OpenOffice was one of the first legitimate free competitors to Microsoft Office, and still retains some prestige as one. Its comprehensive suite of word processing (Write), spreadsheets (Calc), presentation (Impress) and database management programs, plus drawing and math apps can do everything a basic Microsoft Office version does as well as more. Plus it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms while supporting all standard Microsoft formats!
Easy to use and perfect for small businesses needing consistent document appearances, OpenOffice.org allows developers to extend functionality by creating extensions and templates – these add-ons are available through both the Apache Software Foundation and community contributors, making it simpler for IT teams to customize the software to meet specific business requirements.
OpenOffice stands out as an ideal office suite because it doesn’t come loaded with extraneous features that you might find elsewhere. Furthermore, OpenOffice includes a selection of fonts bundled within its software (though more may be installed separately if desired) as well as managing TrueType fonts installed on your operating system and is compatible with most printers.
OpenOffice differs from most commercial software in that it’s distributed under an open-source license, making it suitable for students and businesses who wish to share files freely with clients or distribute files as needed. Plus, its cost is often significantly less than comparable proprietary options on the market making it ideal for small businesses on a tight budget.
OpenOffice was designed to compete with Microsoft Office, yet its functionality is strikingly similar to Google Docs. For example, OpenOffice can easily read and write Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files without issue, although occasionally minor problems may occur, such as losing images from Word documents.
The primary difference between OpenOffice and Microsoft Office lies in their respective interfaces: Microsoft’s is sleek and modern with large ribbon icons lining the top of its window; OpenOffice stands out as more subdued in appearance with gray hues that resemble Google Docs more directly; however, for those who value simplicity over complexity this might actually be beneficial.
Since Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, which was the primary developer of OpenOffice in 2010, members of the community created LibreOffice as a fork of OpenOffice that attempted to preserve its original vision and original philosophy. Since 2011, LibreOffice has been in active development, making it a viable free alternative to Microsoft Office for any company or student that requires full suite office applications. But for those in need of the latest cloud-based collaboration features, LibreOffice or Google Docs might be better choices. Both programs are regularly updated with team project capabilities that include support via cloud technology. Furthermore, these alternatives support more browsers than Microsoft Suite does which may present problems to some users.