OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org is an open source office application suite developed by Sun Microsystems. The project is designed to be a major competitor of Microsoft Office and was originally inspired from StarOffice.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Sun Microsystems
2. Latest release: 2.3.0
3. License: GNU Lesser General Public License
4. Available for: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, OS/2, IRIX, OpenVMS
5. Port available for Mac OS X

History

OpenOffice.org had its first major release in 1999 with build 638c. Sun Microsystems later made the code for StarOffice available for download. After this release, the project OpenOffice.org went live. In early 2003, development on version 2.0, which would include more features and better interoperability with Microsoft Office and other major office suites, began. The first formal release to the public occurred in 2005 with version 2.0.

Features

OpenOffice.org features many of the same programs and modules that are available in most of the major office suites. These components include, Writer, Calc, Impress, Base, Draw, and Math. Each of these features is very similar to comparable programs offered by many of the competing office suites.

File Formats

OpenOffice.org can save in many file formats, including the Microsoft Office format and WordPerfect. However, it also has the ability to save in many other commonly used formats and can even be saved in several uncommon formats. In addition to the ability to be saved in other formats, OpenOffice.org also features a proprietary file format in which it can save and open documents with only.

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