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If the latest update of Microsoft Office and its shift in formats has you thinking of change, take a look at OpenOffice, the completely free, open source suite that's available for seven operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux x86 and PowerPC, Solaris x86 and SPARC, and FreeBSD.

OpenOffice's applications include Writer (a word processor), Impress (a presentation tool), Draw (a drawing program), Calc (a spreadsheet too), and Base (for creating databases). See the screenshots below. All the components were updated for this release. Note that the current OpenOffice version is 2.3.1, since a minor bug fix was released in December, although it didn't contain any new features.

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Version 2.0 was a major upgrade for OpenOffice, since it contained a new interface (which made the various tools easier to access and improved productivity with additions like floating toolbars and multi-pane views), the inclusion of Base (the database module), and the debut of the OpenDocument format (an XML file format for office apps). Compatibility was also improved, since most OpenOffice users need to exchange documents with Microsoft Office users on a regular basis.

The updates in version 2.3 aren't as major, but will still provide important new abilities. Writer now has an improved Page Preview mode. Even better, users can easily export documents to MediaWiki format, which makes posting to wikis such as Wikipedia much easier. Impress now offers animation that makes page elements move along a pre-set curve.

Time to Switch?

While compatibility between OpenOffice documents has been improved, you're still likely to see small glitches if you frequently shuttle documents between the two. That's why you'll want to standardize your entire team on one suite. According to John McCreesh, OpenOffice.org's marketing project lead, many companies are finding a valuable alternative in OpenOffice.

"With a familiar user interface and file compatibility, OpenOffice provides a real alternative to Microsoft's Office 2007 product -- and an easier upgrade path for existing Office users." said McCreesh.

For department managers, switching to OpenOffice is a great leap into the unknown, trading the security of a long-established Microsoft product for something foreign. Training users on the new system sounds daunting, but OpenOffice lacks the complexity of Office and should be easier to learn.

"Businesses are finding that a switch to OpenOffice.org 2 is easier for their staff and their bank accounts than going through the upheaval of retraining to Microsoft Office 2007," said McCreesh. "As support grows for OpenDocument Format, businesses appreciate being able to share data seamlessly between office workers and corporate systems."

Even for large organizations, OpenOffice is a free tool. While you'll certainly need to spend on training to get workers up to speed on the new tools, you'll make it up in upgrade costs.

"OpenOffice.org's license means it can be made freely available to everyone in an organization as a standard tool -- everyone can collaborate using the same software," said McCreesh.

If you're looking for ways to trim your budget and you're not interested in what you've read about Office 2007, consider setting up an OpenOffice trial in your organization. You could join the many companies that are happily going the open source route.

OOImpress: Impress, OpenOffice's presentation application.

OOWriter: Writer, OpenOffice's word processor.

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