For over 15 years a software suite called StarOffice was in development and used by thousands of satisfied users. Now that same software is being improved even more and being offered under the name OpenOffice.org.
StarOffice is a commercial product produced by Sun Microsystems using the same underlying software as OpenOffice.org 1.0.
How can software this good be completely free?
After acquiring the rights to StarOffice, Sun Microsystems, one
of the world's biggest computer companies, decided to release
it under an open-source license. It also decided to help kickstart
the creation of an open-source community to maintain
and develop the package – the OpenOffice.org Source Project.
What's so special about open-source software?
Open-source means that the the code behind the computer
program is available for all to see. In the words of the Open-
Source Initiative: “When programmers can read, redistribute,
and modify the source code for a piece of software, the
software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix
bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to
the slow pace of conventional software development, seems
astonishing.”
Is OpenOffice.org 1.1 100% Microsoft Office® file compatible?
As Microsoft rarely publish their file specifications, no-one can
answer that question. However, there are plenty of users who
regularly edit and exchange documents, spreadsheets, etc. with
Microsoft Office® users without any problems. Indeed, some
users claim they've seen bigger compatibility problems moving
between versions of Microsoft's own products.
Website Managers, LLC has been developing, hosting and maintaining websites and web servers since 1998. When we learned about OpenOffice.org and started using the software, we knew that more people could use the power and benefits of the package. So we became Community Distributors for OpenOffice.org to help distribute the software suite to those who either don't want to download such large file, or want it on CD-ROM for installation and backup.
Eugene ordered a single CD to install OpenOffice.org on both Windows 98 and Mac OS X. Both versions were sent on the same CD. His remarks follow:
I received my CD on the 10th. Everything installed easily and properly and I'm very pleased with the results. I would certainly shop at Five Bucks again and recommend it to others. I especially appreciate your quick response to my questions and your concern that everything worked out all right.
-- Eugene D., Illinois
For people with dial-up connections and who want the OpenOffice suite, I heartily recommend purchasing a CD-ROM from Five Bucks Software. Even though this software package is available free on the Internet, I was looking at a 3 to 6 hour download time (depending on whose phone line I could use).
I ordered on a Sunday night, the CD arrived Thursday, and four minutes later I had it on my hard drive. But that was not the end of it. I muffed the initial install and had to do it again. With a dial-up, I would have been looking at another 3 to 6 hours.
This is the only way to order OpenOffice which has an excellent, stable word processing program, the reason I got it.
-- Clyde A., New Mexico
Wanted to pass along how completely satisfied I am with my recent transaction with your organization. Not only was the response to an online inquiry immediate, the disk arrived at the ordering process was seamless and fast. To top the process off, the disk was ordered on a Friday afternoon and was in my mailbox in Houston the following Monday!
Just an excellent overall experience. You've created a lifetime customer. Thanks guys!!!
-- Edward M, Texas
