Gemal's Psyched Blog: OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice bundles Mozilla

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:43:55 +0100

Future versions of OpenOffice.org will come bundled with Mozilla's Thunderbird email client and Lightning calendar application. The open source office suite is also planning to revamp its system for building and installing extensions by the end of the month by introducing an extensions system like that of Mozilla's Firefox browser. The process of developing, selecing and managing extensions will be standardised and simplified, according to Charles H. Schulz, the lead of OpenOffice.org's Native Language Confederation.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 released

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 15:15:04 +0100

OpenOffice.org 2.0 has been released.
- Download or this mirror
- Features
- Press

OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word

Thu, 23 Jun 2005 13:43:03 +0100

OOo Writer scores most of its victories in features that make the creation and maintenance of highly formatted or long documents easier. This pattern is not accidental. According to Elizabeth Mathias of Sun Microsystems, the documentation of OpenOffice.org has a long history of being written in Writer itself. As a result, the program's developers had the incentive to include the tools they needed. This legacy continues to give Writer advantages over competitors like Word. That is not to say that Writer is a perfect program. Its interface is wildly inconsistent. Some features, notably cross-references, can most kindly be described as lacking. And in version 2.0, the attempt to imitate Microsoft Word hides several useful features. Yet, despite these shortcomings, OOo Writer is not only as fully developed as Microsoft Word, but often superior in terms of features and stability.
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Making the leap: Microsoft Word to OpenOffice.org Writer

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:06:22 +0100

Whether you're moving from Windows to GNU/Linux, or just from the proprietary Microsoft Office to the free software OpenOffice.org suite, one of the challenges you'll face is learning how to use OpenOffice.org Writer effectively if you're used to Microsoft Word. In this article I'll show you around OpenOffice.org Writer, where to find familiar Word tools, and how to customize the interface and preferences to make it a little more Word-friendly. First, don't worry; you won't have much trouble adjusting to OpenOffice.org Writer. The interface isn't terribly different; the menu and toolbar layout are similar to Word's. If you prefer a custom display you'll be much happier with Writer, as it doesn't have a lot of the annoying Word features that people often disable. If the first thing you do when you install Word XP is disable personalized menus and eliminate the superfluous and space-hogging task pane, you'll find it easy and convenient to switch over to Writer. If, on the other hand, you regularly use the task pane, you're going to have to make some adjustments to work efficiently in Writer. While the task pane does not offer any unique functionality, it does make it more convenient to reach certain tools and commands.
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Lack of developers delays OpenOffice.org

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 22:08:54 +0100

Open source productivity suite OpenOffice.org may be touted as a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, but there are claims its pace of development and adoption of new features is being stifled by a "monolithic" code base and a developer community still largely controlled by Sun Microsystems. Project contributors speaking at the annual OpenOffice.org miniconference in Canberra this week raised numerous issues, including a lack of independent contributors. OpenOffice.org developer Ken Foskey said the biggest problem with the project is a lack of developers and a code base that is "just too big". "It's 10 million lines of code and takes serious commitment just to compile the thing," Foskey said. "I'm interested in [having] more community developers [involved]," he said, adding they shouldn't "just say 'I want to work on OpenOffice' but focus on a particular part of the project." Sun is still the largest contributor to the project with some 50 developers in Germany, followed by Novell with about 10 contributors, and only four active community developers.
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StarOffice 8 Beta available

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 10:12:14 +0100

StarOffice software is affordable, easy to use, and based on open standards. It offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database capabilities. Its familiar interface enables quick productivity and results for the business user, and elegant output for the consumer. StarOffice 8 software increases usability and MS Office compatibility, adds productivity increasing wizards and tools and supports select Lotus and WordPerfect versions. It also introduces a new database engine and front-end tool, easier multilanguage installation and two new scripting languages for developers.
Read more and download
What is new in StarOffice 8 Beta software?

But you can also download the latest developer release of OpenOffice.org here and see what's new.

New Splash Screen for OpenOffice.org 2.0

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:42:19 +0100

Please help us choose a new splash screen for the upcoming OpenOffice.org 2.0 release. Choose the new splashscreen for the upcoming OpenOffice.org 2.0! You need to be a registered community member to vote. Login, and from your My start page, cast your vote. Voting is open for two weeks and closes 15 February 2004 at 00:00 UTC.

Go ahead and vote

OpenOffice.org 2.0 in March

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 21:35:45 +0100

According to a new document at development.openoffice.org OpenOffice.org 2.0 might be available in March 2005.

The plan looks like this:
December 2004: OOo 1.9.65 Feature Complete Snapshot (originally planned as 2.0 Beta)
January 2005: OOo2.0 Beta
January 2005 ?? : OOo2.0 changes will be done on separated branch, the trunk (HEAD) will then be used for the next OOo major (3.0 ?) release.
February 2005 ?? : OOo 2.0 rc
March 2005 ?? : OOo 2.0

I've just downloaded and installed OpenOffice.org Snapshot Build 1.9.m69 from the FTP server.

Remember also to read the OpenOffice.org 2.0 Office Suite Guide to New Features document

Reading external data sources with OpenOffice.org

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:28:59 +0100

The OpenOffice.org suite has positioned itself as a competitive alternative to proprietary products such as Microsoft Office and Corel's WordPerfect Office. One of OpenOffice.org's more advanced features is its ability to access external data sources from within its applications. Information repositories abound in both users' desktops and in a company's IT infrastructure. OpenOffice.org offers access to a whole gamut of data sources, ranging from standard OBDC/JDBC connection capabilities to localized access into text files, spreadsheets, and address books. The real highlight in being able to connect from OOo into a data source lies in its robust GUI for consulting and performing comprehensive searches. Users can make SQL-based queries or simple sort/filter searches and use the retrieved information within text documents or spreadsheets.
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OpenOffice lige så nemt at bruge som Microsoft Office

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:56:39 +0100

Den alternative kontorpakke OpenOffice er lige så nem at bruge som Microsofts udbredte Office-pakke. Det konkluderer en dansk brugerundersøgelse i forbindelse med rapporten om brugen af open source-kontorpakker i det offentlige. Det vil tilsyneladende ikke volde brugerne de store problemer, hvis hele den offentlige forvaltning gik fra Microsofts kontorpakke Office og over til at bruge den alternative OpenOffice. Ikke nok med at det offentlige kunne spare licensudgifterne, brugerne ville i det daglige også ganske smertefrit vænne sig til den nye kontorpakke. Det konkluderer den danske cand.mag Jacob Salmon i en brugerundersøgelse af overgangen mellem de to kontorpakker.
Læs nyheden her
Læs hele rapporten i PDF

OpenOffice.org 1.9 m65 Snapshot

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 22:52:44 +0100

OpenOffice.org just release yes another developer build of the OpenOffice.org 2.0 line. Build 1.9.m65 (680_m65).

New stuff:
- New First Start Wizard
- New toolbar
and loads or other stuff

Download
Release notes

Snapshot builds are developers builds and will be released every two weeks. They are showing the progress on the way towards OpenOffice.org 2.0.

Create a Letterhead Using OpenOffice.org Writer

Wed, 15 Dec 2004 10:06:22 +0100

Once upon a time, organizations had thousands of sheets of letterhead prepared by a commercial printer. These letterhead pages were then fed through a typewriter or, later, through a printer attached to a computer. Some organizations still do this, especially if they want colors, embossed text, or other fancy touches. But many smaller companies, and most individuals, now are very likely to print the letterhead and the letter at the same time, using a color laser or inkjet printer. This article describes how to create and use a letterhead with OpenOffice.org. Along the way you'll learn how to use a wizard, templates, styles, and even a field or two. The principles described apply to many other documents as well, so even if you don't need a letterhead, you should find this exercise useful.
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Microsoft PowerPoint versus OpenOffice.org Impress

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:23:16 +0100

By now, anyone who has researched replacing Microsoft Office with OpenOffice.org knows that Writer is an acceptable, even superior substitute for Word. But word processing is only part of what the average user needs in an office program. What if you need to design a slide show in OOo Impress? Coming from PowerPoint, what can you expect? For starters, expect to feel nearly at home. Like the rest of OpenOffice.org, Impress is designed for an easy transition from Microsoft Office. Most of the same tools are available as in PowerPoint, and in the same places. This similarity means that, for most people, learning Impress is quicker than learning, for example, KPresenter. You may notice a slight change in name, and one or two features may be in different places, but you can count on locating basic functions without major problems. Now and then you may need to hunt for a feature, but if you assume that it's around somewhere, you'll be right more often than not.
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Dansk OpenOffice.org 1.1.3

Thu, 14 Oct 2004 09:47:04 +0100

Det danske nyhedsbrev om OpenOffice.org skriver:

I dag udgiver vi Dansk OpenOffice.org 1.1.3. Denne udgivelse er en mindre opdatering og indeholder fejlrettelser. Derudover har du nu også mulighed for at hente en brugervenlig installationspakke for Dansk OpenOffice.org til Windows.

Du kan som altid hente Dansk OpenOffice.org fra: http://da.openoffice.org/

OpenOffice.org Mozilla Plug-in

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 22:12:09 +0100

When an OpenOffice.org file is browsed in Mozilla, the display mode is like that of text/plain mime type, which is not the desired mode. On Windows, OpenOffice.org has already provided a plug-in for Internet Explorer (IE), which enables IE to embed an OpenOffice.org window to display the OpenOffice.org file, while this kind of support is missing for Mozilla. By providing a Mozilla plug-in, OpenOffice.org files can be displayed inside the Mozilla window just as the same way it is been browsed in the IE.

This is currently only available in the 2.0 developer release (1.9.54 currently). To enable it you have to go to the Options in OpenOffice.org. Then choose Internet and Mozilla Plug-in and enable it.

- Specification
- Blog entry
- Planet OpenOffice.org