OpenOffice is an open-source software that has been around since 2000. Like Microsoft Office, it consists of a unified set of applications intended for business use and for performing office tasks, such as word processing, spreadsheet preparation, and visual presentation. The following describes what OpenOffice is capable of as an office suite:
Features of OpenOffice as office software
OpenOffice (OO.o) is compatible with a wide variety of operating systems, such as different versions of Mac OSX and Windows, as well as FreeBSD v3.1, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Solaris. Its word processor, Writer, can export documents into PDF files without using other software. The same goes for its Excel and PowerPoint equivalents Calc and Impress, respectively. Among other features, OO.o also comes with the Base, Draw, and Math tools, which are ideal for database management, desktop publishing, preparing charts, and forming equations. Many office workers used to Microsoft Office will not find it difficult to navigate the OO.o office suite. It also has the advantage of allowing more editing versatility and capability of exporting and importing files in PDF, XML, and HTML, as well as MSOffice file formats. On top of it all, maintaining it for corporate use costs only 10% of an MSOffice upgrade.
Cons of OpenOffice as business software
Since it’s an open-source application, one of the setbacks to OpenOffice is its susceptibility to viruses encrypted into the source code. This, however, remains just a possibility, as OO.o is found to contain no in-the-wild viruses as of now.
While MSOffice still dominates the market, OpenOffice is gaining solid ground as a strong competitor. It costs much less, plus it’s easy-to-use and versatile. Although it has a weak spot in terms of system security for now, the OpenOffice.org team is in the process of addressing this security issue.
