First ads in windows live, now this? It isn't enough they bombard us on web pages, radio, and tv, not to mention bundling pretty much every windows software now with some crapware toolbar that nobody wants? Yet another reason for me to keep away from windows, at least most Mac software hasn't eaten this rotten egg yet. Microsoft, I give you the flip of my finger.

Someone will probably find a way to get rid of the adverts sooner or later.

MS is really trying to get people addicted to their software. They give free Office 2007 Ultimate copies to many universities, and even if yours is not in the program you can get it for $60 by yourself.

They have also sponsored DOCX filters for Open Office, so you can still use their format on your Linux/OOo machine.

I hope that OpenOffice.org starts to receive some love from Oracle because it can easily be an alternative to Microsoft Office if it is giving some TLC when it comes to the interface and adding some features that are in high demand which keep Office users from moving.

"I hope that OpenOffice.org starts to receive some love from Oracle because it can easily be an alternative to Microsoft Office if it is giving some TLC when it comes to the interface and adding some features that are in high demand which keep Office users from moving.

I've used Open Office quite a bit, both on Linux and Windows. Features are impressive, but it just doesn't feel as 'snappy' as Office 2000.

I hope that OpenOffice.org starts to receive some love from Oracle because it can easily be an alternative to Microsoft Office if it is giving some TLC when it comes to the interface and adding some features that are in high demand which keep Office users from moving.

Although it is difficult to measure, OpenOffice already has perhaps 20% of the Office market or more.

What features are these that are in high demand which OpenOffice allegedly lacks?

I don't think it is so much features that are need as a push to get it too people. That being sad I wonder if Oracle realizes what they have bought, With what they are holding they could really take it to MS, Hell if they can gather enough money to buy Novell they could push edirectory, and really go in for the Kill.

OpenOffice.org is around 95% of the way there; make the interface a little sexier, improve doc and docx, and improve the speed - according to the Sun blogs, 3.2 is going to bring some major performance improvements.

What features are these that are in high demand which OpenOffice allegedly lacks?

OpenOffice GUI requires less retraining than Office 2007 GUI.

So far, from what you have mentioned, I am still waiting for an enumeration of these alleged missing features.

Here is a quick time - how about interviewing people and hearing what the person has to offer the organisation instead of churning a CV through a parser looking for key words.

However, what you consider archaic, I consider very keyboard friendly and much simpler than that stupid ribbon bar that changes based on context. I don't want to have to go looking for an item when I already know where it is, and with the ribbon I have to do exactly that.

First of all, the interface to 2007 is MILES ahead of the archaic menu-driven interface in OpenOffice.org.

I live in a world where I'm expected to deliver something to my professors and co-students that looks the same on my end as it does on their end. I cannot rely on OOo in that regard.

I already knew all this, but then I wrote my thesis this year and realised just how archaic and ancient OOo really is compared to Office 2007. For me, the latter is the superior product in every regard, worth its price tag (student discount here we come).

I'd rather shove shards of small pocks-infected glass underneath my fingernails than use OOo for any serious work. Or at all.

i actually really liked Works. it was quick and did what i needed it to do, it was light a light MS office. kinda sad to see it go, i hate all this add suported crap.

I never minded using Works, simple and fast, but the incompatibility between Works and standard Office files prevented it from actually being useful.

Looking at that screenshot I'm glad I use Latex for my document processing.

but i've made a little photo-story for you about the endles keyboard-journey to change the active font...

http://temp.funtech.org/Office2007.png

all I should have to do is change a template and re-latex

While I use OpenOffice personally and professionally, my company does not and cannot. We have a crap ton of Excel documents with macros, for instance, that simply won't work properly in OpenOffice. It is cheaper for my company to pay to upgrade to the latest version of MS Office than it is to convert the macros in all of those old documents.

That is probably the single biggest "issue" businesses have with using OpenOffice as a drop-in replacement for MS Office.

It is cheaper for my company to pay to upgrade to the latest version of MS Office than it is to convert the macros in all of those old documents.

One missing features of OOo: clipping graphics using the mouse. (Can now be done in presenter, but NOT in writer.)

Draw anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan. Draw gives you the tools to communicate with graphics and diagrams. Manipulate objects, rotate in two or three dimensions; use sophisticated rendering to create photorealistic images. Smart connectors make short work of flowcharts, organisation charts, network diagrams, etc. Styles - a common OpenOffice.org feature - help you control your work easily and precisely in Draw.