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OpenOffice

Paul Wright

Paul Wright

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 24, 2006
129
0
Germany
Hey does anyone here use OpenOffice :) i use it as i cant be bothered to fork out for a desktop publishing suite when i can get this for free, mind i do use Microsoft office on my PC, i was just wondering if anyone esle uses it? :)

www.OpenOffice.org

if you want to try it out :)
 
Loads of mac users use NeoOffice - it is exactly the same but does not have the annoying X11 pane (it is made for aqua - the mac look thing). OpenOffice is great on Windows/Linux. If you're on a mac get NeoOffice instead...
 
Thanks :) yeah i thought the x11 was a pain but seemed easy to install dang i might just uninstall openoffice and go for neooffice, meh maybe jsut keep both :) :cool:
 
Paul Wright said:
Thanks :) yeah i thought the x11 was a pain but seemed easy to install dang i might just uninstall openoffice and go for neooffice, meh maybe jsut keep both :) :cool:
Click to expand...

You can keep X11 for other apps like GIMP (a photoshop alternative, which would be amazing if aquafied...)
 
Paul Wright said:
yeah, i got pretty hacked off with it, now im used to it, but i prefer using my PC for desktop publishing, 13.32 screen isnt too good when writing essays :)
Click to expand...
Try using NeoOffice, it only takes a minute to install, you can get rid of X11 even if you have got used to it. It is a real tribute to open source success, but I'm thinking that Office08 may blow it out of the water...
 
psychofreak said:
Try using NeoOffice, it only takes a minute to install, you can get rid of X11 even if you have got used to it. It is a real tribute to open source success, but I'm thinking that Office08 may blow it out of the water...
Click to expand...

downloading onto my PC now :) waiting for my macboko to come bk from repair and i will install it get rid of x11 unless i find a use for it :)
 
dukebound85 said:
but i also think that neooffice lags about about an update behind openoffice. or has that changed?
Click to expand...

Its usually on a minor update behind, so the lag is so small you likely won't notice -- its feature complete that way.

Since the move to 2.0 they've really improved on this. The caveat is that it is even more of a memory hog than OOo (hard to believe I know!). Running with 2GB RAM its nice to use, when I had 512MB it was unusable. Where the sweet spot is, I don't know.
 
stcanard said:
Its usually on a minor update behind, so the lag is so small you likely won't notice -- its feature complete that way.

Since the move to 2.0 they've really improved on this. The caveat is that it is even more of a memory hog than OOo (hard to believe I know!). Running with 2GB RAM its nice to use, when I had 512MB it was unusable. Where the sweet spot is, I don't know.
Click to expand...

do u have to download the patches urself from noeoffice website or not?
 
Paul Wright said:
do u have to download the patches urself from noeoffice website or not?
Click to expand...

Its completely self-contained, download is here.

You get a dmg with an installer package, just like with MS Office, so there's not patching / compiling / hacking, my dad can do it! (and has)

It also has update checks on start, and will notify you when there is a patch available -- patch is just another dmg / installer package.

Considering the project is basically two people, it is a really amazing acheivment.
 
Fun for the whole family

I switched my mom over to NeoOffice when she got her new MacBook, and I don't think she's missed MS Office even once. If we can get OpenOffice.org to go Cocoa on its own, with more official recognition of the Mac, all the better.
 
Epicurus said:
I switched my mom over to NeoOffice when she got her new MacBook, and I don't think she's missed MS Office even once. If we can get OpenOffice.org to go Cocoa on its own, with more official recognition of the Mac, all the better.
Click to expand...

:) I have many friends who own MS Office for mac, meh its basically a rip off, at the start i was called cheap for not buying it and getting free apps, meh im like a couple of hundred pounds/dollars/euros better off and they wish they got
openoffice instead of forking out tht amount of money :) I dont really see the point of buying a desktop publisher when u can get a free one :) yey :cool: everyone becomes happy :)

And your mom prooves that MS Office is a rip off :)
 
stcanard said:
Its completely self-contained, download is here.

You get a dmg with an installer package, just like with MS Office, so there's not patching / compiling / hacking, my dad can do it! (and has)

It also has update checks on start, and will notify you when there is a patch available -- patch is just another dmg / installer package.

Considering the project is basically two people, it is a really amazing acheivment.
Click to expand...

I agree and theve saved loads of peolpe a couple of hundred dollars each :)

w00t!
 
My main issue with both NeoOffice and the current release of OOo is that you can't go directly to the thing you want to use. You have to open the program and then go and get a spreadsheet etc. whereas with MS Office you don't. Just a minor annoyance. I mostly use Pages and Keynote though...
 
I got a new macbook earlier this week and fretted over the decision of whether to download openoffice of neooffice. Picked neooffice in the end just beause it was native and didn't have to bother with x11.

i'm glad i did. It is a very impressive opensource project.

Someone mentioned it was a memory hog. I haven't found that to be true at all. I have 1gig ram.
 
I've been happily using StarOffice/OpenOffice for the last 7 years on a Jokedows box, and 3 years on a Panther/G4 mac. Work uses Ms Office 2003, so it's great to have that compatibility when I work at home.

The X-11 version of OO 2.0.3 is definitely slower on my G4 than the Xubuntu offering that runs on my G3 B&W. I'll therefore give NeoOffice a go and see what it's like to go native!

Open Office is an excellent office suite offering about 80-85% the functionality of MS Office. OO does not support VBA Macros or VB script in Excel, so if this is important to you, follow Sun's advice and use MS Office instead.

Unfortunately most of the corporate world is frightened of alternatives to Jokedows/Office as "OpenSource" is still wrongly viewed as "experimental". Pity because the cost savings of migrating to OpenOffice/NeoOffice are tremendous.
 
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