April 21st, 2009
For many people, Microsoft Office is the standard software of choice for a basic office suite. But did you know that there is a viable, FREE alternative?
Sun Microsystems pioneered the development of Open Office a number of years ago (it used to be called Star Suite), and it has definitely matured over it’s lifespan to be a great open source competitor for MS Office. Like MS Office, Open Office contains word processing, spreadsheets, presentation and database applications, as well as a graphic/drawing program. And it comes in three flavors: MS Windows, Linux, and Mac (the Mac version is called NeoOffice ). Give it a try – you might just like it.
If you’re a dedicated MS Office user, but you haven’t yet upgraded to MS Office 2007 (Office 2008 for Mac), you’ll probably find that you can’t open the new .docx formats Microsoft uses for documents. Here’s a few tips for you:
- To open MS Office 2007 documents in an older version of Word for Windows, download the free Compatibility Pack at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100444731033.aspx.
If you’re on an earlier Mac version of Word, download the Converter.
To convert MS Office 2007 documents for viewing in your browser, go to DocX converter .
- If you want to use Open Office in Windows or Linux to open (and save) documents in MS Office format, you will need to download the ODF Converter along with your install file. NeoOffice (for Mac) will already save in the .docx format.
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