Product Reviews

Please note that Apache OpenOffice does not purchase reprints from magazines which print favourable reviews. Neither do we buy advertising space in magazines which are about to review or which have reviewed Apache OpenOffice. If reviewers say that Apache OpenOffice is a great product, then that's their genuine, unbiased, uninfluenced opinion.

OOo 3.2 Reviews¶

• OpenOffice.org 3.2 Offers Modest Update, Better Startup Speed By: Jason Brooks, 2010-02-23, eWeek

  After testing OpenOffice.org 3.2 on both Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux systems, I found the new release to be a worthwhile upgrade. The suite is freely downloadable, and version 3.2 contains no changes that would require retraining.

• OpenOffice 3.2 - now with less Microsoft envy By Scott Gilbertson, 13th February 2010 07:45 GMT, The Register

  OpenOffice 3.2 - now available for Windows, Mac and Linux - boasts faster start-up times than before. But the really big news is that now - finally - this open-source suite offers full compatibility with files created using Microsoft's Office 2007.

OOo 3.1 Reviews¶

• The 10 Coolest Open-Source Products Of 2009 23 Dec 2009, ChannelWeb:

  (One hundred million downloads is) a telling example of the popularity of the open source alternative to Microsoft Office and its continued advancements in features and functionality.

• Open source software: An all-star lineup By Luc Feys Fri, 25 Sep 2009, Earth Times:

  No surprise here: OpenOffice is the undisputed king of open source office software. Boasting most of what you get with the big commercial packages - a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application - the individual applications in OpenOffice are even compatible with the file formats used by MS Office and other leading fee-based software.

• OpenOffice 3.1 deep dive By Simon Jones 12 Aug 2009, PC Pro:

  OpenOffice.org has recently released version 3.1 of its eponymous software suite, a minor upgrade that brings some welcome features and some much needed polish to the nearest thing Microsoft Office has to a competitor.

• Microsoft feels pressure for 'free' software By James Derk July 15, 2009, The Star Press:

  Anyone can download OpenOffice today for free at openoffice.org. The open-source site offers a full-featured Office suite for nothing: no advertising support, no nothing. Just download it, install it and go. Some colleges and businesses have already moved to OpenOffice to save money, and I expect others to give it a look.

• OpenOffice.org 3.1: Better Performance By Jason Brooks 18-05-2009, eWeek:

  The 3.0 release of OpenOffice left some issues in the productivity suite. This new version makes a good job of fixing them

• OpenOffice.org 3.1: The next generation By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, May 11 2009, Computerworld:

  The latest version of the open-source office suite OpenOffice.org 3.1 has just arrived, and it's a good one. While some of the improvements are visible to the naked eye, I found that the most important changes were hidden under the hood.

• OpenOffice 3.1 ready to lick Microsoft's suite? By Scott Gilbertson, 11th May, 2009 04:14 GMT, The Register:

  OpenOffice.org remains the most popular open source answer to Microsoft's ubiquitous Office suite, and in these recessionary times, the appeal of "free" software is stronger than ever.

• OpenOffice 3.1 goes to bat against Office 2007 SP2 By Angela Gunn, May 13, 2009, 10:33 AM, betanews:

  Seven things that make the latest iteration of the free productivity-apps suite a necessary download.

OOo 3.0 Reviews¶

• OpenOffice 3.0 a fresh blow for Microsft By Adam Turner November 25, 2008, The Sydney Morning Herald:

  If you're spending a fortune on MS Office licenses, you should at least be evaluating OpenOffice to see if it meets the needs of your basic users, if not your power users. Microsoft Office still has a place in many organisations, but OpenOffice 3.0 is a viable alternative for many people.

• OpenOffice.org 3.0 Full Review by Edward Mendelson, PC Magazine:

  But for the first time, I'm ready to recommend this new version as a viable alternative to Microsoft's offering. It still has rough edges, but it has an impressive feature set, a generally lucid interface, pure open-source credentials, and - in the current economic climate - the decisive advantage of being absolutely free.

• OpenOffice offers end run around Microsoft By René A. Guzman - Express-News Web Posted: 10/17/2008 12:00 CDT, My San Antonio Life:

  In these tough economic times, it's nice to know you can still get quality for free. Take OpenOffice.org 3, the new office suite sure to give Microsoft nothing but further grief.

• Review: OpenOffice.org 3.0 By Dave Bailey, 24 Oct 2008, vnunet.com:

  Version 3.0 of OpenOffice.org does add significant new features, and since in these financially turbulent times it costs nothing to install, it could reduce bottom line expenditure significantly if deployed extensively. We experienced few problems with the suite that couldn't be circumvented with workarounds. We think system administrators should give it a close look, especially if they're rolling out thousands of minimally used copies of Microsoft Office with only features like basic formatting, spell checking, and word count really being needed.

• OpenOffice 3: Faster, uninspired interface Posted by Seth Rosenblatt, October 13, 2008 4:59 PM PDT, CNET Download:

  After using OpenOffice's MS Word analog, Writer, all day, I can confirm that this update is worth it for the improvement in response and load times, if nothing else. The installation is still enormous, with an installer about 130MB for Windows users and 160MB for Mac, but the installation process is smoother. From start to finish, it clocked in at around 5 minutes, significantly faster than installing OpenOffice 2. People who use OpenOffice as their primary productivity suite should take advantage of the OpenOffice Quickstarter, which noticeably accelerates program launch times and has been made even faster in version 3.

• The LXF Test: OpenOffice.org 3.0 Monday, October 13, 2008 - 11:59 AM - Posted by M-Saunders, Linux Format:

  Overall, does OpenOffice.org 3.0 provide a step forward? Yes, with extra features and some performance improvements at startup, although in use it still feels sluggish and clunky in places. Does it justify the jump in major version number? We're not convinced, but the 2.x series has been around for a while and this release does present a fresh face, and more scope for extensions with the internal changes. On balance, the new OpenOffice.org release is a step forward, and if they can speed it up a bit for 3.1 we'll be more than happy.

• Treat yourself to a suite alternative: OpenOffice.org 3.0 October 12, 1:30 PM by Jason Brooks, S.F. Technology Examiner:

  OpenOffice.org 3.0 is a great suite of office productivity applications (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and database) that's very similar to Microsoft Office in function, and very different in price. Where pricing for Microsoft Office 2007 starts around $100, you can download and use OpenOffice.org 3.0 for free.

• OpenOffice 3.0 is available now Monday, 13 October 2008 Jonny Evans, Macworld:

  Microsoft faces serious challenge as well-featured free productivity software ships. After three years development OpenOffice.org has introduced OpenOffice 3.0, the most advanced version yet of its completely free Microsoft Office competitor

• OpenOffice 3.0 is out Sunday, 12 October 2008, 12:58 PM By Charlie Demerjian, The Inquirer:

  Overall, OpenOffice 3.0 seems like a great step forward, and for the low low price of free, how can you complain? Grab a copy and have at thee, it is everything you could need in an office pack without the $500 price tag, ever-changing UI, and forced file formats that people don't want.

• OpenOffice.org 3.0 Reviewed 13 October 2008, 10:32 Dj Walker-Morgan, Heise Open Source UK:

  OpenOffice.org is ... a reasonably competent office productivity suite for a large number of users and the various extensions, including the new Import PDF Extension for 3.0, mean it can be, at least, sufficient for many tasks.

OOo 3.0 Pre-Release Reviews¶

• OpenOffice.org Grows Up By Jason Brooks, 2008-10-02, eWeek.com:

  Nine years after Sun Microsystems bought StarOffice, the resulting OpenOffice.org project is ready to roll out its 3.0 release. Enhanced format compatibility and features put it on par with Microsoft Office.

• OpenOffice 3: a preview By Prashant Rao, Express India:

  OpenOffice is free, and for organizations that want to stay legal and yet provide an office suite to all their workers. it is an excellent solution. A mixed environment with power users on Office 2007 and the rest on OpenOffice works well, as some of India’s biggest banks and BPO outfits have found out to their advantage.

OOo 2 Reviews¶

• PC Pro Magazine delivers its verdict on Version 2:

  Our pick of the low-cost office suites has had a much-needed overhaul, and now battles Microsoft in terms of features, not just price.

  OpenOffice.org 2 earns in Issue 135, Jan 06. The magazine's reviewer concludes:

  OpenOffice certainly doesn't lack features compared to the market leader, and most of its ease-of-use issues stem from people's familiarity with Microsoft Office rather than an inherent problem with the program itself. As such, you should certainly try OpenOffice's offering before donating another UKP100 or more to Microsoft's coffers. After all, it's free.