If you are looking for a free program that offers a replacement for MSWord, Excel and even PowerPoint then you should consider Open Office.
Open Office is an open source suite that resembles Microsoft Office 2003. The features are all very similar and the functions are what you may remember before MS Office 2007 arrived with its controversial ribbon interface. Open Office is capable of viewing, creating, exporting and importing any of the files that are used within Microsoft Office (that includes the 2007 version as well).
The software is totally free and offers a word processor, Calc spreadsheet, Impress presentation creator, Draw Graphics application and the Base database program. Installation is easy and free. Upon installation you will be offered the choice to download from the five main applications mentioned earlier as well as a formula composer that will allow for Macros and extended calculations.
Templates and extensions may also be added during the installation offer a preformatted layouts and designs that can be used for various files, by clicking this link you will be directed to the safe and secure website where these extensions and add-ons can be downloaded directly to the Open Office suite.
Write Word Processor
This word processor looks very similar to Microsoft Word 2003 with the same feel to the menu layout, options and toolbar. It functions in basically the same way and will allow you to view, create, import and export any word document you need. There is a web page publisher included in the program and can be used for creating, editing or viewing web pages.
Calc Spreadsheet
Just as the word program in Open Office resembles Microsoft Word 2003, the Calc Spreadsheet in Open Office resembles the 2003 MS Excel program. Many of the shortcuts are the same and the function, toolbar and menu layout all have very close similarities. Calc can do anything MS Excel 2003 can do but there may be a few more steps needed when creating complex spreadsheets from scratch.
Impress Presentation Creator
Impress may seem like it is missing some of the complexity of the MS PowerPoint but in reality the features that it has left off are the ones that most of us will never need. The presentation software allows the user to create clean, well organized presentations with easy keystrokes, shortcuts and function keys.
So, as far as Open Office is concerned with comparison to Microsoft Office you will be getting most if not all of the same function and usability without the high cost to install. For those of you who cannot handle the new interface that Microsoft 2007 offers and want to go back to the old style you had become accustomed to, Open Office is the suite for you. The download is around 148mb and will take only a few minutes to download and install onto your system.
Leave a Reply