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Apache Openoffice

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  • 12-12-2013 3:11pm
    #1
    paddymc1
    Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭


    Hi
    Has anybody here used this Openoffice from Apache instead of microsoft?


Comments

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    #2
    Khannie
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Moved from InfoSec....


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    #3
    Stuxnet
    Registered Users Posts: 3,735 ✭✭✭Stuxnet


    Yes I have for years on the linux platform, but most use libreoffice now, its a fork of OOo, but updated more regularly.

    Both a good alternative to MS Office, if your looking for a free alternative that's compatible.


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    #4
    croo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 1,333 Mod ✭✭✭✭croo


    ditto here to what Stuxnet says.


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    #5
    paddymc1
    Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭paddymc1


    If I was to use either of these can someone else open a document that I sent to them if they are using Microsoft?


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    #6
    croo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 1,333 Mod ✭✭✭✭croo


    All these open office suites store files in XML with an agreed formatting following a open specificiation call ODF.

    MS Office can read these file - but MS developed its own format which it called Open XML.

    There is enough history behind the politics of these to write a book so I'll let you google that if you want.

    The bottom line is yes they will be able to open the files, but
    1. the might get lots of dire warnings from MS Office re the format, and
    2. the might loose some of the formatting.
    You must understand that MS do not want you to be able to switch easily.

    The open/libre office suites do allow you to easily store your file in a PDF and if I am sharing a document I would do this.
    Simple documents would be no issue, if there were problems they would arise if you used more complex formatting.
    But I have found issues like this even between different MS Office versions.
    If you want to collaborate then you might need to agree in advance on a standard formatting to use.


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  • Options
    #7
    diveout
    Closed Accounts Posts: 746 ✭✭✭diveout


    Someone sent me an important document in Word and Open Office was like Edward Scissorhands on crack with what it did to the formatting.

    Windows 8.1


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    #8
    oscarBravo
    Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,791 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    Yeah, that's the nature of Word documents - the file format is so scruffy that even different versions of Word make a hames of formatting it. Hell, I've seen the same version of Word mangle the same document on different PCs.


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    #9
    croo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 1,333 Mod ✭✭✭✭croo


    i am currently working in an environment with a mix of office 2007, 2010 & 2013. My default settings are to open docs with openoffice so often, when I double click, I open the files sent to me using openoffice instead of word ... and so far they layouts never seem to be effected. Usually, I would closeout and reopen in word but on occasions I have forgotten, and continued to review the document with the tracking enabled and when I sent this back the tracking changes and comments were also compatible... at least the receiver never mentioned any issue with the notes & change highlighting so I assume it worked as expected.

    I'm sure there are always exceptions, as oscarBravo says, even between office versions that can be an issue - and has been here on occasion with the 3 different variants of MS office in use.

    One, and perhaps the most common, reason why a change in layout can occur is that you don't have the fonts installed that were used in the creation of the original document. This is why PDF's always look correct - the fonts are embedded in a PDF file! But this is not the case with a word document so if someone uses a font not installed on the receivers system their word processor will make a "best guess" at a font and the results are often a mess.


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