Office Applications

[muskrat]

I would have thought that with all the noise going around the internet these days about getting more MS users to make the move to Linux, Then there would have been interest in this post.

I never used StarOffice on MS platform, But I had used MSOffice, One difference I see is that Star office seems to open a window where you then have all your office apps as MS office each app can be opened as one needs them.

In my case I don't use a text editor in office much, I perfer a plain text editor for my text work. Although I do need a spreadsheet on a regular bases. I am still looking for a good one in Linux that has all the functions of Excel.

[Clayt]

I sometimes use OpenOffice.org (the open source version of Star Office) on MS at my office (in addition to using it on my home GNU/Linux boxes).

You're right, Star Office and OpenOffice open the whole office suite at once. I guess this is one reason why it is soooo sloooow to open. But once opened, all elements of the suite are more quickly available. From File -- New you can open a text document, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.

I don't use spreadsheets that much, but I believe that OpenOffice Calc is a full featured spreadsheet comparable to Excel. You should also try Gnumeric.

[Clayt]

A better subject line -- for those interested.

[TRN]

A better subject line -- for those interested.

I changed the topic. Our new friend is just discovering the forums -- and sometimes we all need help in finding a good title.

In case you are wondering. The forums have been dumped many times over the years. I don't collect them in an archive. Plus, the php code behind them has changed many times too. Therefore, no one has posted since the creation of this forum. Interest is still high in Office Applications.

OpenOffice.org is the suite that I use for teaching. The spreadsheets I build are rather simple. GNUmeric is fine but the file size seemed too large for the simple sheets that I use ....

[Davepet]

I have used SO 5.2 (?) under both windoze & linux.

Formating seems to be the biggest difference. A doc opened/modified in SO & sent to an Excel user doesn't retain the proper formating. All the important stuff is there, but it has to be tweaked to get it to print out properly.

I finally gave up & installed MS Office to keep the peace with the main office :cry:

Dave

[TRN]

Definitely look into using OpenOffice.org (OOo). Students bring in .doc files all of the time and I'm able to print them out. In addition, I use the spreadsheet for keeping simple seating charts and grades but the fact I can open .doc files is a real bonus.

I used to use Star Office 5.2 -- but once SO 6 came out -- and then when OOo arrived -- WOW. It's impressive work.

Besides, your office should know that technically RTF is a better way to keep files and not in the .doc file format. Even MS changes formats and they could lose all of their hard work when MS changes things. RTF is rather stable and rarely changes. You might want to mention this to your IT people -- and/or if one and the same -- mention it to your boss. The selling point to RTF is that the value is not in the computers but the data. You must keep your data safe and free from being locked into a particular file format.

This is the spirit of Linux in which Free equals Freedom !

[Davepet]

OK, it's a small construction company & I am a supervisor in the field. I took it on mysrelf to use my laptop to aid in keeping track of a large project (recently completed ahead of time & under budget, BTW :D ) .

I recently had to instruct one of the office staff on how to drag & drop a file into an email :roll: so trying to ween them from the evil empire's software is out of the question.

I was trying to use SO 5.2 to do the timesheets (for about 13 employees). When they opened them up in Excel, it was truly ugly & wouldn't fit on a single page ( yes, they still insist on a paper copy, even though there is no real need :shock: )
Nothing I tried would make the transition properly, maybe OO or SO6 is better at this. I just got OO with Xandros, but havn't tested that yet.

Downloading large apps on a 28.8 connection isn't fun, so I just gave up & installed MS office to keep a the office happy. Keep in mind that I was the first supervisor to use a computer to fill out timeshets, so we were already doing something "new" here. :wink:

Dave

[TRN]

Davepet,

That is a truly awesome post. I'm glad that you are taking the initiative to introduce spreadsheets to a construction company. More importantly, Xandros is going to be happy when you start using OOo and show that you can move easily between Excel and OOo ... I say this because Xandros is targeting small businesses.

Let us know how OOo works out when you try it. You are going to try it, right?

:!:

[Davepet]

Yeah, the timesheet spreadsheet would be a good test, actually. It's pretty heavily formatted & that seems to be the major stumbling block that I've noticed in transferring files between office apps.

I need to start spending more time in Xandros. I seem to keep booting into Windows just because it's familiar, & I still haven't resolved the boot loader situation (still using floppy).

I think my plan will be to load Win 98se ( I refuse to get involved with XP) on my second HD & use Xandros on the primary. That will require a 3rd party boot loader other than bootmagic. I hear Acronis handles reiserfs, so I need to get that first.

Also need to locate a "full" win 95 or 98 disk to satisfy my "upgrade" copy of 98se.

Right now, however I need to go get my wife's Christmas present :wink:

Dave

[Davepet]

Though I'd post an update on the timeshet spradsheet I use at work. The excel file opened fine in OO, but had I wanted to print from OO, I would have had to do some minor tweaks to get each sheet on one page.

Not sure if that's an OO problem or due to the different drivers Linux uses for my printer (HP Photosmart 1215), but it set the page break to where it cut off the bottom line.

Now the real test, save the file (save as, so it got a new name) in OO & see how it opens in Excel.

It retained the oringinal formatting & would print on a single page! The only thing I saw was it had changed my "zoom" setting of 85% back to the default 100%.

This was the stumbling block I had in using SO5.2 for this spreadsheet, so it looks like OO has solved that problem (well, at least the LINUX version of OO).

I've been using Xandros more now, & like it enough that I think I will be settting it up as the primary OS on my box :D .

Dave

[TRN]

This was the stumbling block I had in using SO5.2 for this spreadsheet, so it looks like OO has solved that problem (well, at least the LINUX version of OO).

I've been using Xandros more now, & like it enough that I think I will be settting it up as the primary OS on my box :D .

Dave

Great News. OOo is such a good application. I've started to rely on it for all of my lecture notes. I'm stuck with the presentation software but in time that too shall work

:-)