RealTown's RealTalk

I, too, have watched openoffice.org software for a long time. I even just recently installed it to get around a Microsoft problem. But unfortunately, it is not compatible with Microsoft Office documents. They claim to read and write Office files, but in reality, it does not work correctly.

If you open a powerpoint file in Open Office Impress (the presentation software), it butchers the PowerPoint, and you'll have to move every element on every slide around. It also doesn't support the nice shading that PowerPoint does. Then when you save the file, and open it back up in PPt, everything is messed up.

Same goes for Word and Excel files. Open Office software is great, if you don't need compatibility with anyone else, or if you don't want great looking documents, or if you don't use any other comptuers that have Microsoft Office loaded.

But if you want great looking documents, Microsoft Office is better. The newest version has fantastic drop shadows and the animation is much smoother than Open Office.

If you need to share documents with other people, Microsoft Office is the way to go, since most people already have it.

If you need to use other computers that already have Microsoft Office loaded, you don't want to learn how to use 2 different office suites. All the menus are totally different as well many of the keyboard shortcuts.

I really wanted Open Office to work, but the above requirements rule out Open Office. Sometimes you just get what you pay for.

Steve Hong
RE/MAX Associates Plus
Minneapolis, MN

I use Microsoft Office Pro, an expensive  proposition even at mail order prices. I had a current college ID when I bought 2003 Office Pro from academicsuperstore.com. Their price was $169. My son with his current Cleveland State ID bought 2007 Office Enterprise at the school bookstore for $100 dollars. They would sell it to anyone who has a college ID. It is something you should consider if you have a son or daughter in College. Or perhaps a young friend...

Try opening an Office 2007 document with Office 2003 and you have less compatability than with OpenOffice.

Pat Hallesy, ABR, GRI, e-PRO

Mike wrote:

If you are tired of being gouged by Microsoft, I suggest you download this awesome office software that is FREE from openoffice.org Multiple operating systems and multiple languages. I've been using it for a few years and watched it get better and better. You can read/write to all popular Microsoft Office documents, power point presentations and excel spreadsheets. No licence is required. It's FREE FREE FREE. Go ahead and share with your friends & co-workers and save some money.

Do you use this program parallel to the microsoft office program? And does it matter what version office program you use?

I use Microsoft Office Pro, an expensive proposition even at mail
order prices. I had a current college ID when I bought 2003 Office
Pro from academicsuperstore.com. Their price was $169. My son with
his current Cleveland State ID bought 2007 Office Enterprise at the
school bookstore for $100 dollars. They would sell it to anyone who
has a college ID. It is something you should consider if you have a
son or daughter in College. Or perhaps a young friend...

The other way to get Office at a reduced price is to get the educator
discount. In addition to my real estate practice, I'm an adjunct
instructor at a community college and that gets me a considerable
discount on virtually all software packages, particularly from
Microsoft.

Jeff Northrup
ERA Morrison Real Estate
581 Bridge St.
Lowell MA 01852
Cell: 978-495-2580
Fax: 978-418-3089
Web: http://www.jeffnorthruphomes.com
mailto;jeffrey.northrup@era.com

Thanks, Mike, for the suggestion to the community.  I have been using Open-Office for several months now, and although it takes a little getting used to, many of the commands are the same as Microsoft Office commands.  Only Open-Office has many more functions, and functionality, than MSO.  It's easy to use, and I find it better than MSO or WPO.

In my installation, it opens MSO documents very well.  Once in a while, I will have had some special formatting that it doesn't get too well, but that's only once in a while.  Otherwise, it has worked beautifully for me.  I am a real estate paralegal and use word processing all the time.  Now that I have returned to the real estate market as a Broker/Owner, I still am using a word processor all the time.  I still use Microsoft Publisher, but for all other applications, I use the Open-Office programs.

When I first installed Open-Office side-by-side with MSO, I had a lot of trouble getting .doc documents to load in Open-Office.  So I unloaded MSO and viola, no more problems.  Hope it works for you.

In my installation, it opens MSO documents very well.  Once in a while, I will have had some special formatting that it doesn't get too well, but that's only once in a while.  Otherwise, it has worked beautifully for me.  I am a real estate paralegal and use word processing all the time.  Now that I have returned to the real estate market as a Broker/Owner, I still am using a word processor all the time.  I still use Microsoft Publisher, but for all other applications, I use the Open-Office programs.

When I first installed Open-Office side-by-side with MSO, I had a lot of trouble getting .doc documents to load in Open-Office.  So I unloaded MSO and viola, no more problems.  Hope it works for you.