Open Office

[Squizzy246B]

I'll try and cut through a long story. I was having issues with one of Microsofts latest updates which I installed automatically and it had no way of uninstalling.

It was the stupid MS Genuine Advantage Validation tool or whatever. Now I have had a fully registered and validated version of Office XP Pro on this machine since I bought the thing nearly 6 years ago but MS reckoned it wasn't validated. I needed to validate to get rid of the nuisance messages/pop-ups the damn validation tool kept putting up. It said I could'nt validate because the product wasn't activated but the activation tool said it was activated...

The discussion with MS online help deteriorated and their remedies didn't work. I even completely un-installed office and re-installed but this didn't help. I lost patience with MS and (Vengeance Shall be Mine) smite that MS office stuff forever.

Awhile back I had tried some of the Open office stuff from Sun Microsystems (The makers of Mozilla FireFox). Open Office is a free office suite very similar to the MS stuff. Version 2 had some issues with my older MS generated documents. I have now downloaded and installed the Release 3 of the Open Office suite and it seems to work pretty well. There are a few little things that take some time to get used to but overall I find it less glichey and easy to use. I think a full blown version of MS Office runs at near $400 here so free is not a bad price...you think If I had a lot of really old important MS documents with special formatting I'd probably stick with MS Office but for new stuff I can't see why you would bother. In the Write program there is an excellent one click export to pdf feature which is very handy.

Anyway...I was just wondering how many others were using it and how it was going.

http://download.openoffice.org/

 

[willie59]

I'm right there with you. It's absurd to me that MS wants a big chunk for MS Office. I started using the free Open Office as well. It will open MS Office documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoint files. So, why is it free, while MS wants me to unload my wallet for their stupid Office????

 

[surfer-joe]

I have MS word and MS Office, and I started using Firefox a while back, but I'm having some issues with it. Trouble is, I have files going way back, some that I have to open with old Word Perfect software, even some that use MS Dos.

My current version of Office works pretty well and I don't have much trouble with it, but I'm one of those people that can barely turn this thingimajigger on, let alone go fooling around with new programs. I leave that up to my son -- the IT pro.

 

[RonG]

I install Open Office on nearly everything that I build unless there is a good reason not to.Even then I load the install package on the harddrive in the event that the new owner wants it.Just the ability to create .PDF files makes it handy.I sometimes scan documentation and schematics for electronics to share with others as a courtesy and post them on the appropriate sites where we go to look for such things and the .PDF format is without equal for clarity when you enlarge a document for printing.The lines are clearer and the componant values are much easier to read so Open Office is good to have just for that capability at my house.
Acrobat is nearly universal or at least universally available so it is a good resource at a good price.I would love to have the full package but will have to wait a while I guess,they keep selling me the wrong ticket!!Ron G

 

[Grader4me]

I have MS office 2007 which was quite expensive ($300.00) I'm still working with it and learning each day, but so far I really like it. I was told after I purchased this that I could have went through my company and bought this program for $45 :Banghead
Power Point on this program is awesome as you can do so much more with it compared to the previous version. I'm working with word now creating documents & charts and I'm learning as I go. The only downfall that I see with word 07 is when I send my charts to someone that has the older version, some of the info is missing when they open it. MS word 07 is compatible with the older versions but the older versions won't display the new features of 07 (just makes sense)
I haven't worked with excel very much yet with the exception of creating a simple spread sheet for those that I've trained.
I've never tried open office.

 

[bill onthehill]

Squizzy: That is exactly why I keep automatic updates turned off and download updates after all the bugs are worked out. The validation tool is a pain in the butt. Microsoft wants to own your data and puts all kinds of registry triggers in their updates to sell your info to others. Hence the data mining ads they are running recently. I also use open office and it meets my needs. HP is another info seller that likes to control processes on your pc. I set most to off at startup and it helps process speed a lot.

 

[Squizzy246B]

HP is another info seller that likes to control processes on your pc. I set most to off at startup and it helps process speed a lot.

A friend of mine runs a computer shop. He describes a HP computer as "pre-loaded with Hi-jackers & spam"

 

[Squizzy246B]

After I had my Hissy Fit with MS they sent me out a customer satisfaction survey:cool2 ...here is an extract of the bits I saved:

Originally Posted by Squizzy246B
They sent me out a survey...asking for feedback!

some extracts of my responses:

"You screwed all my Office programs with your stupid MS Genuine Advantage Validation Tool"

"You emailed me everyday for a week asking how I was going with your 42 step repair procedure. This was really annoying...I mean REALLY annoying"

"I have a business to run. After you screwed my computer with your stupid Validation tool I was lucky I still had Outlook Express for emails"

"I rated his communications skills as poor because he kept harrassing me with emails. This was REALLLYYY annoying"

"I didn't work!"

"I fixed it myself"

"I rated the technical skills of the MS online consultant as poor because I had to fix it myself"

"No...you screwed my computer"


Do ya think they will send me a Christmas Card??

 

[willie59]

Quote: "Do ya think they will send me a Christmas Card??"



Probably...once they figure out how to stick a "validation tool" in it!

 

[AusDave]

Get a Mac

It wouldn't be the first time on this forum I've said this, just get an Apple Mac and be done with it. You can just get on with your work and not worry about viruses, (inc Micro$oft), and spyware.
Nowadays time is too valuable to be stuffing around with Micro$oft Windows based PC's. And you can find open source software like Open Office, FireFox, Thunderbird etc to deal with much of your daily needs.

If you want to make use of your existing PC, get another Hard Drive put in it and have the free Ubuntu Linux installed. Runs all the open source software like Open Office, FireFox, Thunderbird etc and heaps more for free.

Although Micro$oft makes its software for Macs too, I generally find the free software alternatives and the Apple alternatives like the Safari web browser are much better.

So don't pay the Micro$oft tax, there are better alternatives and many are FREE. People are just waking up to this and Micro$oft is seriously worried

Regards AusDave

 

[zhkent]

Squizzy,

Luke, I Am Your Father - in laws distant cousin.
Come to the Dark Side.




Linux Ubuntu, if you wanted I would help you fix a cd or usb you could boot up on to try it.

The picture shows my linux ubuntu. At the front right is evolution mail, then quickbooks running in windows that is being ran as a program by Sunxvm. Behind that is open office, and behind that is your post on HEF running in firefox.

It seems windows owns a share of quickbooks so for some odd reason quickbooks won't run on linux. The only problem of installing windows as a program is it still has to be registered when installed. I turn off updates on it and quickbooks.

I have been running linux for over a year now and like it. Have ran that year with no anti-virus programs and no virus problems.
During that year the process of installing windows as a program has been simplified a lot, seems like there is always 1 program that you need windows for.

 

[Orchard Ex]

The quickbooks thing is the only reason that I'm not running linux. I had read that it wouldn't load with WINE etc. If you don't mind, can you describe what's needed to run it as you are here? I'm thinking of getting a netbook to ease into linux.

 

[zhkent]

Orchard Ex,
I'm using Virtualbox.
To install it go to system, administration, then click on synaptic package manager.
It will ask for your password, ubuntu doesn't allow any system changes without checking with you for your password.
Then this screen comes up



The boxes beside virtualbox are green which means I have it installed.
If the box is white click on it. A little box comes up - choose mark for installation. Then a box will come up that will say what all needs to be installed with it, click ok and all the necessary dependencies will be marked to install. When that is done go towards the top of the page and click on apply.
Everything will be installed.

Next start up the Sun xVM Virtualbox.
Click on new and a wizard will come up to guide you through installing windows into your new virtual machine.
You will have to have a copy of windows that can be loaded at this point.
It will install in the virtualbox pretty much exactly like if you were installing on a new computer, requiring the key code, and whatever other hoops that copy of windows makes you go through to install on a normal computer.

The only negative effects I have noticed on my computer is that when I open virtualbox and windows they grab my usb and printer which is good, so I can save my bookkeeping and print checks, but I can't use the usb or printer on the rest of the computer until I close virtualbox and windows.
Not really a problem, did waste some time trying to figure out why my printer wouldn't work one day though.

 

[OneWelder]

Why don,t Macs get sick ?

 

[Squizzy246B]

Why don,t Macs get sick ?

They don't...its just their owners that are sick

 

[bill onthehill]

The hackers and virus makers go for the biggest "return" for their efforts. That is why they concentrate on windows,IE and anything that runs on them. It is easier for them to get into because Microsoft builds their systems for data mining.

 

[AusDave]

Why Mac's don't get sick

Why don,t Macs get sick ?

They aren't based on Windows code

Seriously though, the easy to use Macintosh interface is based on a very secure version of Unix, a bit like Ubuntu Linux. The Unix core is a very highly developed Operating System which can be far more secure and configurable than Windows. Plus instead of Micro$oft owning it and just suiting their own financial ends, much of the Unix System and associated software is Open Source which means basically free.

With much of Unix being Open Source, you have the development smarts of thousands of geeks/programmers worldwide making a better product for their own needs and therefore a better product for the rest of us. Apple was very smart in designing their Operating System around Unix because they gained the benefits of the development efforts of the whole Open Source community. Apple does contribute back to the Open Source community however making it a win all round.

The other benefit of a unix based System is that the Application software such as Open Office etc for one unix system will generally work on most of the other unix Systems and also will be updated as Unix evolves. You'll notice that Apple now has heaps of good software available for its System now due to this, and very little crapware which seems to favour Windows.

Oh, and Squizzy... being a sick Mac owner is bliss compared to being a sick Windows user:tong

Regards AusDave

 

[Orchard Ex]

Orchard Ex,
I'm using Virtualbox.
To install it go to system, administration, then click on synaptic package manager.
< snip >

zhkent, thanks very much for the tutorial. Now I need to increase the IT budget and start migrating to linux! :thumbsup

 

[bear]

When I occasionally feel the need to demean myself with doing tech support (you would not belive some of the questions I would get, IQ's are dropping in the education sector for sure) i always recommended Open Office over MS office. Really a better bunch of software for basically the time it takes to get it. It will open every file type that is in any office format so it's gold as far as I'm concerned. Linux is good too kind of like ice cream many flavors and there''s pretty much one for everybody.

 

[willie59]

(you would not belive some of the questions I would get, IQ's are dropping in the education sector for sure) .

bear, that's just a funny statement. sadly.