esp-protocol Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 I just have an inherent dislike of all things microsoft. The alternative to microsoft office...."Open Office"..... Is anyone using it..... any dodgy things found etc ?? Thanks
oddjob Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 I don't use it but myself, from what I've heard, many, many other people do use it. And very successfully. Two words of caution. The learning curve when you change from M$ to OO can be high so set some time aside to work on it. Secondly, although people say that there is complete fluidity/migration from M$ to OO, this isn't always the case. However, generally, what I read about OO is very good. Suggest you read round other forums on the web to see what other folk say. For instance type "is open office any good?" into Google and you will get results that I'm sure will enlighten. Good luck. (By the way .... what don't you like about M$ Office?) OJ
james.wilson Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 depends on what your using it for. If your using it from other applications (ie ms) then oo wont work, but if your just using it as a stand alone application its relativly ok. It doenst like all formatting ie tables from doc files. I used it for a while but recently got fed up with it and bought a new version of office securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount.
esp-protocol Posted September 30, 2008 Author Posted September 30, 2008 (By the way .... what don't you like about M$ Office?)OJ Thanks OJ.... 1. I don't like the fact that just about all new PC have to come with the newer office version (2007 I think it is) 2. I don't like the fact it saves everything as ".docx" etc meaning you can't open it on the older office versions which causes problem for clients who haven't upgraded. - I know we can change defaults..... 3. Even if you save a document as .doc then right click to send to mail recipient it still sends it as a .docx document....!! 4. All the buttons and menus that i used to know have all changed and disappeared and do different things ....!!! and there are a few more niggles... but basically i can only imagine the .docx bit has been brought in cos gates obviously isn't making enough money and wants to force people to upgrade......
magpye Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 I've gone back to my old M$ 2003 Also got the 'add-on' that 'reads/converts ?' .docx to .doc for 2003, not that I have ever had to use it, everyone I know has gone back to 2003 Someone told me I was ignorant and apathetic, I don't know what that means, nor do I care.
GalaxyPro Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 Thanks OJ....1. I don't like the fact that just about all new PC have to come with the newer office version (2007 I think it is) 2. I don't like the fact it saves everything as ".docx" etc meaning you can't open it on the older office versions which causes problem for clients who haven't upgraded. - I know we can change defaults..... 3. Even if you save a document as .doc then right click to send to mail recipient it still sends it as a .docx document....!! 4. All the buttons and menus that i used to know have all changed and disappeared and do different things ....!!! and there are a few more niggles... but basically i can only imagine the .docx bit has been brought in cos gates obviously isn't making enough money and wants to force people to upgrade...... LOL! I hear your cry, can definately relate. I went back to an older version of office as well though, but RTF format can help
amateurandy Posted October 1, 2008 Posted October 1, 2008 I've gone back to my old M$ 2003 Also got the 'add-on' that 'reads/converts ?' .docx to .doc for 2003, not that I have ever had to use it, everyone I know has gone back to 2003 Ditto, exact same setup here. Office 2003 does everything I need, and everyone I know for that matter. That said I know quite a few people with the latest version and once they "adjust" to the new interface are very happy.
Gopher Posted October 1, 2008 Posted October 1, 2008 I'm using Open Office, it's great but it has it's quirks with the way some of the features work as they work differently to MS it will save as best it can to .doc format and the few times I've done that it's not too much out. The feature I do like is this as most people have either the adobe acrobat reader or a pdf reader of some description - it's the save as / export to pdf which preserves all your fonts / layout etc, great for sending people an invoice electronically.. Also if there is a "bug" found it's verified a fix is is out, tested and the update put out after that, it has some free add-ins, there are other paid add-ins which look useful for business. Intruder / CCTV / Access Control Technical Support Personal Subscriber to the "K.I.S.S" principle, that's Keep It Simple Stupid, are you?
mcelec Posted October 2, 2008 Posted October 2, 2008 i only got bent onto open office two weeks ago! no going back for me, the option to convert straight to pdf is really useful and things such as draw are great for creating some basic drawings without the complications of cad! and its free!!!
esp-protocol Posted October 2, 2008 Author Posted October 2, 2008 On the subject of pdf....... If you google pdf fill writer there is a little freeby bit of software that allows you to convert anything to PDF format... it works like a "printer"...so whatever program you're in when you print you just change the printer to "pdf fill writer" and hey presto..... really really useful......
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