Skip to Content
United States [Change]
English
StarOffice Software
FAQs for StarOffice SoftwareGeneral
Technical
GeneralI. The BasicsQ:What is StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
StarOffice 9 Software is a complete, feature-rich office productivity product that's available for a fraction of the cost of similar office suites. It includes powerful programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing, database, mail and calendar, and Web publishing. Its user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Plus, it's multi-platform: available on the Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux platforms, as well as on the Solaris Operating Environment.
Q: What is new in StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
Briefly, a lot of new productivity features that make many common tasks much easier to perform; native support for the Macintosh; PDF import; import of Microsoft Office 2007 XML files; web participation tools like a blogger; a calendar client; and many usability improvements like a new Start Center, more polished icons and automatic notification and installation of updates. All these features added together make this the best release of StarOffice and StarSuite Software.
All the new features are described in detail in the What's New Guide. Please note that some of the new features are only available as extensions. Q: Is StarOffice Software a true alternative to Microsoft Office?
A:
Yes, StarOffice is compatible with other office suites including Microsoft Office.
Q: Who should consider using StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
StarOffice Software provides the functionality to meet the day-to-day office productivity needs for users in homes and businesses of every size.
Q: What are extensions and how do I get them?
A:
Extensions are free add-ons that provide a particular function for StarOffice or StarSuite Software. Many of the features in version 9 are available only as extensions. For a list of extensions and instructions on downloading, see the extensions page.
Q: What is the new mail and calendar client in StarOffice 9 Software, and how do I get it?
A:
It's actually a Sun calendar extension called Lightning to Mozilla Thunderbird email client. With Lightning extension, a user gets email, calendaring, scheduling, to-do lists and as such we're calling it the Personal Information Manager.
Q: What are the pricing changes to StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
There are four key changes:
Q: Is there any upgrade discount pricing for StarOffice and StarSuite 9 Software?
A:
Yes. Customers that purchased the StarOffice Software enterprise RTU product can get approximately a 30% discount on version 9. Note that any customer that has a support or services contract with Sun receives StarOffice 9 Software at no charge.
While there are no upgrade discounts for home or personal users who buy through download, retail, or etail, the download price has been reduced to $34.95 (from $69.95) and the MSPR from $79.99 to $54.99. Of course you need to check with your local retailer or etailer for the actual prices. Q: What are the differences between StarOffice 9 Software and the OpenOffice.org 3.0?
A:
At the core binary level there are no differences. StarOffice 9 Software is Sun's professional distribution of OOo and comes with:
Q: Are there any change to the licensing or upgrade policies?
A:
No. StarOffice Software remains as a user-based license where a user can install StarOffice Software on up to five of their machines. Customers always have choice and control with StarOffice Software so there is no forced upgrade to version 9 or any forced licensing programs.
Q: What improvements have been made to Microsoft Office compatibility?
A:
StarOffice 9 Software can read Microsoft Office 2007 files and now converts Excel macros instantly (no manual conversion needed). In addition charts, pivot tables, bullets are easier to import and export.
Q: Is StarOffice 9 Software compatible with previous versions of StarOffice?
A:
Yes. StarOffice 9 Software can read/edit StarOffice 5.x, 6.0, 7 and 8 Software files. StarOffice 7 and 8 Software will be able to read/edit StarOffice 9 Software files. So users of StarOffice 9 Software can exchange files with users of StarOffice 7 and 8 Software.
StarOffice 5.x and 6.0 Software cannot read/edit StarOffice 9 Software files. Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software still run on Solaris?
A:
Yes. The only difference is that to get StarOffice Software on Solaris, a user needs to obtain either a Solaris media kit or download it from the Solaris site.
Q: What is the difference between StarOffice 9 and StarSuite 9 Software?
A:
StarSuite Software is the Asian language localization of StarOffice Software and comes in Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. StarSuite and StarOffice Software files are interchangeable and compatible, and the programs are functionally identical. StarSuite Software includes additional fonts for the East Asian market, and therefore is a slightly larger install.
The reason for two brands is that the StarOffice brand is owned by another company in certain Asian countries. II. Tools & FunctionalityQ:I can't figure out some StarOffice Software functionality, or maybe I have found a bug. What can I do?
A:
Review our answers to Technical FAQs, or submit a support request.
Q: What are the StarOffice Software Migration Tools?
A:
StarOffice 9 Software includes a set of tools to significantly lower the cost and time of migrating Microsoft Office users to StarOffice Software. The migration tools in the StarOffice 9 Enterprise Edition consist of a Professional Analysis Wizard. The Professional Analysis Wizard analyzes user documents to identify potential migration risks, calculates the cost of migration, and reduces that cost by preparing documents for the move.
Q: What documentation is available on StarOffice Software?
A:
A series of quick reference cards with "how-to" instructions on key StarOffice Software tasks is available from several publishers. Also, a StarOffice Software user guide can be downloaded from Sun's Documentation web site.
III. For the EnterpriseQ:How does the Enterprise software license work?
A:
The StarOffice Software Enterprise license uses the Right To Use (RTU) license. One RTU allows a user the right to install up to 5 copies of StarOffice Software on systems they operate in any of the supported languages and on any of the supported platforms.
Q: Does the Enterprise RTU license include any documentation and media?
A:
No. The RTU does not include any documentation or media. Documentation and media are available separately to ensure that you can order as many documentation sets and media as needed for your organization.
Q: What is the difference between the Standard edition (available through retail, etail, download, OEM) and the Enterprise Edition?
A:
The main difference between these two offerings is that the retail package comes with support and is ideal for end-users or small offices
of less than five users. The Standard edition includes the core features, extensions and email/calendar functionality. The Enterprise Edition comes with all that and some enterprise tools like an SDK, NetBeans plug-in and MySQL extension.
Q: How does a StarOffice Software subscription work?
A:
Customers pay an annual fee and they get a certain number of user licenses, support for those users and indemnification. The annual fee then gets renewed if they want to continue using StarOffice Software. At that time the number of users can be changed.
Q: What service offerings are available for Enterprise customers?
A:
Both Standard and Premium service plans are available for Enterprise
customers.
For more information about Standard and Premium Support for software, please see the Sun Software Service Plans page. IV. For EducationStarOffice 9 Software is no longer offered at no-charge to education customers which includes the two main areas of K-12 and Higher Education (college, university etc.). Q:If I'm an education customer and I want a free office suite, what are my options?
A:
Education users can use OpenOffice.org 3.0, which has the same functionality as StarOffice 9 Software, or continue using StarOffice 8 Software, which remains no-charge.
Q: If an education customer has StarOffice Software for free in their contract, can they continue to get StarOffice 9 Software for free if the contract is still in effect.
A:
Yes. Sun will honor the contracts, and if an education customer has a contract for free StarOffice Software, then they would get StarOffice 9 Software for free.
Q: If an education customer has a service contract for StarOffice Software, would get StarOffice 9 Software at no charge?
A:
Yes. As with any customer on a support contract, new versions (and updates) are given at no charge.
Q: Why is Sun now charging education users for StarOffice Software?
A:
With the core binaries between StarOffice Software and OpenOffice.org the same, users desiring a free office suite from Sun can use OpenOffice.org. Sun's software strategy is built around an open source version for free that has unlimited licensing flexibility and a commercial or professional version that offers indemnification among other services and is for a fee. To be consistent with this strategy and to clearly differentiate between StarOffice Software and OpenOffice.org are the main reasons for this new policy.
TechnicalI. GeneralQ:What does migration from StarOffice 8 to StarOffice 9 Software look like?
A:
The StarOffice 8 Software configuration changes along with the document templates, Autotext item and the database elements get migrated automatically. No manual migration is necessary.
Q: Can StarOffice 9 Software create PDF files?
A:
StarOffice 9 Software provides the functionality to create PDF files.
Q: Will there be patches for StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
Yes, patches will be available from SunSolve.
Q: What is the benefit of the OpenDocument (ODF) file format in StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
The OpenDocument (ODF) file format is standardized by the ISO/IEC and OASIS standardization organization. The format specification is fully published so customers have control of their files and intellectual property. XML allows for increased compatibility, as any XML-enabled application can read and modify the content of any OpenDocument document. ODF files are also smaller than a traditional Microsoft Office document because the ODF file format uses Industry Standard compression. The XML file format specification is published at:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office
Q: Are there any differences in the binaries between the retail package and the enterprise offerings of StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
The single user (retail) version and the enterprise offering, include the same binaries. The only difference between these two offerings is that the retail package comes bundled with printed documentation, a support incident, and the enterprise CD, which contains the following: StarOffice Migration Tools and the StarOffice Transformation Wizard.
II. SecurityQ:Can StarOffice 9 Software applications encrypt documents?
A:
Yes, there is an encryption feature which encrypts the passwords and contents of an OpenDocument Format document.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software have the ability to sign a document digitally?
A:
Yes, it is possible with OpenDocument file format. You can obtain a digital certificate from a commercial certification authority, such as VeriSign Inc., Web.de, etc.
Q: Can digitally signed Microsoft Office documents be imported?
A:
Yes, but without verifying the signature. StarOffice Software does not support the digital signatures from Microsoft Office.
Q: Can StarOffice 9 Software import password protected Microsoft Office files?
A:
Yes. Beginning with Office XP, Microsoft introduced two new password encryption algorithms: RC4 Base and Enhanced. These files cannot be imported by StarOffice Software, but Office XP and 2003 don't use this new algorithm by default. Therefore, the vast majority of files will be imported successfully.
III. CompatibilityQ:Is it possible to open Word Perfect (*.wpd) documents in StarOffice 9 Software?
A:
Yes, StarOffice 9 Software includes import and export filters for WordPerfect.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software include a component similar to the Microsoft Office Equation Editor component to create equations and formulas in reports/presentations?
A:
Yes. StarOffice 9 Software features StarOffice Math which is an equivalent component to the Microsoft Office Equation Editor. It is capable of creating equations and formulas in reports/presentations.
Q: Do StarOffice Software and OpenOffice.org share the same code base? What is the development process?
A:
Yes. Contributions and enhancements to this code base are committed through the worldwide OpenOffice.org developer community, as well as through Sun's development engineers. At regular intervals, Sun takes a 'snapshot' of this code to produce StarOffice Software. Additional third party technologies are then added to the StarOffice Software to offer a complete solution to meet the requirements of professionals in today's enterprise environment. Community-provided contributions which match with Sun's product strategy for future StarOffice Software releases are incorporated and become a Sun supported product feature, such as the Flash Export feature for Impress and Draw.
Q: How can I view the OpenDocument format?
A:
The OpenDocument file format used by StarOffice Software is a native XML format without any binary data. Sub-elements, such as pictures, are placed in the original file format in the XML file. The XML format specification is located at http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office.
OpenDocument files are saved as archive files (ZIP format), because they actually contain several sub-elements like pictures, macros and styles. To explore the real XML content, you need to unpack the document file (e.g. ending with .odt). You will then find the XML content in a file named content.xml. Q: Will StarOffice 9 Software be compatible with MS Office 2003 XML (WordML, SpreadsheetML) file formats?
A:
Yes, StarOffice 9 Software can read and write the Microsoft Office 2003 XML file format (WordML, SpreadsheetML).
Q: StarOffice 9 Software uses an extended OpenDocument file format - what does that mean?
A:
The new features of StarOffice 9 Software require updates in the OpenDocument file format. Office Suites, and this implies StarOffice 8 Software and OpenOffice.org 2.x, which does not support these new features might display these documents differently.
IV. DatabaseQ:How can I create a new database?
A:
The new StarOffice 9 Software database client has powerful database forms, queries, and database table editors. It also includes wizards that simplify the creation of database tables, forms, queries, and reports. Besides the built-in rational database, HSQL, it also has the ability to operate with the following databases:
Q: Can data be imported and exported from spreadsheets to databases and vice versa? Which databases are compatible?
A:
StarOffice Calc provides an import/export filter for dBase. The StarOffice Software database client provides interfaces for JDBC, ODBC, MySQL, dBase and Address book databases.
Q: How can I have read/write access to a Microsoft Access database?
A:
StarOffice Software does not include a direct interface to an Access database. It uses the ADO database interface from Microsoft for the communication with Access. The easiest way to allow this capability is to install the Jet database engine from Microsoft.
V. LanguageQ:Does StarSuite and StarOffice software support the Hong Kong Supplementary character set?
A:
Yes, the Hong Kong Supplementary character set can be used with StarOffice Software. However, the Chinese font MSung Light, which is included in StarOffice 9 Software, does not contain this character set. This means your system needs to have a font installed which contains this additional character set.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software provide any support for languages requiring bi-directional support (i.e. Hebrew and Arabic)?
A:
Yes, StarOffice 9 Software supports these input methods.
VI. Macintosh OS XQ:Does StarOffice 9 Software integrate into the Aqua environment of Macintosh OS X?
A:
Yes. It also provides access to the address book and other system tools.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software work with the PowerPC Macintosh and Macintosh OS version earlier then X?
A:
No. StarOffice 9 Software supports only Macintosh OS X 10.4 and Intel based systems.
Q: Does the Macintosh OS X version support the full set of features?
A:
Yes. The platform independent architecture allows us to provide the full feature set throughout the different platforms.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software integrate with Macintosh OS X Spotlight?
A:
Yes.
Q: What is the relationship between OpenOffice.org and NeoOffice?
A:
NeoOffice is independent of OpenOffice.org, even though it uses OpenOffice.org code. For example, it is licensed differently, uses different concepts for some features and is developed outside of the main OpenOffice.org project.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software read and write NeoOffice documents?
A:
Yes. StarOffice Software and NeoOffice use the same ISO standardized file format OpenDocument (ODF).
Q: What does a migration from NeoOffice to StarOffice 9 Software look like?
A:
Unfortunately due to different concepts of StarOffice Software and NeoOffice, an automatic migration is not available, however document templates, Autotext libraries and databases created in NeoOffice can be used in StarOffice 9 Software.
Q: Does StarOffice 9 Software for Macintosh OS X read and write Microsoft Office documents?
A:
Yes. StarOffice 9 Software fully supports the binary versions of Microsoft Office documents and can read the new OOXML-based Office 2007/2008 documents.
VII. PIM (Mail and Calendar)Q:I have installed StarOffice 9 Software but I can't find the new email and calendar client?
A:
The email and calendar clients are available for free download from the Mozilla Thunderbird page and Mozilla Lightning page.
Note, this is a two step installation process. First download and install Mozilla Thunderbird and then the Mozilla Lightning Calendar Add-In. Installation descriptions are available on the Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Lightning download pages. Q: I am already using Mozilla Thunderbird - How do I install the Calendar Add-In?
A:
Download the Add-In from Mozilla.org to install it in your Mozilla Thunderbird application. The download page provides also detailed installation instructions.
Q: Are they any plans to integrate the Calendar Add-In into Mozilla Thunderbird?
A:
Yes. This is planned for the next major release of Mozilla Thunderbird.
Q: Are calendar servers supported?
A:
There are currently two types of calendar servers supported. The Sun Java Calendar Server and CalDAV enabled calendar servers. CalDAV is supported by a number of servers, including Apple's iCal Server.
Q: Is Google Calendar supported?
A:
Yes, with the help of the Google Calendar Provider.
Q: How do I add public holidays to my calendar?
A:
The Mozilla Community provides a page with public holiday files from dozens of different countries.
Q: How do I synchronize my calendar with my SmartPhone or PDA?
A:
Many calendars which are accessible from the internet support the SyncML standard, which is also supported by most SmartPhones. Using SyncML also has the advantage that you could synchronize from everywhere, without needing a PC. There are also a number of solutions available for synchronizing directly with Mozilla Thunderbird.
Q: I am using a Microsoft Exchange server. Can I replace Microsoft Outlook with Mozilla Thunderbird?
A:
You could use Mozilla Thunderbird for email but not for calendaring. The calendering Add-In does not support Microsoft Exchange servers. However replacing Microsoft Outlook is in most cases not necessary, the standard Microsoft Exchange User License (CAL) includes a Microsoft Outlook license. This is valid for Microsoft Exchange server 2003 and earlier.
|
Related
Guide to New Features
Great enhancements for StarOffice 9 Software.
Getting Started
How to start getting the most out of StarOffice Software. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
