Even those IT managers who want to make the break from Microsoft to Linux can't find the strength to let go of Microsoft Office. They can't imagine something that could replace it. So they certainly can't imagine that there is a package out there that can not only replace Microsoft Office but can replace it for free.

OpenOffice.org is the powerhouse suite that is raising the ante in the battle for office space. Here's an overview of this product so that you can judge whether it would work in your enterprise.

What OpenOffice.org has
The OpenOffice.org suite is a set of office tools similar to those in Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is based on Sun's StarOffice code but is not tied to the proprietary Sun application in any way. The suite consists of a word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation package, formula editor, drawing program, data charting application, HTML editor, and file filters that enable the importing and exporting of various formats. Obviously, OpenOffice.org contains everything you'd expect in an office suite. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the original StarOffice.

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When StarOffice first came to be, it was Linux's only answer to the Microsoft suite. That was unfortunate because the application was clunky and slow, and had problems with many file formats. OpenOffice.org isn't weighted down with any of these issues. No longer is the suite an integrated desktop (as was the original StarOffice) but a modular set of tools. Now, if you want to open or create a spreadsheet, you only have to open the spreadsheet application. Needless to say, the original StarOffice left a rather bad impression on both Linux and non-Linux users. Since then, both StarOffice and OpenOffice.org have fought hard to break away from that stigma. They are both finally managing to do so.

One other area of major improvement is in file filters. The OpenOffice.org suite of tools has the ability to work with all the standard Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) without the addition of any third-party add-ons. This makes using OpenOffice.org's office suite a much more viable option, since it can now easily interact with Microsoft's offering.

What OpenOffice.org lacks
Outside of a price tag, OpenOffice.org is missing only one piece from the office suite toolkit: the database component. If you're looking at this from a Linux perspective, this omission makes perfect sense. Why add a database component when Linux has two very good open source database components already? And if you are a Linux user and you need a database, you will be using either MySQL or PostgreSQL. In light of that, the OpenOffice.org team opted not to include a database tool.

How well does OpenOffice.org perform?
I've had the opportunity to work with many different office suites (including Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, Applixware, KOffice, Hancom Office, and StarOffice) and, in my experience, OpenOffice.org performs as well as its competitors--if not better. And OpenOffice.org is the only suite that is free.

Let's take a look at some of the issues that any IT administrator or end user will face when deciding between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office.

Ease of installation
It's no secret that Linux has come a long way in regards to installation. OpenOffice.org is no exception to this trend.

After downloading the 67MB tar.gz file, installation requires only a few simple steps:

1. Un-tar the package with the command, tar xvzf OOo_1.0.0_LinuxIntel_install.tar.gz.
2. Change into the newly created install directory with the command, cd install.
3. Run the setup command (as root) to begin the installation process.

The actual installation is completely GUI-based and is, therefore, very simple--albeit a bit slow. The only hitch might be in the location you choose to install the suite. The size of this application would dictate an installation in the /opt directory. Because you will be installing into the /opt directory, you will have to be running the installation as root.
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