“Microsoft’s operating-system monopoly has gotten plenty of ink in this paper, but Microsoft Office exerts an even tighter stranglehold on the market. The productivity suite dominates not just on Windows PCs but on Macs as well, and its file formats have become a default language in offices, homes and schools around the world.” Rob Pegoraro reviews OpenOffice for WatshingtonPost. In the meantime, Sun puts a price at Star Office, while Microsoft is finalizing its next-gen Office.
The Office Suite That Lets You See Past Redmond
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
I have used StarOffice for a long time. I don’t remember the first version number I bought from StarDivision, but I’m sure it was 4 or 5 years ago.
With version 6, Sun has really done some cool things. My favorite one is the file formats. Because of their open XML based file format, I can write a small application for my PDA that will read, search, edit, etc. the StarOffice files without any difficulty at all. You can’t do that with Word!
Solaris 9 comming out the 22 – $90 there
StarOffice comming out the 21 – $90 there
PS2 – $200
Next weeks will be hell for my finances
Stupid cool technology! Damn the computers, the intraweb and the cellophones!
i have open office 1.0, it has all the things i can ask, and it is free:)… the only thing i could ask for was is a larger dictionary for when i try to flex my vocabulary
http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=265
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/02q2/gobe/gobe-1.html
So,
StarOffice is exactly the same as OpenOffice, except it’s retail with extra goodies & support?
I’m in the process of setting up a business and Star/OpenOffice will be part of it.
I downloaded it a couple weeks ago and was blown away by it. It does everything I could possibly need in an office suite. It is cheap or free. Open file formats. Cross platform.
Throw in Linux for the servers and the cost savings are amazing compared to using MS products.
No vendor lock in, no file format monkey business, it’s the only choice for a new business.
A review that’s actually a review!!! I was thinking, “oh no, not another ‘it’s free, it does word, and I like it, so there’.”
Thank you to the washington post for covering points other than the obvious.
…by this review. It was EXELENT!
Good job, Eugenia [on picking the article]
just use gobe or officexp, I prefer gobe above officexp and openoffice
Too bad there won’t be a port for BeOS / OBOS / “Bob”. Productive is starting to show it’s age IMNSHO.
Side by side on my PIII, OpenOffice 1.0 Writer opens about twice as fast as Word 97.
OpenOffice is a bit slow on my old PI laptop, but then, everything is a bit slow on my old PI laptop.
CNET’s also posted a review of SO 6, and even compares SO’s components with MS Office. It’s right here:
http://www.cnet.com/software/0-811003-1204-9904900.html?tag=sd
Side by side on my PIII, OpenOffice 1.0 Writer opens about twice as fast as Word 97.
That’s weird, OpenOffice.org with Quicklauncher loads slower than Word… without Quicklauncher… I think you have got the point 🙂