice.org 3 is developed, translated, supported, and promoted by an international community of tens of thousands of enthusiasts. If you have ever waited for ages for paid-for support from a commercial software provider, community support from enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers may come as a surprise”. The prediction shows that people will change to OpenOffice.org and less will be left to use other varieties. OpenOffice.org was started by Sun Microsystems but other companies like IBM have joined.
OpenOffice.org provides many features to the user. The user is provided with many shapes which are similar to those of Microsoft’s auto shapes. After placing it on the sheet, the user can modify its size. In case of shapes that are not provided, there are tools for drawing. It also provides various animations that can be used on slides for presentation. This feature resembles that of Microsoft Power point but with slight improvements. It allows PDF export. One is able to open a document in PDF format or save a document as PDF unlike Microsoft office. OpenOffice.org provides tools for database, although not accessible in some of the versions. Those tools allow development of database and its management. It allows sending a mail to many people at once. In this case, guidelines are provided within the interface in Help form. In word processing, recent versions provide a tool for word count, but the older versions do not. It provides a chance to create a table within another table which is not possible in Microsoft. It also allows creating interfaces basing on W3C Xforms. It allows creation of groups, filter data, give differences and percentages instead of values. It is easier to move toolbars by either detaching or attaching it according to the users need. It also have features like digital signature support, Xforms support, word perfect filters, enhance pivot table support, native installers, Native desktop integration, open standards XML file format and viewing of many forms at once. Other features are dictionary spell checker in all languages unlike in Microsoft Office and provide interface to access other forms and reports in which they can be modified. But those are not the only features, as development goes on day after day more features are added according to the need of users. (Gurley, 2006).
OpenOffice.org has an important property of fitting in all platforms. That means, it can be used in many operating systems such as Windows, some of Unix versions, Linux, Mac among others. This property allows it to be used by a variety of people along the world. Also it is compatible to Microsoft office which many people have been using. That means, if a document is developed in Microsoft office and sent to you, then it can be opened using OpenOffice.org and vice versa.
Although OpenOffice.org has many applications, some of them include text document, spread sheet, presentation, drawing, database and reviews. All this applications are similar to those of Microsoft office and they are compatible, which means that any document developed in OpenOffice.org and save as.doc can be opened in Microsoft office. (Finkelstein and Leete, 2005).
Why use OpenOffice.org? As discussed above, OpenOffice.org is free to acquire, easier to use, it is compatible with Microsoft office, one can modify to meet his/her needs, has more applications among other things.
Conclusion
To conclude, OpenOffice.org can be said to be very important software to all people due to its features. Also it is easier to use and free to acquire. The software has many applications as discussed. Therefore, people should move from Microsoft office to OpenOffice.org as it can be modified according to the users need. Also there is a room for improvement due to its open source property. Although it is easier to use, one should avoid making mistakes like when saving a word document, one should save it as.doc to avoid embarrassment when opening it on Microsoft Office because other features like.odt will not be accessible.
Work Cited
G.Leete, E. Finkelstein and M. Leete. Openofficeorg for Dummies. New York: Wiley & Sons, 2005.
Jean Hollis Weber. OpenOffice.org Writer: The Free Alternative to Microsoft Word. London: O’Reilly, 2004.
R. Gabriel Gurley. A Conceptual Guide to Openoffice.org 2.0: standard edition. Washington DC, Concise Concepts, 2006.
Solveig Haugland, Floyd Jones. OpenOffice.org. Helion: WyDaw, 2004.