Open Office 3.2 available

[davidh]

includes security patches

[Peter Creasey]

David, Do you use OpenOffice? If so, do you like it?

I'm still using Lotus SmartSuite. UNFORTUNATELY, it is getting a bit obsolete.

I'm trying to decide between OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony if/when I switch.

[davidh]

David, Do you use OpenOffice? If so, do you like it?

I'm still using Lotus SmartSuite. UNFORTUNATELY, it is getting a bit obsolete.

I'm trying to decide between OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony if/when I switch.I mostly use Microsoft Word 2000 for word processing, along with Notepad, and WordPad.

I used to use an old 16bit (floppy disk distribution) version of Excel on Win 98, Win 95, & Win 3.1. Now I mostly use Open Office for table stuff. For my purposes, OO seems sufficiently compatible with the latest versions of Excel as far as file conversion goes.

This system I'm on now has 3GB RAM and 2.2 Ghz Core 2 Duo CPU and it's fast enuf running OO. I haven't tried it on my old Win 98 500Mhz 192MB RAM "clunker". OO is written in Java (interpreted code) not in compiled code so it runs slower than Microsoft Office apps.

I have an old $10 retail version of Print Perfect Gold that handles business cards among other things. Maybe published by Cosmi? But it won't run on Vista which my wife uses. So we may try using a free OO template, not as much of a "smooth operator" as dedicated printing SW like PPG but price is good ($0). (I'm pretty sure one can get free business card templates for MS Word too, but haven't tried any.)

Secunia PSI tells me that my MS Word 2000 has a cat 4 security vulnerability. This IS a vulnerability BECAUSE MS Word can and does run as a "plug in" in browsers (i.e. while viewing DOC files online). Because of these types of vulnerabilities it's probably better to use up to date SW, such as OO. Measures such as AVG Link Scanner and NoScript FF extension, esp. in tandem, provide some amount of protection beyond the increasingly feeble protection provided by signature based AV, i.e. against drive-by downloads of infected docs.

I have made some spreadsheets on Google Apps too. I suppose that one would have to be concerned about compatibility and performance in such a case. I think Google offers free offline capability for Gmail. Don't know anything about Google offline capability for other Google stuff, besides email.

[dgermann]

Pete--

I have been using OOo for about 5 years now, having switched from Ami Pro.

It was a steep learning curve: there were a lot of things on which the thinking was completely different. Once I got it figured out, it has been good to have.

If you were to go to Word, which from what I have seen (I do not have it on any machine) is a work-alike to OOo, you'd have the same learning curve.

The support is wonderful at http://www.oooforum.org, whether you have a Windows version or Linux. I am using Linux.

Can't speak to Symphony, except to say that the world seems to be going in the Word/OOo direction these days. Sure wish Ami Pro had made it....

Since OOo is a free download, and since the forums are easily accessible, you might check out the forums and then maybe test drive.

[ndebord]

David, Do you use OpenOffice? If so, do you like it?

I'm still using Lotus SmartSuite. UNFORTUNATELY, it is getting a bit obsolete.

I'm trying to decide between OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony if/when I switch.

Peter,

Lotus Symphony has a beta out right now, if you are interested in trying it out.

http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/SymphonyBetaHome.nsf/home