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Why do I use Openoffice?

Micro$oft Office? Everyone's favourite choice? Well, maybe. But that's only through ignorance, inexperience, or simply by default. Those who know me well, or are experienced in business or computer science will know me, as an outspoken critic, and implacable enemy of, injustice and inequality, and as a man of principle, will understand intuitively why I hate Micro$oft, its business practice and its products.

To quote https://openoffice.org:

OpenOffice offers a high degree of compatibility with commercial office software, but with none of the costs or license worries.

The no-hassle answer

For small businesses, IT is a hassle and an expense. Apache OpenOffice is simply the easiest and cheapest way of providing the essential software tools required to support a growing business. Developed over twenty years, OpenOffice is a mature, stable, product, guaranteeing trouble-free usage. Behind the scenes, it stores all your valuable data in a format approved by the International Organization for Standardization - the first software package in the world to meet this exacting standard. As more companies adopt the standard, exchanging data between office software, accounting software, planning software - any software - will become as easy as saving and opening a file. No transcription errors, no typing the same information twice - no hassle computing.

Better but compatible

Apache OpenOffice prides itself on its compatibility with other office software. Companies moving to OpenOffice simply take their existing files with them. In fact, changing to OpenOffice may be a simpler process than having to upgrade because your commercial software vendor has brought out a new version. OpenOffice also understands that no business is an island, which is why it can exchange files with other office software - for example, the one your accountants use. It also allows you to create PDF files for those all-important times when you want to retain control of documents after they leave your office.

Open for business

Amazingly, Apache OpenOffice comes without any license fees, or any worrying small print. You can install it on as many computers as you like, use it for any purpose, and even give copies away for employees to use at home. No more threats of heavy-handed software audits disturbing your business. You don’t even have to worry about what to install - OpenOffice is one complete package. If you need extra languages, simply install them.

Why Apache OpenOffice: Great Software

Great Software requires great people. Apache OpenOffice is the result of over twenty years’ continuous high quality software engineering. Designed from the start as a single piece of software, Apache OpenOffice has a consistency and a quality that is world class. Its open-source development model means there are no secrets.

Better by design

Developed over twenty years, Apache OpenOffice is a mature, reliable, product. OpenOffice was designed from the start as a single piece of software - not bolted together from separate software packages. This makes it very consistent and easy to use - what you learn in one application is immediately usable in another. The context-sensitive help works across all applications, unobtrusively providing the precise help you need. You can even open any type of document from any application - OpenOffice is really one piece of software. It also runs on all major computing platforms - Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, Sun Solaris, Apple Mac - isn’t that great!

Better for you

Apache OpenOffice contains all the office software you need, in one single package. You don’t have to worry which version to install: one installation program provides everything. The installation also includes features which some expensive rivals do not - for example, the ability to create .pdf files when you want to guarantee what the recipient sees on their computer. There is also a growing range of extensions: additional features that any developer can provide. The Apache OpenOffice project releases software several times a year so you can take advantage of new features as quickly as possible.

Honest software

Apache OpenOffice is developed using an open-software, “no secrets” approach. Anyone can look at the programs and suggest improvements, or fix bugs. Anyone can report problems or request enhancements, and anyone can see the response from other users or developers. The status of current and future releases is displayed on a public wiki, so you can decide if and when you want to upgrade to take advantage of new features. Anyone used to commercial software and its hyping and marketing speak will find Apache OpenOffice refreshingly different. Enjoy the benefits of open-source!

Why Apache OpenOffice: Easy-to-use

Easy to choose, easy to install, easy to learn - Apache OpenOffice is the easy choice for an office software suite. OpenOffice is suitable for complete beginners, but if you have used any other office software, that’s ok too. OpenOffice will make full use of what you already know - through familiar screens and menus - and also what you have - by reading existing files with no retyping.

Use it immediately

For people used to other office software, Apache OpenOffice is a pleasant surprise. It’s so straightforward! Studies have proved it is easier (and cheaper) to move to OpenOffice from Microsoft Office than it is to upgrade to Microsoft’s Office 2007. Because OpenOffice is one piece of software, everything works consistently between applications. Even the help system is the same. You don’t even have to know which application was used to create a document - OpenOffice will use the correct one. You only need to do a single download from the Internet (or install from one CD) and you’ve got your office suite

No need to retype

We understand that many people already have documents which they have created using other common office software packages. Apache OpenOffice can read these files with a very high degree of accuracy, making migration to OpenOffice very straightforward. In fact, we have reports where OpenOffice has been able to read files which the original software package had said were corrupted and unusable. If your friends or colleagues use different software, you can still swap files with them - but better still, give them a free copy of Apache OpenOffice!

Part of a community

When you’re starting something new, it’s great to know tens of millions of people have been there before you. Apache OpenOffice is developed, translated, supported, and promoted by an international community of tens of thousands of enthusiasts. If you have ever waited for ages for paid-for support from a commercial software provider, community support from enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers may come as a surprise. You may even find yourself talking to people who have developed or translated the software you are using. Welcome to the community!

Why Apache OpenOffice: Free software

Apache OpenOffice is free software. That means you are free to download it, free to install it on as many PCs as you like, free to pass copies to as many people as you like. You may use OpenOffice for any purpose without restriction: private, educational, public administration, commercial… Free, really free.

Free of charge

It’s hard to believe that high quality, easy to use software like Apache OpenOffice can really be free. But thanks to contributions of time and money, from individuals and companies (large and small), OpenOffice is free for you to use today. Furthermore, the open-source license used by OpenOffice means this freedom can never be taken away. The OpenOffice community are delighted if you find our software of use. Please help us by telling people about Apache OpenOffice, and if you can, pass them on a copy. More people use OpenOffice as a result of personal recommendation than any other route.

Freedom from worry

However, a free software license means much more than a one-off cost saving. It means you never need worry again whether your software is legal, or whether it will expire some day. For people responsible for a number of computers - from just a few in a small business, hundreds in a school, thousands in a corporation - this is a huge weight off the mind. No need for software audits, for keeping invoices for years, no worry about ending up in court because you misread some small print in a license agreement.

We value your freedom

As part of a community dedicated to free software, we also value your freedom of choice. Apache OpenOffice will read and write files which can be used in other common office software. It was the first software in the world to fully support the ISO standard for office file formats which is being adopted by a growing number of software vendors. If you want to use other software, we want you to be free to do so. If you want to change your PC from Microsoft Windows to Apple Mac to Linux, we want you to be free to do so. If you like this approach, feel free to join the Apache OpenOffice community.

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/dfdn/anythingbutwindows.gmi And to this I add ethics. I hate the business practice (as well as products) of Microsoft!!!

Can M$ Office users open my files?

The most common filename extensions used for OpenDocument documents are:

.odt and .fodt for word processing (text) documents

.ods and .fods for spreadsheets

.odp and .fodp for presentations

.odg and .fodg for graphics

.odf for formula, mathematical equations

If you really cannot open these I can convert to:

.odt and .fodt - .doc. .pdf .rtf .xps .oxps

.ods and .fods for spreadsheets - .xls for most users

.odp and .fodp for presentations .rtf .pdf .xps .oxps

.odg and .fodg for graphics .bmp .tif .jpg .png .gif (if no loss of quality) and plenty more!

.odf for formula, mathematical equations - normally export as image or is embedded in one of the above.

What is the history behind this?

Software companies practice built-in obsolescence mostly by adding new features--whether the new features add any real value to the consumer or not--by making newer software look "glitzier" (remember Windows XP) and more resource intensive, and by making newer software incompatible with older software. A good example of newer software being designed to be incompatible with older software is Microsoft Word. I have been forced by various employers since the early 1990's to use Microsoft Word, and I have watched as newer versions came out that were incompatible with older versions. When a new version of Word came out in the '90's, suddenly we could no longer open older company documents written with the previous version. This had quite a negative effect on my impresion of Microsoft. But, the companies I worked for went right on using Microsoft products, as if they had not noticed a thing. In the early 2000's, one method that Microsoft devised of preventing its customers from moving to alternative free office software (like FreeOffice, OpenOffice, and LibeOffice) was changing Word's document format from .doc to .docx. This did not work for long because the makers of other office alternatives simply responded by adding the .docx file format to their programs.

The way that I fight built-in obsolescence in software is by using free software like Linux. With free software, no incentives exist for programmers to create useless new features or make newer versions of software incompatible with older versions. The goal of a programmer of free software is to make software that people will want to use, not software they will have to use.

Please contact me if my choice causes issues. In general I can open the latest formats from Micro$oft products such as .docx, .pptx, .xlsx - but not write them. 95%+ this does not cause problems.

Oh, and I will promote Openoffice aling with Linux and the Raspberry PI and successors in Africa too.

David