OpenOffice.org--the people's StarOffice
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Although Sun's StarOffice now comes with a price tag, a free version of the office suite still exists in the form of the recently released OpenOffice.org 1.0.
Announced in July, 2000, OpenOffice.org isn't just a piece of software, it's a collection of more than 20 concurrent projects, including APIs, database development, UI enhancements, and so on. The OpenOffice.org source code--which serves as the basis for StarOffice 6.0--reflects the many changes to the suite since version 5.2: The unpopular integrated desktop has been ditched, as have the e-mail, calendar and browser; the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps have been componentized; Microsoft Office filters have been improved; and the suite has moved to XML-based file formats. (You can download OpenOffice.org here.)
You may be wondering, if a free version of StarOffice still exists, why anyone should bother paying for it. Although OpenOffice.org is based on the same source code, APIs and file formats from StarOffice 6.0, the source that Sun released to the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) lacks several components found in the StarOffice suite.
This isn't meant to shortchange users of the free version--rather, the StarOffice 6.0 source includes certain third-party code licensed by Sun--code which Sun does not have permission to make freely available. The components missing from OpenOffice.org include fonts (especially Asian languages), the StarOffice database Adabas D, templates, the clip art gallery, and certain file filters.
The ultimate goal of the OpenOffice.org project is to create a world-class office suite compatible with all major platforms, while providing open access to the suite's source code for further enhancements. In fact, future versions of StarOffice will be based on the OpenOffice.org source, to which Sun will continue to contribute. That, combined with community involvement in the development of the suite, will help ensure that OpenOffice.org won't be left in the dust by its proprietary sibling.
Have you tried OpenOffice.org? What's your take? Share your experience in our TalkBack forum.
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