OpenOffice.org (OOo) is both a software product and a project that produces and supports the software.
The project began in 2000 when Sun Microsystems (a major software vendor) released the source code to its office suite product, StarOffice, to the open source community. Today, OOo is supported by both the open source project and Sun Microsystems. Also, new versions of Sun's StarOffice use code developed by the OOo project. Because someone else owns the trademark OpenOffice, the correct name for both the open-source project and the software is OpenOffice.org. Everyone is free to use and to redistribute OOo, thanks to its open source license.
Why Use OpenOffice.org?
No licensing fee. OOo is free to use and to distribute. Many features that cost extra in other office suites are free in OOo.
Open Source. You can change the software as much as you wish to make it useful for your organization. You can also copy and redistribute the software as long as you follow the rules of one of the OOo Open Source licenses.
Cross-Platform. OOo runs on lots of different types of computer operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linus, and Sun Solaris.
Extensive language support. Ooo's user interface is available in over 40 languages, including right to left layout languages, and the project provides spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries in over 70 languages and dialects.
Consistent user interface. All of the components of OOo have a similar look and feel, which makes them easy to master.
Integration. The components of OOo work together. They share common spell checkers and other tools. You can get to every OOo application from any other application within the suite.
Granularity. When you make a change to a feature, you do not have to make a global change. You can change options at component level and even at the document level.
File compatibility. You can export OOo files directly into PDF and Flash format. OOo also allows you to open and save files in many common formats including MS Office, HTML, XML, WordPerfect, and Lotus 123.
No Vendor Lock-in. OOo files can be read by any text editor.
You have a voice. If you need an enhancement or a fix to OOo, you can join the community and make your needs known. The community determines what changes are made when.
How do I learn more?
Information for this RoadMap was taken from Chapter 1 of the
OOo Getting Started Guide. You can get additional information about OOo by reading the entire chapter. Additional resources are provided in the Quick Links section of this newsletter.
