OpenOffice.org Version 2.0 - A definite would-be MS Office Killer

Yesterday, I downloaded the latest stable release of OpenOffice.org (version 2.0) for the Linux platform. It was 106 MB gzipped tar file. I downloaded it and unpacked it into my home directory using the command :

$ tar -xvzf OOo_2.0.0_LinuxIntel_install.tar.gz

One thing that struck me as unique was instead of finding a setup file for installing the software, there were a series of RPM packages (around 20 or so). I checked the readme files which came along with the package but there was no instruction on how to go about installing the software which was really strange. Obviously the OpenOffice team do not expect Linux users to install the software on their own because OpenOffice is bundled with all Linux distributions worth their name.

Any way, I figured out after some time that you just have to install the RPMs. Here you have a flexibility of installing only those parts of the office suite that you need. Like if you don't have a need for Impress (a presentation software), you can leave it out. I chose to install everything. So I moved into the directory containing the RPMs and executed the command:

$ su root
password : ******
# rpm -Uvh * 

Note: The new version (2.0) can coexist with your older version of OpenOffice. If you chose to keep the older version then it is better to make a slight change to the above command :

# rpm -ivh *

The installation went without any glitch. And the software was installed in the directory /opt/openoffice.org2.0 . No I was not given the choice of where to install the software.

Changes with respect to previous version

• Writer executable - swriter
• Impress (presentation software) - simpress
• Spreadsheet - scalc
• Drawing Application - sdraw
• Formula editor - smath
• Database (a.k.a Access) - sbase ...which is a new inclusion
  

As you can see above, the executable files are named differently. When previously it was names like oowriter, ooimpress and so on , now the names start with 's'.

Since the software was installed in the /opt directory, I had to update my PATH to include this change. So I edited my .bashrc file to mirror that change as follows:

#File: ~ravi/.bashrc

export PATH=$PATH:/opt/openoffice.org2.0/program 

... and then re-read the file as follows:

$ source .bashrc

Now I could just fire up the terminal and type 'swriter' to open the word processor.

Fig: The first time you run OpenOffice, the wizard guides you.

Fig: Toolbar of OpenOffice.org ver 2.0

New Features in OpenOffice.org Ver 2.0

1. Appreciable decrease in startup time. In fact, ver 2.0 took less than half the time it took ver 1.11 to load on my machine.
2. Better support for saving and opening MSWord documents.
3. Now has MSWord ClipArts equivalent known by name FontWork Gallery.
4. Support for accomplishing Mail Merges to email.
5. Now you can embed movie and sound clips into your documents.
6. Bundles with 'base' - a good database equivalent to MS Access on windows platform.
7. Better tables, lists and bullets support than the previous version.
8. Has a closer semblance to MS Office, which is good thing for people who are thinking of migrating from the MS Office world.
9. Creates smaller sized PDF documents.
10. Full support for Open Document framework.
    

Drawbacks of OpenOffice.org ver 2.0

1. Lacks the setup installer (for linux platform) found in the previous versions. So not user friendly as far as installation is concerned.
2. The binary setup comes in only two formats - the RPM and Deb. So you have to choose between the two. If you use a distribution like slackware, then this inserts an additional hurdle in installing OpenOffice.
3. Greater dependence on JRE (Java Runtime Environment). For certain features to work properly, you need JRE installed on your machine. The problem is java is not bundled by default on Linux distributions. So you have to download it seperately and install it yourself.
   

Below are a few screen shots of the features I found interesting in the new OpenOffice.org ver 2.0 .

Fig: Clip art support

Fig: Document containing charts, lists and images

Fig: Support for including formulas in your document

Fig: Import data from other databases like MySql using JDBC/ODBC

Epilogue

With many governments pushing for an open document framework, and the availability of this office suite for multiple architectures and OSes, it is only a matter of time before this powerful software overturns the monopoly enjoyed by Microsoft Office Suite.