It has been long since I last exclaimed “Wow” to a free software on the Internet. The last time I exclaimed so was when I downloaded the Wordpress.org blogging platform and uploaded it to this blog’s host at Bluehost and started blogging using my own domain name.
Office suite for the Compaq
I have been searching high and low for an alternative to Microsoft Office ever since I bought a new laptop – a Compaq – last week.
The Microsoft Office, which comes with the Vista Home Basic package, is only for trial purposes and can only be used for 60 days after which all the major functions will become unavailable unless I upgrade the package.
Which means, I will have to buy the thing and Microsoft Office is not cheap.
Then I stumbled upon OpenOffice.org, a popular open source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. Last night I downloaded and installed it on the Compaq.
Came away mighty impressed
And I came away very impressed with the product. When I launched OpenOffice.org, I was taken to a window gateway from which I could choose which programme I want to use – word processing, database, spreadsheet or others.
What impresses me is the sleek design, high functionality and many offerings, some of which are not offered by Microsoft Office software. I was “wow” all the way as I explored the wonders of open source.
Big names behind OpenOffice.org
On second thought, I should not be too surprise. I should just look at the companies behind OpenOffice.org which includes Sun Microsystems, the software’s primary sponsor and code contributor.
Its other major corporate contributors include Novell, RedHat, RedFlag CH2000, IBM, and Google.
OpenOffice.org says in its website that, “Additionally over 450,000 people from nearly every curve of the globe have joined this Project with the idea of creating the best possible office suite that all can use. This is the essence of an ‘open source’ community!”
OpenOffice not just an alternative, it’s a real competitor
And best of all, it is free. With OpenOffice.org installed on my computer, I have no more worries about my office software requirement. OpenOffice.org is not just an alternative to Microsoft Office, it has now elevated itself as a very able competitor!
You can download OpenOffice.org here for free. It is 142MB and takes about an hour to download on standard broadband, which in my case is 512Mb. It definitely takes longer if you are using 56kbps Internet connection – probably take you the whole day – but it is all worth it.
You can also have your friends who have broadband connection to download it for you and burn the software on a CD. It is completely legal to do so.
Link to this page