OpenOffice may be nice, but using anything other than Microsoft Office under Windows creates headaches if you want to collaborate with people.
Not in our tests. We tested OpenOffice with two users, then three to make sure it did not cause problems for us for several months. Others may have a different experience, but for us the only compatibility issue was converting 1-2-3 spreadsheets with complex functions. We had no problems with documents from outside the company.
We will keep certain users on MS Office for now, and evaluate a switch for them in 12 months.
Then there is the issue with OpenOffice being a bloated turd (perhaps Microsoft Office is the same, I simply haven't used it).
OpenOffice is a big program(s), but MS Office is big too. MS Office writes a bunch of garbage to the registry and slows the boot process. A lot. The bloated registry also makes the system less stable, in my opinion. A fresh install of Windows is snappy, put MS Office on it and even if you are not in any Office applications, the system is slower. At least with OpenOffice you can configure it to _not_ load parts into RAM at boot.
OpenOffice files are less than half the size of the MS Office equal. Some may scoff because of 40GB hard drives, but all those files go over the network, so if you use OpenOffice your network usage drops, backups require a smaller window, etc.
OpenOffice isn't for everyone, and it sounds like it may not fit your needs. That doesn't mean it is not worth testing or deploying in some environments.
Charles Dostale System Admin - Silver Oaks Communications http://www.silveroaks.com/ 824 17th Street, Moline IL 61265 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-- MaX-list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
/ Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
MaX-list info: <http://lowendmac.com/linux/max.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/max-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
