OpenOffice Reviews
- OpenOffice 3.1 Deep Dive
PC Pro - 08/12/09
Simon Jones said the most recent release of OpenOffice brought "some welcome features and some much needed polish" to the office productivity suite. He lists highlights of the update including the new anti-aliasing of graphics as well as several upgrades to Calc such as the hints about syntax functions and zoom control on the status bar.
- OpenOffice.org 3.1: The next generation
ComputerWorld - 05/11/09
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols writes that the latest version of OpenOffice.org 3.1 is "a good one" and it "just looks better," thanks to its new use of anti-aliasing. Vaughan-Nichols was surprised with "how much faster this version is than version 3.0," saying "it's almost like running OpenOffice.org on a brand new machine."
- OpenOffice 3.1 ready to lick Microsoft's suite?
The Register - 05/11/09
Scott Gilbertson says OpenOffice.org 3.1 has met the most important criterion of any software upgrade by being "considerably snappier than its predecessor." He notes that ordinary tasks such as opening new documents and inserting charts happen much faster "than what we were used to under version 3.0." Gilbertson comments that with the arrival of improved graphics handling, "OpenOffice.org graphics finally look every bit as good as the competition."
- Openoffice.org: 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do
PC Magazine - 02/18/09
PC Magazine's Edward Mendelson took a look at OpenOffice.org 3.0, highlighting "7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do" with the open source office suite. He noted, "OpenOffice.org 3.0 costs absolutely nothing but comes closer than anything else to letting you delete your copy of Microsoft Office (which probably cost you a lot)."
- OpenOffice.org 3 Review
Macworld - 02/09/09
John Brandon called OpenOffice.org 3.0 "a powerful productivity suite with one major additional feature: it's free." John gave OpenOffice three out of five stars, and concluded that OpenOffice 3 was speedy, feature-rich and did what it promised very well.
- OpenOffice.org 3: Free and Easy
Redmond Magazine - 02/01/09
Redmond Magazine's Doug Barney compiled a number of reader opinions around various facets of OpenOffice in a very positive Reader Review of the suite. "The interest in this open source suite is clearly high. After I asked for comments in my Redmond Report e-mail newsletter, 18 readers quickly wrote in and shared their OpenOffice.org experiences," he noted.
- Review: OpenOffice.org 3; Powerful productivity suite competes with Microsoft Office
MacWorld - 12/12/08
John Brandon reviewed OpenOffice 3.0, calling it "a powerful productivity suite." According to him, version 3.0 is a "major upgrade over the previous version, with plenty of new features, native OS support, and all the tools most people would need to get their work done." Overall, "it's speedy, feature-rich, and does what it says it will do very well. And if that's all you really need (and if you can live without the latest Office features), it's definitely worth the effort," noted Brandon.
- Review: Open-Source Office Suites Compared
InformationWeek - 12/08/08
Serdar Yegulalp posted a review of five open-source office suites, including OpenOffice.org 3.0 and StarOffice 9. Serdar shared positive feedback on both OpenOffice.org 3.0 and StarOffice 9, finding that overall, "it's hard to go wrong with OpenOffice.org as a default choice. Aside from enjoying the support of both Sun and IBM (albeit in different ways), it's expanded its cross-compatibility with Microsoft Office, making it that much easier for people to migrate and continue existing work."
- OpenOffice.org 3.0 - Who Said that if Free not Good?
BrotherSoft - 11/27/08
In this review, BrotherSoft takes a look at OpenOffice.org 3 and characterized the product as a "free complete office suite that comes to the field to challenge the worldwide standardize suite, and which is gaining adepts may be slowly, but steadily." The reviewer called the product "a true icon among open source software," and has become "the choice par excellence to Microsoft Office packages."
- Review: Sun StarOffice 9 Merits Serious Consideration
CRN - 11/17/08
Samara Lynn examined the latest StarOffice release with an eye on features, functionality and price, noting, "Sun is attempting to further bridge the gap between their offering and Microsoft's with the final release of StarOffice 9." She continued, "With added functionality from OpenOffice.org and a price that is a sliver of what Microsoft charges for Office, could StarOffice win over the hearts of VARs and IT decision makers?"
- GCN Lab Review: Sun StarOffice 9
GCN - 11/17/08
In this CGN Lab Test, Gregory Crowe took a look at StarOffice 9, stating that it's "a good solid office suite that works well with OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Microsoft Office 2003 formats alike."
- Sun launches first Mac StarOffice
ComputerWorld - 11/17/08
Gregg Keizer examined StarOffice9 with an emphasis on the Mac version of the suite. He noted that this version shares code with OpenOffice.org 3.0 and offers many new features and improvements. Gregg commented, "OpenOffice.org and StarOffice have historically provided the strongest competition for Microsoft's Office."
- OpenOffice.org 3.0
PC Magazine - 10/14/08
In this review of OpenOffice.org 3.0, Edward Mendelson noted, "it's the only major application suite that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux with almost exactly the same feature set on all platforms." Overall, he was quite positive of this release stating, "for the first time, I'm ready to recommend this new version as a viable alternative to Microsoft's offering...it has an impressive feature set, a generally lucid interface, pure open-source credentials, andin the current economic climatethe decisive advantage of being absolutely free."
- Review of final OpenOffice 3: Why buy Microsoft Office?
Computerworld - 10/13/08
Computerworld's Preston Gralla noted, "If you're looking to save yourself plenty of money, download it instead of buying Microsoft Office --- you could save yourself hundreds of dollars, and not lose out on many features." Overall, Preston commented, "given that the full suite is free, this is one of the best deals you'll find in all of computing. It'll do just about anything you expect from an office suite, whether creating documents, spreadsheets, or presentations. You'll find solid formatting tools, as well as extras including mail merge, macros, charting capabilities, and more."
- OpenOffice.org is growing up
eWEEK - 10/02/08
Jason Brooks gave feedback on the new version of the OpenOffice.org, saying he was "pleased with the progress that the project has made toward improving format compatibility and feature parity with Microsoft Office." Brooks presented a positive summary of some key updates in OpenOffice.org 3.0, demonstrating how the new features are enhancing the software's interactivity with key platforms and needs across the industry.
- OpenOffice 3 Release Candidate Arrives
Computerworld - 09/14/2008
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols reviewed the new OpenOffice.org 3.0, saying, "When taken as a whole, I see OpenOffice.org 3 as being perhaps the most significant open-source application release of 2008. And, yes, I'm including Firefox 3/3.1 and Chrome in my listings."
- OpenOffice.org 2.4.0
ZDNet Australia - 08/05/08
Alex Serpo examined OpenOffice.org 2.4.0 and said, "OpenOffice.org remains the most fully featured free office suite we have come across, and for this reason it well deserves our Editors' Choice."
- OPENOFFICE.ORG 3.0: Office By Any Other Name
CRN - 07/21/08
CRN reviewer Samara Lynn took a look at OpenOffice.org 3.0 ahead of its launch to see what it brings to the table. Overall, she is pleased with the suite, noting, "there is still plenty to admire about OpenOffice.org-the fact that it is free probably being the most endearing to the masses. The application suite, in a pinch, has proven itself as a viable option to Microsoft's Office."
- Test Center review: Office killers pack some heat
InfoWorld - 07/15/08
In this review, Curtis Franklin of InfoWorld examined office productivity suites that are alternatives to Microsoft Office and called OpenOffice.org "the granddaddy of Office alternatives." His conclusion: "OpenOffice.org is entirely capable of being the primary, or only, personal productivity suite used by an organization."
- The Very Beta OpenOffice.org 3
InformationWeek.com - 05/12/08
Serdar Yegulalp posted a review of the recently released beta of OpenOffice.org 3.0. He is pleased with the release, although he is careful to state this is a beta version. He talks about the lack of major change in OO.o's interface -- a good thing considering the grief Microsoft has taken over Office 2007 ribbon interface. He states, "a new interface would have created the kind of divisiveness over the program that Office itself experienced, which is not what OO.o needs."
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- First look at OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta
ZDNet - 05/09/08
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes decided to test the viability of abandoning Microsoft office in support of the OpenOffice.org suite. In this review, he shared positive findings on installation and application size, but had some concerns regarding Calc and Impress. Overall the author stated, "the installation of the suite was easy and fast and that the applications were as responsive as their Office 2007 counterparts." Further, Kingsley-Hughes says, "it's early days for OO.o 3.0 Beta and things could get a lot better between now and release."
- Can OpenOffice.org Do the Job?
Free Software Magazine - 01/19/08
In this review of OpenOffice.org, Cartwright states that he is seriously considering upgrading his company from MS Office XP to OpenOffice.org. Overall, he is pleased with the features and functionality offered by OpenOffice.org and feels his users will benefit from the switch.
- OpenOffice.org 2.3 Impresses
eWEEK - 11/28/07
This very positive review of OpenOffice.org 2.3 admires several significant improvements to the open-source office productivity suite, including easier upgrade paths for existing Microsoft Office users, improved measures to prevent security breaches, and an array of snazzy new features introduced in the suite's word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database applications. The reviewer says that OOo 2.3 is an easier and cheaper upgrade path for existing Microsoft Office users, who may be considering a transition to Microsoft Office 2007. Ultimately, she says OOo's best feature is that it is entirely free and supports up to seven platforms.
- Office software shootout: OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word, round three
Linux.com - 09/11/07
Bruce Byfield of Linux.com positively positions OpenOffice.org 2.3 vs. Office 2007 in a software evaluation. In his third review over the last 5 years of the two office suites, Sun wins out over Microsoft, again, in his opinion. In his prior two comparisons, OpenOffice.org emerged as superior for its greater stability. This year, he compares the two programs on tools that intermediate and advanced users are likely to use. Interfaces, Styles, Page layout, Bulleted lists, Headers/Footers, Footnotes/Endnotes, Indexes/TOCs and Master documents are some of the categories that OpenOffice.org bested Office 2007 in this latest review.
- Sun's StarOffice WebLog Publisher
ComputerWorld - 08/23/07
In this review, MC Brown discusses his evaluation of the StarOffice Weblog Publisher. Brown states from the outset that he was "...very impressed [with Weblog Publisher] - write your entry in Writer, adding links, formatting etc as you would with any document, and then click Send to blog and off your post goes to your chosen blog." He notes that feature helps users who are familiar with Writer make an easy transition into blogging.
- Sun Plug-in Brings ODF Support to Microsoft Office
eWEEK - 07/27/07
In this review of Sun's ODF Plug-in for Microsoft Office, Tiffany Maleshefski of eWEEK states that Sun's offering is the best option currently available on the market for adding Open Document Format support to Office's massive installed base. She also encourages anyone working with partners or customers running OpenOffice.org or another ODF-based office application to download this free Plug-in from Sun's Website.
- More Evidence of Content 2.0 - Blogging with StarOffice 8
Content Curmudgeon - 07/06/07
In a very positive review, Content Curmudgeon evaluates the Sun Weblog Publisher. He starts out by stating that he is actually using the Weblog Publisher to write the entry and he already loves the tool. In particular, he notes the benefit of using a word processor interface that people are already accustomed to, the ability to create a blog offline as well as managing different blogs on the same blog server, and having automatic log ons for multiple usernames and passwords. The entry concludes by touting the power of the blog tool and its "terrific" price.
- OpenOffice Sports All-Around Improvements
eWEEK - 06/13/07
In a review of OpenOffice.org 2.2, eWEEK says the latest version touts across-the-board improvements for all the productivity applications, and comments that the brightest aspects of OpenOffice.org 2.2 is the free price and the impressive broad platform support that it can run on. It states, "IT managers looking for alternatives to Microsoft Office - particularly those unwilling to make the leap to Office 2007 - will find OpenOffice.org 2.2 well worth evaluating because, as the suite offers a good solution for cutting software costs while expanding platform options and minimizing compatibility issues."
- Software Review: Star Office 8.0
PC Advisor - 05/01/07
In a positive StarOffice 8 review, PC Advisor overviews the usefulness of each of the core applications in StarOffice, as well as OpenOffice.org 2.2. The reviewers were satisfied overall with Writer, Calc, Impress and Base and conclude the article by stating, "Both [StarOffice and OpenOffice.org 2.2] versions provide superb, very stable office suites, that offer a challenge to Microsoft Office. In this case low-cost definitely doesn't mean sub-standard."
- The Lazy User's Guide to OpenOffice.org Writer
Free Software Magazine - 02/28/07
In this review/how-to article, Daniel Escasa seeks to help users create a document in Writer "the lazy man way." He tackles the creation of three things - a title page, a table of contents and changing page numbering styles. He concludes his review with the following statement, "The computer can do so much for us if we only let it. I believe we work too hard at times, taking 20th or even 19th century habits into the 21st. We should learn more about what our software can do for us so we can apply our hard work to things that really matter."
- Word Processor Review: The Major Contenders
DonationCoder.com - 02/07/07
In this round up review of office productivity suites, a reviewer evaluates OpenOffice/StarOffice, Microsoft Office 2007 and WordPerfect X3. He states that a move to OpenOffice.org or StarOffice need not accompany a migration away from Windows, as these suites can pave the way to such a move in the future - a measure of flexibility that one cannot expect elsewhere, and still retain a documents' integrity.
- Productivity Counts
Smart Computing - 12/01/06
In this comparative review of office productivity suites, Jeff Dodd awards StarOffice 8 his "Smart Distinction" honor over competitive offerings Microsoft Office 2007, Corel WordPerfect Office X3 and Ability Office. Dodd reiterates that he once again once was impressed with StarOffice 8's ability to deliver big-brand functionality at an off-brand price.
- Presentation Software
Computer Shopper (UK) - 07/01/06
In this review, Computer Shopper Magazine (UK) evaluated several presentation software products. StarOffice 8 Impress received four stars with the reviewer noting that its interface was clearer than Microsoft's PowerPoint 2003. StarOffice 8 was considered a better choice than Lotus SmartSuite 9.8 and Corel WordPerfect Office X3, among others.
- StarOffice 8
Software Editorial - 05/18/06
In this review, Chris Watts stated that StarOffice 8 is the one of the best office suites on the market. Watts feelt that StarOffice 8 offers better overall value than either Microsoft Office or OpenOffice. Watts also praised Sun technical support throughout his review.
- Productive Gains
Smart Computing - 05/01/06
In this round up review of office productivity suites, Ridling reviews OpenOffice/StarOffice, Microsoft Office 2007 and WordPerfect X3. He states that a move to OpenOffice.org or StarOffice need not accompany a migration away from Windows, as these suites can pave the way to such a move in the future - a measure of flexibility that one cannot expect elsewhere, and still retain a documents' integrity
- StarOffice 8: Office Killer?
LinuxPlanet - 03/06/06
MC Brown conducted an in-depth review of StarOffice 8 for Linux Planet finding it to be a very strong alternative to Microsoft Office applications. Brown's review was very positive and highlighted the new features in applications such as Writer, Calc and Impress, stating that "these features take the product beyond the standard desktop office software."
- StarOffice 8
PC Magazine - 01/13/06
Edward Mendelson conducted a features level review of StarOffice 8 and rated it "Very Good." He evaluated the features of each application specifically as they compare to Microsoft Office and highlighted that it is "by far the most powerful and compatible alternative to Office." He specifically praised the drop-in replacement for Microsoft Office applications and the high compatibility with these applications.
- Cheap, But Loaded with Functionality
Federal Computer Week - 01/09/06
Ron Miller conducted a high level review of StarOffice focused on the features that make it a great alternative to more expensive office suites, such as Microsoft Office. Miller concluded that in the end, organizations may go with a combination of Microsoft Office and Sun StarOffice, and they can do so knowing that they are providing StarOffice 8 users with an outstanding alternative.
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