Open Office.org vs Office2007

[coolnewyorker]

Can't make up my mind. Any suggestion?

 

[misterwilkie]

depends on your budget. if you can afford it i would go with office 2007, but on the other hand, openoffice.org is $free.99 they both work with the same file types too

 

[coolnewyorker]

If I install open office.org, should I unstall Microsoft Works?

 

[misterwilkie]

If I install open office.org, should I unstall Microsoft Works?

you shouldnt have to. just after u install, any files you want to use that already exist on the drive, you may have to set a new default program to open them with (i.e. openoffice)

 

[wwoods]

depends on your budget. if you can afford it i would go with office 2007, but on the other hand, openoffice.org is $free.99 they both work with the same file types too

Not true.....OO will not open all the same file types that Office 2007 will. There are some pretty significant differences.

 

[misterwilkie]

well anyways since its free it wouldnt hurt to give it a try whats the worst that could happen? you have to go and buy office 2007? not too much of a big deal

 

[Barman58]

Hi Coolnewyorker,

If you have the disk space, why not try them both in the real world? there is a 60 day trial of office 2007 available plus of course OO3 is totally free so you could run them side by side.

I have access to and use both, although at home I use exclusively Open office and have found no problems sharing files between the two applications. I personally prefer Open Office as I do not like the Ribbon interface but that is just my preference and know a lot of people who do like it

Just my 2 cents

PS. M$ ar offering some very attractive prices at the moment for Office 2007 Ultimate for students if you qualify - Check the M$ site for details

 

[misterwilkie]

Hi Coolnewyorker,

If you have the disk space, why not try them both in the real world? there is a 60 day trial of office 2007 available plus of course OO3 is totally free so you could run them side by side.

I have access to and use both, although at home I use exclusively Open office and have found no problems sharing files between the two applications. I personally prefer Open Office as I do not like the Ribbon interface but that is just my preference and know a lot of people who do like it

Just my 2 cents

2 thumbs up for your 2 cents

 

[coolnewyorker]

Thanks, Nigel.!

..but back to my initial question (actually, concern)....I already unstalled all trial bloatwares (including student2007) but kept and have used Microsoft works to my satisfation (although I have no point of comparative reference). And I am a certifiable "space counting" freak...meaning I do not want to keep both space hoggers. The question: Can I unstall Microsoft Works and not suffer bad consequences. In other words...can OO.org 2009 fully take over?

BTW...which one (OO.org vs Microsoft Works)hogs space more?

 

[acadamis2000]

I would say it all depends on what features you use from MS Works. Open Office will work just fun to open and save MS Office Docs. You can also check the space by opening up Windows Explorer, going to C:\program files and right clicking on the folder name and going to properties.

If you are just a standard home user who needs to view docs and write them, Open Office is fine. There is a lot more functionality with Office 2007 like intergration with Sharepoint and so on.

Just take a look at what you use in MS Works and what you will be using in Open Office and see if it makes since to delete it. I cant see Works being anymore than 750mb to a GB.

 

[Barman58]

Hi,

First is there anything that you need to do that cannot be done using Works?

If there is nothing that you need another "More Advanced" application to do then stick with what you know. I know a few people who have done this and are perfectly happy doing so.

At the moment I do not have access to an Office 2007 install but the space for OpenOffice 3.0 is 344 MB (361,484,288 bytes) Size on disk.

If all your colleagues are using office 2007 then there is something to be said for using the same, as this should totally eliminate any possible incompatibilities, however minor.

If however you just want to explore the possibilities of a more advanced system and as you have already tried Office 2007 I would suggest that you give Open office a go - The un-install options works

One other thing if you require experience with an office application for inclusion in a resume, then, at the moment, the M$ option would carry more weight.

This sort of choice is so subjective that the only person who can decide is the person concerned, the reason that one is preferred over another can be something as simple as the colour of a certain toolbar but that is still a valid reason.

Technically I believe that either application is capable of providing the tools to do the job.

Hope my ramblings help you make your choice

 

[coolnewyorker]

Thanks for the input/info, Acadamis2000!

In unstall/change list, Microsof works shows 396 MB. I have a feeling this was supposed to be part of much larger student 2007 trial or similar non-trial Microsoft office program that I had unstalled (because I can always re-install it from Recovery manager and really, all I can and want to do, is type letterhead docs to print/fax. More complicated works are done by secretaries in the office. I cannot find the size of OO.org. without first instslling it.

Or maybe I just dunno how, pre-installation?

 

[coolnewyorker]

Thanks, Barman (except that I am still NOT allowed to rep you....darn!)

OO.org=344 MB vs Microsoft works=396MB.

OK, I will unstall 396 MB (Mw) and install 344 MB(oo.org). I will announce if I run into any prob/s.

Pssst...I miss Shawn.

 

[Barman58]

Ok,

Will try to answer any questions you may have :D

One thing when installing Open Office - choose custom install and only select language support you need

 

[coolnewyorker]

I was ahead of ya. Nigel.

I custom installed OO.org 3.0 (2009 is not free), used 305 GB. And already I have written a longish memo, then printed. So far so good. WOW!!!. All I need now is a FAX. I still think Home Premium should enable and support FAX. Really!

 

[Barman58]

Hi,

I assume it was 305MB and not 305GB used :D

I totally agree with the Fax issue, does seem a little mean, the home user is the one most likely not to have a dedicated fax machine.

But in this world where eMail is king I suppose I can understand the reasoning.

eMail is integrated into OpenOffice by the way and can be useful

 

[coolnewyorker]

My other username in another forum is typo. 305 MB, indeed.

 

[Barman58]

Yes , I suffer from that too.

just thankful for spell check - it catches most of my tYpO's :D

I have been thinking about your situation and if all you wish to do is write the odd letter and memo and wish to conserve space but want something a little more professional than works you could have a look at Abiword.

The only fault I have found with open office is that you have to install everything, which is fine if you need all the options, but overkill if you only need a word processor.


AbiWord

 

[andrewstaflin]

Does it really worth it that much to purchase Virtual Center? Would it be worth it to purchase Virtual center@@If I don't upgrade my VI3 from standard to Enterprise. The post above cheered me up a lot into buying it, but it did not@@mention what it will give & not give in standard edition.@@@@http://www.virtualizationteam.com/virtualization-vmware/vmware-virtual-server-virtualization-vmware/virtualcenter-for-vm-ware-server-real-value.html@@