Softpanorama (slightly skeptical) Open Source Software Educational Society

May the source be with you, but remember the KISS principle ;-)

Open Office and other XML based suits

Old News ;-)

[Dec 3, 2007] OpenOffice.org 2.3 Impresses

I am not a fan of Wiki format and think that HTML is OK for this purpose and Wiki format outlived its usefulness but still this is an interesting feature.

Next I tested the most significant addition to OpenOffice's Writer application, the ability to export newly created files to the MediaWiki format, a feature-rich collaborative editing software that runs Wikipedia.

I first loaded the file up with a bunch of character formatting, such as italicized, bolded and underlined chunks of text. I also included a hyperlink. From the file dialog, I chose Export and selected MediaWiki.txt from the File Format drop-down menu. I then cut and pasted the entire document into a blank Wiki page and discovered that the italicized text made it through the conversion, as did the hyperlink. The underlined text and bold text, however, did not pass the test. Apostrophes also fared poorly, not maintaining their "smart quotes" status.

Still, introducing this format as an option to users is recognizing the growing importance and undeniable usability of the Web-based collaborative workspace that the smart and savvy should be incorporating into their software ASAP (or be left in the dust).

OpenOffice is ten years behind MS Office That's just fine!

Completely bogus arguments.  You need to use the best tool if you can afford, not the cheapest one.  Greedy Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols  does not want to buy software while getting nice salary by talking about software from Ziff.  And I am sure this guy gets pretty nice salary, far better that journalists, say, in Ukraine and definitely can afford Office Professional for his Ziff-Davis salary if this is a more productive tool.

I use OO.o (OpenOffice.org) 2 every day. It works. It has all the features I need. It's fast. It's reliable. I can send files from it via email directly from my application. It's also secure, unlike Office. And, its file format can also be read now and forever-after by any program that uses the ODF (Open Document Format).

Oh, and did I mention that OO.o doesn't cost a penny, while Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 lists for $499?

Linux Journal: OOo Off the Wall: That's Your Version--Document Control in OOo Writer
(Mar 8, 2006, 11:30 UTC) (910 reads) (0 talkbacks) (feedback)
"Learn how to use Writer's version control tools to keep track of who made which changes and when, without diving into big CMS applications..."

SearchOpenSource: Finding Hidden Treasures in OpenOffice 2.0's Charting Wizard
(Mar 8, 2006, 13:00 UTC) (832 reads) (0 talkbacks) (feedback)
"Nancy [Drew] would have been great at doing charts in OpenOffice 2.0..."

Slashdot OpenOffice Bloated

ZDNet's George Ou has been writing a series of posts about Open Office bloat. Includes some interesting system usage comparisons" From the article: "Even when dealing with what is essentially the same data, OpenOffice Calc uses up 211 MBs of private unsharable memory while Excel uses up 34 MBs of private unsharable memory. The fact that OpenOffice.org Calc takes about 100 times the CPU time explains the kind of drastic results we were getting where Excel could open a file in 2 seconds while Calc would take almost 3 minutes. Most of that massive speed difference is due to XML being very processor intensive, but Microsoft still handles its own XML files about 7 times faster than OpenOffice.org handles OpenDocument ODS format and uses far less memory than OpenOffice.org."

OpenOffice.org 2.0 Has Edge over Its StarOffice 8 Cousin

OpenOffice.org 2.0 and StarOffice 8 share the same code base and are nearly identical. The primary differences are in packaging and certain non-free software components that come bundled with Sun's suite.

The purchase price of StarOffice 8 also includes support from Sun, where OpenOffice.org 2.0 support comes at an additional cost.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 and StarOffice 8 use the same native file format, OpenDocument, and the same macro language.

Organizations that mix the two suites, therefore, can expect complete compatibility. (The OpenOffice.org Project recently made available an update to its earlier OpenOffice.org version, 1.1.5, that includes the capability to open, but not to create, OpenDocument-formatted files.)

Read more here about why StarOffice 8 rivals Microsoft Office.

We tested OpenOffice.org 2.0 on Ubuntu Linux 5.10, SuSE Linux 10 and Windows XP, and the suite performed similarly on all three systems. One difference we noted while testing OpenOffice on SuSE 10 was the way that the suite took on the appearance and functional qualities of the GNOME and KDE desktop environments, depending on which we were using.

Unlike StarOffice 8, OpenOffice.org adopted environment-specific dialogs for opening and saving documents, a nice integration touch.

Another benefit that OpenOffice 2.0 offers on Linux systems is better integration with the various packaging systems with which different Linux distributions ship. Sun ships StarOffice 8 as a set of RPM packages.

NewsForge Basic button-pushing with OpenOffice.org macros

There are two ways to create a macro in OOo. One is to use OpenOffice.org Basic to write the macro. The other is to use the macro recorder. That will be the approach we focus on.

The macro recorder is great, because it lets you create a macro without any programming, and when you're done you can look at the code it built and add your own enhancements.

We'll sort a grocery list to illustrate how to build macros. I update my OpenOffice.org Calc-created grocery list spreadsheet weekly before trudging off to the store. I don't know how some of you shoppers do it with your handwritten random lists.

Before I run my macro, I delete the quantity of each item from the previous week. I sort the list alphabetically by grocery item (column A), then enter the desired number of each grocery item (column B). Once I've done that data entry, I want to sort the list from lowest to highest according to aisle (column C), filter the list so only non-zero-quantity items show up, then print the filtered list.

I created a macro to sort by item name using the macro recorder:

• Select the Tools menu item, then Macros.
• Click Record Macro to begin to record your keystrokes.
• Left-click on the first item in column A.
• Drag the mouse down to the bottom of the list, then across to include columns B and C.
• Click the Data menu item, then Sort.
• Select Column A and Ascending.
• Click OK to do the sort.
• Click the Stop Recording button that popped up when you clicked Record Macro. The recording box will close and open a menu for specifying the macro name. Click My Macros, then Standard, and finally Modules1. Move the cursor up to the upper left input box and give the new macro a reasonable name. Since I was sorting on the A column, I called the macro "sorta."
• Finish up by clicking OK.

Why macros?

Why would you want to use macros? If you do repetitive jobs, like moving data around in a spreadsheet or regularly deleting old data from a column, some simple macros can save you lots of time and reduce your error rate. Automating tasks in OpenOffice.org might just turn you into the departmental macro guru, and managers and business owners like people who can make using spreadsheets faster and easier.

Running the macro is even easier than creating it. Step through the Tools menu, Macro, and Run Macro. Pick the macro out of the list and push the Run button at top right. In my case it was My Macros, Standard, Module1, and "sorta." The spreadsheet flashed briefly and then it was sorted alphabetically by column A.

Creating a macro to sort by aisle was the same process, except I sorted on Column C instead of Column A and named it "sortc."

I also created a "finddeli" macro that looks for all instances of the word "deli" in my list. You can record just about any sequence of actions or key clicks and turn them into a macro.

Attaching macros to buttons

Clicking through the Tools, Macro, Run Macro sequence is almost as much effort as just sorting manually. A worthwhile upgrade I made was to attach the sorta macro to a button that could be placed right on the spreadsheet:

• Turn the control toolbar on with View, Toolbars, and Controls. The floating toolbar will appear.
• Click the Design Mode On/Off button (the ruler with the little draftsman's triangle) on the Controls toolbar to light up the various controls. Click the pushbutton and then move down to the spreadsheet and use the mouse to drag out a rectangle.
• Right-click on the new button, then select the Controls menu item to bring up the button properties menu.
• On the General tab fill in an appropriate Label for the button. In my case it was "sort a."
• On the Events tab move down to the Mouse Pressed item and click the triple dot button on the right.
• On the Assign Menu, click the Assign button to bring up the Macro Selector menu, where you can choose the macro to be actuated by the button. In my case I chose My Macros, Standard, Module1, and the sorta macro.
• Click OK to complete the assignment.
• Again click the Design Mode On/Off button to allow the button to be pushed in the spreadsheet.

You can now run the sorting macro by clicking on the button.

Creating buttons and macros for simple repetitive jobs like this can save you loads of time. You might look at your spreadsheets and make a list of the tasks that you do over and over, then record a macro and run it to see if it saves you some time. Any situation where you flip back and forth between some spreadsheet state is a candidate for some pushbutton automation.

If you want to get more sophisticated with your spreadsheets, you can also use text boxes, radio buttons, and list boxes. Controls like buttons and list boxes on forms are another way to interface with macros.

For a thorough education on OpenOffice.org macros be sure to get "OpenOffice.org Macros Explained" by Andrew Pitonyak. Don't let the book's massive 476 pages intimidate you. It has vast sections of basic programming practice that explain things in minute detail. It could be a knowledgeable silent companion for anybody who wants to be a departmental OpenOffice.org macro guru.

... ... ...

Links

1. "OpenOffice.org" - http://www.openoffice.org/
2. "OpenOffice.org Basic" - http://api.openoffice.org/docs/DevelopersGuide/BasicAndDialogs/BasicAndDialogs.htm
3. ""OpenOffice.org Macros Explained"" - http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=39391960&isbn=1930919514
4. "Rob Reilly" - mailto:robreilly@earthlink.net

www.openoffice.org -- wish list

[May 3, 2001]  www.openoffice.org Build 627 Binaries

[Apr. 10, 2001] A new OpenOffice.org snapshot (625) has been released. New and exciting features in it include:

• The default file formats for the components have been changed to XML
• On unix platforms, out of the box support for printing using an Xprint server
• Sweeping rewrites and enhancements to the database component
• Vastly improved support for compiling/running on *BSDs

As per usual, there is full support for compiling on Linux/x86, Linux/PPC, Solaris (sparc and x86) and Win32 platforms.

Full description of changes/enhancements is available in the release notes.

O'ReillyNet: Adventures with OpenOffice and XML (Feb 10, 2001)
OpenOffice 613 for PPC/Linux Availble(Jan 18, 2001)
Whiteboard.OpenOffice.org: OpenOffice Bonobo Integration (Jan 08, 2001)
Latest Snapshot of OpenOffice is Available (Dec 15, 2000)
OpenOffice.org: Hackers Guide to Participating in OpenOffice.org(Oct 19, 2000)
LinuxPR: Sun Microsystems Announces Availability of StarOffice Source Code On OpenOffice.org(Oct 16, 2000)
KDE.org: KDE and OpenOffice(Oct 16, 2000)
LinuxPlanet: A Hands-On Review of the Open Source OpenOffice(Oct 13, 2000)

> Yeah SUN did a contribute some but has paid lip
> service to the cause as far as I know.

Let me tell you a very short history of OpenOffice. Long time ago a company named Star Division from Hamburg in Germany had build an office suite named Star Office. In the second half of the nineties the suite had a market share of more than 50 % in Germany, so it was quite successfull.

Some years later SUN Microsystems bought Star Division and released most of the code of Star Office under the name OpenOffice as Free Software while they felt (like IBM, Oracle and some other companies) something had to be done to counter the monopoly. In my opinion a very succelfull move.

While much of what SUN Microsystems does might be questioned I have to praise them for this move. Let's hope that Novell finds something to do with comparable effects.

Yeah, not to mention than Sun still pays the salary of former StarDivision, while IBM (whose PROPIETARY Lotus Software integrates with M$Office but not OO) dimises OO and even recomended not to use it while selling IBM computers with M$Office preinstalled.

RedHat, Ximian (now part of Novell) and a few others also have made contributions, especially to make integrate OO with its respective Linux distros. That's all.

[ Thanks to Louis Suбrez-Potts for this release. ]

OpenOffice.org 2.0 is the productivity suite that individuals, governments, and corporations around the world have been expecting for the last two years. Easy to use and fluidly interoperable with every major office suite, OpenOffice.org 2.0 realises the potential of open source. Besides a powerful new database module and advanced XML capabilities, OpenOffice.org natively supports the internationally standardised OpenDocument format, which several countries, as well as the U.S. state of Massachusetts, have established as the default for office documents. More than any other suite, OpenOffice.org 2.0 gives users around the globe the tools to be engaged and productive members of their society.

Available in 36 languages, with more on the way, and able to run natively on Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X (X11) and several other platforms, OpenOffice.org banishes software segregation and isolation and dramatically levels the playing field. And, with its support for the OASIS standard OpenDocument format, OpenOffice.org eliminates the fear of vendor lock in or format obsolescence. The OpenDocument format can be used by any office application, ensuring that documents can be viewed, edited and printed for generations to come. OpenOffice.org 2.0 is a breath of hope for small economies that can now have a local language office suite well adapted to their needs and to their economical possibilities, reducing their dependency on the interests of proprietary software vendors.

"OpenOffice.org is on a path toward being the most popular office suite the world has ever seen and is providing users with safety, choice, and an opportunity to participate in one of the broadest community efforts the Internet has ever seen. As a member of that community, I'd like to offer my heartiest congratulations," stated Jonathan Schwartz, President and CEO of Sun Microsystems.

Built by a community including Sun Microsystems, its primary sponsor and contributor, Novell, Red Hat, Debian, Propylon, Intel, as well as independent programmers, translators, writers, and marketers; OpenOffice.org 2.0 demonstrates the success, dedication and proficiency of the open source software community.

That community now includes the City of Vienna, which recently started deploying OpenOffice.org throughout. "We are very happy about the functionality and quality of the OpenOffice.org software. We are confident that OpenOffice.org will be made available to all of our 18,000 workstation users," said Brigitte Lutz of the City of Vienna.

Louis Suбrez-Potts, OpenOffice.org Community Manager, commented that "OpenOffice.org 2.0 is the culmination of a collaborative process involving thousands working in dozens of languages everywhere in the world. It shows that open source can produce software of the highest quality and assure the robustness, usability and security that users expect in their office suite."

In addition to the OpenDocument format, the redesigned user interface and a new database module, OpenOffice.org 2.0 also adds improved PDF support, a superior spreadsheet module, enhanced desktop integration and several other features that take advantage of its advanced XML capabilities, such as the ability to easily create, edit and use XForms.

Last modified: November 08, 2008