> OK, so I've seen mention on this list from many schools who have jumped on
> the OpenOffice bandwagon as a way of saving a ton of money and fighting the
> evil empire that comes out of Redmond. But here's the real question: when
> all is said and done, were you actually satisfied using OpenOffice? Is it a
> product that you might have actually paid *real money* to use, or are you
> just using it to save money and to spite Microsoft?
Don't get me wrong - I like Microsoft and enjoy their applications.
However, I would also love a Mercedes or a Cadillac or a Rolls, but at
some point there has to be a pro's vs. con's vs. cost discussion.
That's why I drive a five year old Chrysler and am very happy with it.
It's the same reason why I like OpenOffice. It's saved me and my
company and my schools usually enough money so that they can purchase a
few more PC's to give more kids a chance to get on and learn and drove
down the costs for their home computers - and with a move over to Linux
- they can save even more
>
> I ask this because I was thrown into teach OpenOffice Writer to my 6th
> graders when I realized, just as class was beginning, that Microsoft Office
> hadn't been installed on our new laptops for reasons which need not be gone
> into here. OpenOffice, however, was installed, and figuring that I can learn
> any word processing program, I taught them that on the fly. Now they all
> know the basics of it, but I'm not sure that I like the way it does things.
It is a change and Sun is spending money on usability testing. It is a
bit different, but have you tried Windows Vista or Microsoft 7 yet?
You'll be dealing with change on those two - so it all depends on what
you're comfortable with, what value you place on that and the amount of
discretionary funds that are available at your school.
However, you should have been notified by your IT department about the
change over - no one likes a surprise!
>
> Even one of our die-hard Microsoft-haters says that OpenOffice Writer
> "behaves like a free program." I'm thinking that some of the look and feel
> that I've come to expect over the years had to be avoided so that there
> wouldn't be a lawsuit. Of course, as I think about the fact that it's a
> cross-platform program, and thinking of some of the issues I've had with
> BlueJ for my Java class, it could also be a function of them trying to
> create one interface for all three operating systems.
What version are you using? What operating system is it using?
However, I've found that you have to manage the expectations, explain to
people why you're making the change and what the change brings - both
good and bad. To just spring it on the school will probably result in
your school moving back to Microsoft Office - which is fine if you have
the cash.
>
> I've used many word processing programs over the past 22 years, from XyWrite
> to WordPerfect, Word, MacWrite, WriteNow, ClarisWorks, NeoOffice, and now
> OpenOffice. As far as I'm concerned Word is the gold standard, doing what
> 95% of the people want to do 95% of the time, and doing it well. Perhaps
> with that in mind, the people in Redmond have earned their $50 per user.
>
> I'll have a little more time to play around with OpenOffice Writer, and to
> explore the joys that await me in their spreadsheet, but for now Word and
> Excel are looking pretty good to me.
>
> I'd be interested in hearing the experiences of others who have worked with
> OpenOffice.
I've worked with OpenOffice for the last three years using Ubuntu Linux.
I've tried to go back to Windows XP on occassion, but my PC is ready to
work and finished with booting in 30 seconds while the XP takes about
five minutes before it's finished with loading most of the anti-virus /
drivers / cr*pware that comes with some of the printers, etc. I have
had only one problem working with a guy that had Windows Vista with the
latest version of Word - but I just upgraded to the latest version of
OpenOffice and it fixed the issue.
I have worked with many different people in many different organizations
- only one or two were running 'nix and OO and over those three years
I've personally only had the one problem with Office 7. That includes
creating, reading, sharing, updating, tracking in Word and multiple
functions etc with Calc.
I'll have to guess since you're not pleased with the interface in
Writer, you're probably going to hate Calc - so it may be best for
everyone to just sit down and have a heart-to-heart with your IT staff
to understand why they've gone with OO and if there's any options for
you and your classes. However, try to keep an open mind since many in
tech are trying to curb costs in this age of economic meltdowns.
HTH
Matt Burkhardt, MSTM
President
Impari Systems, Inc.
502 Fairview Avenue
Frederick, MD 21701
mlb@imparisystems.com
www.imparisystems.com
(301) 682-7901
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