When Mr Theologian (aka the Prediger) bought me the HP Pavillion dv2000us, it came with a trial version of Office 2003. 30 days and you’d have to buy the license. Considering that I do not want to pay for an essential office suite that allows me to write reports, do spreadsheets, do presentations, and experiment with databases, I reached for my bag of tricks and installed the OpenOffice.Org suite instead. I must thank my Linux prof for introducing me to this wonderful software.
It can do plenty of things most people can do without the price tag. Last semester, I had to do a test for Economics…and the spreadsheet was in Excel. Since I have not have that in my old lappy, I did mine in OOo’s Calc, and it worked without any glitches. The prof was impressed that OOo can take an Excel file and saved it properly without any trouble. My favorite thing I can do involves converting documents into PDF files, perfect for reports and Bible studies for my friends in the ministry. BTW: I got a friend who is really in the Word of Faith movement, a guy who’s in the Student Government Association. We disagree on theology…but we do agree that OOo is a blessing for students. In fact, he burned many CDs with the suite and give them away. In fact…Open Office is that– FREE!
Consider: You go to an office supply shop and you notice that the operating system software (Vista, XP Pro, etc) is separate from the office suites (Office 2003, 2007). Plenty of people have encountered that situation and gritted their teeth as they pay extra. You do not have to do that. I have OOo working with Vista Business, with XP (Pro, Media Center and the Home Versions) , and Linux (Fedora Core 5, Simply MEPIS 6.0, and Ubuntu). You can feel right at home with its interface without the sharp learning curve Office 2007 throws at you. Very similar to Office 2003.
If you are upgrading to Vista or wanted a program that works without the high cost, consider the OpenOffice.Org suite. And if you are enjoying it, send a few bux down their way.