Computers, PC Parts and Accessories

Many people who use a computer these days will be familiar with Microsoft products - in fact Windows itself is a Microsoft product which has made them one of the most successful companies in the world. Other than Windows Microsoft Office has to be the second most successful product they have created.

If you have typed a letter on your computer, or created a spreadsheet then you most likely have been using Microsoft Office - this is a package of programs containing some of the most used office applications. This includes:

• Word - Used for writing letters etc
• Excel - Spreadsheets
• Access - Databases
• Powerpoint - Presenter

Whilst these programs are fantastic and very user friendly, they come with quite a hefty price tag. If you are on a budget then you may not be able to justify the expense of these applications. There is an alternative that is often overlooked by the general public.

Open Office offers a very similar package to Office - the benefit is that it is free. Open source programs allow developers to add and extend code to offer free solutions to the general public. The interface is very similar in its user friendliness to that of the Microsoft range. What’s more existing is being open source, new modifications, add-ons etc are added every day. If you ever wished Word could do something then Open Office most likely can.

To obtain this software you need to visit http://www.openoffice.org where you will see links to learn more, or download the software. Be prepared for a large download - this package is not for the dial up internet users unless you are prepared to wait a few days!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.