OPENOFFICE.ORG DOWNLOAD | REVIEW OF OFFICE SUITE FOR MACS

If you're looking for a complete office suite for your Mac, you should check out OpenOffice.org. This office suite is free and contains important tools for your home and office needs.

OpenOffice 3.0.1 includes five core applications: Writer, for creating text documents; Calc, for spreadsheets; Impress, for presentations; Draw, for creating graphics; and Base, a database application.

OS X Aqua Interface Comes To OpenOffice.org

Earlier versions of OpenOffice.org used the X11 windowing system to create and run its graphical user interface. X11 may have been a good choice when OpenOffice.org’s primary role was to provide office applications in Unix/Linux OSes, where X11 was a common windowing system. 

It also allowed the developers to more easily run the application on multiple computers systems; essentially any computer that could run an X11 windowing system could run OpenOffice.org. This included Unix, Linux, Windows, and Mac, as well as others.

But the downside to X11 is that it is not the native windowing system for most platforms. That means that users not only had to install X11, they also had to learn a new user interface that was markedly different than the native windowing system on their computers.

The applications worked well, but it makes no sense to force individuals to relearn basic window and mousing styles just to use an application.

X11 was also slow. Menus took time to appear, and because you were operating in a different windowing system, some of the keyboard shortcuts that make an application easer to use wouldn’t work.

In this recent upgrade, OpenOffice.org replaced X11 with a native OS X Aqua the interface that ensures that not only does OpenOffice.org now look like a Mac application, it works like one as well.

 Menus are now snappy, all keyboard shortcuts work, and the applications simply look much better than they did before.

OPENOFFICE.ORG DOWNLOAD

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OpenOffice.org: Specifications

·        Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or better

·        Intel-based Mac

·        512 MB RAM

·        400 MB hard drive space

·        Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5 or later (JRE is included with OS X)

The 5 Core Applications In OpenOffice.org

1) Writer: OpenOffice.org’s Word Processor

Writer is the word processor application included with OpenOffice.org. A writer can easily become the primary word processor. It includes powerful capabilities that simplify day-in and day-out use. 

The AutoComplete, AutoCorrect, and AutoStyles features let you concentrate on your writing while Writer corrects common typing errors; completes phrases, quotes or words; or senses what you’re doing and sets your entry as a headline, paragraph, and so on.

You can also manually create and apply styles to paragraphs, frames, pages, lists, or individual words and characters. Indexes and tables can have a defined structure made up of formatting options such as fonts, size, and spacing.

Writer also supports complex tables and graphics that you can use to produce compelling documents. To make it easier to create these documents, the Writer can create individual frames that can hold text, graphics, tables, or other content. 

You can move the frames around your document or anchor them to a specific spot. Each frame can have its own attributes, such as size, border, and spacing. Frames allow you to create simple or complex layouts that move Writer beyond word processing and into the realm of desktop publishing.

Two most interesting features of Writer are slider-based magnification and the multi-page layout view. Instead of selecting a set magnification ratio, you can use a slider to change the view in real-time. The multi-page layout view is ideal for longer documents.

2) Calc: OpenOffice.org’s Spreadsheet Software

Similar to Excel from Microsoft, Calc supports multiple worksheets. Calc has a Function The wizard can help you create complex functions; it’s also handy when you can’t remember the name of the function you need. 

One drawback to Calc’s Function Wizard is that it’s not all that helpful; it assumes you already have a pretty good understanding of a function.

Once you create a spreadsheet, Calc offers most of the tools you’ll find in another popular spreadsheet applications, including Data Pilot, a version of Excel’s Pivot Tables. Calc also has Solver and Goal Seeker, a handy set for tools for finding the optimum value for a variable in a spreadsheet.

Any complex spreadsheet is bound to have a problem or two when you first create it. Calc’s Detective tools can help you find the error of your ways.

One place where Calc doesn’t perform as well as the competition is in charting. Its charts are limited to nine basic types.

 Excel has several charting types and options, although the smaller selection in Calc is enough to meet your simple needs.

3) Impress: OpenOffice.org’s Presentation Software

It's very easy to create slide presentations with Impress. The Presentation Wizard can help you create a basic background as well as the slide transition effects to apply to the entire presentation. 

From the Slide Layout, you will see a gallery of slide templates you can choose from. After that, the rest is easy, just add text, graphics, and other elements you want in your presentation.

Once you have more than a few slides, you can use the viewing options to display your presentation in different ways. The Normal view shows a single slide, which is good for making changes and creating each slide. The Slide Sorter allows you to rearrange your slides by simply dragging them around.

 And the Notes view lets you see each slide with any notes you may wish to add about the slide to help in your presentation. Other views include Outline and Handout.

By comparison, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a great deal more capabilities, but at the cost of a higher learning curve. If you only occasionally create presentations, or create presentations strictly for in-house use, then Impress may fit your needs nicely.

4) Draw: OpenOffice.org’s Graphics Software

Draw is really a companion product to Impress, OpenOffice.org’s presentation software. You can use Draw to spiff up slides, create flowcharts, and create basic vector-based drawings. You can also use Draw to create 3D objects, such as cubes, spheres, and cylinders. 

While Draw isn’t up to creating a 3D model of the plans for your next house, you can use it to spice up your presentations with simple graphics touches.

Draw provides the usual vector graphics drawing tools: lines, rectangles, ovals, and curves.
 It also has an assortment of basic shapes that you can add to your drawing, including standard flowchart images and callout bubbles.

Draw integrates well with Impress. You can easily bring slides into Impress and then send the finished slides back to Impress. You can also use Draw to create new slides from scratch to use in Impress.

The draw can also be used for your basic drawing needs or for creating flowcharts for work-related projects. It isn’t really a general-purpose drawing tool, but it’s a handy tool for adding sparkle to OpenOffice.org’s other applications.

5) Base: OpenOffice.org’s Database Software

Base is similar to Microsoft Access, database software that is missing from the Mac version of Microsoft Office. Unlike other popular databases for the Mac, such as FileMaker Pro, Base doesn’t hide its internal structures. It requires you to have at least a basic understanding of how a database works.

Bases uses Tables, Views, Forms, Queries, and Reports to work with and create databases. Tables are used to create the structure to hold data. Views allow you to specify which tables, and which fields within a table, will be visible. 

Queries are ways to filter a database, that is, find specific information about and relationships between data. Queries can be as simple as “show me, everyone, who placed an order in the past week,” or very complex. Forms allow you to design how your database will look.

Forms are a great way to display and enter data in an easy-to-use graphical manner. Reports are a specialized form for displaying the results of queries or the unfiltered data in a table.

You can manually create tables, views, queries, forms, or reports, or you can use Base’s wizards to help you through the process. The wizards are easy to use. The Table Wizard is especially helpful, because it includes templates for popular business and personal databases.

Base is a powerful database software program that can be difficult for some individuals to use because it requires advanced knowledge of how databases work.

OpenOffice.org Review

All of the applications included with OpenOffice.org can read all of the kinds of file types, including recent Microsoft Office Word and Excel files. You can save as popular file types that documents can be saved as, such as .doc for text, .xls for Excel, or .ppt for PowerPoint.

You will notice a few quirks in use though. Some windows and dialog boxes are physically large, with excessive amounts of white space or perhaps more technically correct, gray space. Also, the toolbar icons are small with basic customization options.

In general, Write and Calc is extremely usable, with most of the features most writers will ever need. Impress is easy to use as well, although somewhat basic compared to applications like PowerPoint. Draw’s primary purpose is to allow you to create graphics for Impress slides or to create new slides for a presentation. For its intended purpose, it works reasonably well, but it matches up for a general-purpose drawing tool.

Base is a reasonably good database application. It offers plenty of capabilities but lacks an easy-to-use interface.