Advantages of Apache OpenOffice

Getting Started with Apache OpenOffice 4

Chapter 1: Introducing Apache OpenOffice

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• What is Apache OpenOffice?
• The advantages of Apache OpenOffice
• Minimum requirements
• How to get and install the software
• Extensions and Add-Ons
• Starting Apache OpenOffice
• Parts of the main window
• Starting a new document
• Opening an existing document
• Saving documents
• Password protection
• Using the Navigator
• Using the Open and Save As dialogs
• Undoing and redoing changes
• Reloading a document
• Closing a document

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Advantages of Apache OpenOffice

Here are some of the advantages of Apache OpenOffice over proprietary office suites:

• No licensing fees. Apache OpenOffice is free for anyone to use and distribute at no cost. There are no hidden charges now or in the future.

• Open source. You can distribute, copy, and modify the software as much as you wish, in accordance with the Apache 2 license.

• Cross-platform. Apache OpenOffice runs on several hardware architectures and under multiple operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

• Extensive language support. The user interface for Apache OpenOffice is available in several languages, along with spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries. It supports bidirectional text and complex text layout for many scripts.

• Consistent user interface. All the components have a similar "look and feel" making them easy to use and master.

• Integration. The components of Apache OpenOffice are well integrated with one another.
  • All the components share a common spelling checker and other tools, which are used consistently across the suite. For example, the drawing tools available in Writer are also found in Calc, with similar but enhanced versions in Impress and Draw.
  • You do not need to know which application was used to create a particular file. For example, you can open a Draw file from Writer; it will open automatically in Draw.

• Granularity. Usually, if you change an option, it affects all components. However, Apache OpenOffice options can be set at a component level or even document level.

• File compatibility. In addition to its native OpenDocument formats, Apache OpenOffice includes support for opening and saving files in many common formats including Microsoft Office (does not include saving in the newer formats DOCX, XLSX for example), HTML, XML and PDF (export only).

• No vendor lock-in. Apache OpenOffice uses OpenDocument, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file format developed as an industry standard by OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards). These files can easily be unzipped and read by any text editor, and their framework is open and published.

• You have a voice. Enhancements, software fixes, and release dates are community-driven. You can join the community and affect the course of the product you use.