Open Source: Open Office

Open Office is an open source (free) alternative to Microsoft Office. Open Office actually holds its own when compared to its Microsoft counter part. Open Office comes with six applications: Base, Calc, Draw, Impress, Math, and Writer.

While I will not go so far as to say that Open Office is superior to Microsoft Office, I will say that it is a very close call, all things considered. Microsoft probably has the best product, application for application but Open Office includes a couple of applications that are not in Microsoft Office. Besides, Open Office is free. So, if you don't already have Microsoft Office, I strongly reccommend Open Office and keeping your money for yourself.

I have also included a video tutorial from technoesq.com about Open Office. It will give you a good idea of how the program looks and operates.

Without a doubt this is the one that I use the most often. It will open and/or save documents in its own open office format or a variety of other formats, including Microsoft Office. Unless, you are a true power user, you will probably not run into anything that Microsoft Office could do that Open Office can't do. They really are interchangeable.

This is the basically the same program as Microsoft Excel. It will work for all of your spreadsheet needs. At least is does for me, but I don't do a huge amount of spreadsheet work.

Many people will say that Draw is a Microsoft Publisher type program. I found it to be more between paint and photoshop. It is a good vector drawing program and can be used like Publisher by inserting some objects into it. It also takes a little bit to get used to it. I like it, but it seems a little different. Or maybe its just me that is different.

If you have ever uses Power Point then you can use Impress. They are essentially the same package. For anyone who hasn't used Power Point before, both Power Point and Impress are presentation software packages. They essentially make slide shows that can be seen on computers. This is definitely a handy application to have.

Okay, I will be the first to say that I would never use this program. Its main function is to set math equations that can be embedded in the Open Office Writer. It would be really handy for any sort of scientific writing, but that stuff just makes my head hurt.

This is supposed to be a good program. I did not play with this progam at all. Why? Because database programs are boring. They are useful but boring, not unlike some of my coworkers. I take this program as a throw in for the entire package. Who knows it might even come handy one day.