Open source software is the term given to applications that are made
available freely with their source code, allowing users and developers
to modify and extend the program to their own requirements. A licensing
agreement generally prohibits the software being sold, though the
advantage of this is that it remains freely available to the public. Up
until recent years, open source software was more associated with the
Linux platform, but the successful porting of several applications has
prompted more open source development tailored for Windows.

There are numerous well-known open source applications, such as Apache
HTTP Server and Mozilla Firefox, which are arguably better than many of
their expensive paid-for rivals. However, one of the most comprehensive
open source projects currently available is OpenOffice, a fully
featured office suite developed to run on a variety of different
platforms.

The OpenOffice suite includes Writer, Impress, Math, Draw, Calc and
Base, giving it the ability to handle anything from documents and
spreadsheets to databases and presentations. In fact, OpenOffice has
the ability to do almost anything you could do using the likes of Sun
Star Office or Microsoft Office, neither of which are particularly
cheap.

OpenOffice uses XML based file formats, allowing you to access
documents from any OpenDocument compliant software. Alternatively, if
you will be interchanging documents with those more familiar to
Microsoft Office, you can save them to more popular formats such as
.xls, .doc and so forth. You can also output documents in PDF format,
without having to purchase additional software.

The best part about OpenOffice is that it is available for free, and is
constantly undergoing modifications and improvements. Although it is
not yet as powerful or established as Microsoft Office, it still has an
awful lot to offer, whether you�re a casual home user or small business.

The drawback with open source software is the lack of dedicated
technical support. Although the community and publishers are keen to
help out if any problems arise, there is no guarantee that they can fix
a specific problem. There are few technical support packages available
for open source software, so if you are reliant on your office suite
from a business point of view, there are risks involved. It cannot be
doubted that you also lose a certain amount of usability as well as a
number of features, which may or may not influence your decision.

However, the bottom line is cost. If you are a home user or small
business, moving to a suite such as OpenOffice will no doubt save you a
significant sum and still allow you to do the vast majority of day to
day office tasks. With basic Microsoft Office licenses retailing at
over $300 and the fully featured version over $400, it is easy to see
why many are choosing the open source route.

If you can cope with fewer features and learning new software, there is
no reason not to try something like OpenOffice, available from
www.openoffice.org. However, if you are a business and rely on support
and comprehensive feature lists, it is quite possible that open source
solutions are still not quite up to the task, and you may be better
sticking with what you�ve got already.

Open source software is the term given to applications that are made
available freely with their source code, allowing users and developers
to modify and extend the program to their own requirements. A licensing
agreement generally prohibits the software being sold, though the
advantage of this is that it remains freely available to the public. Up
until recent years, open source software was more associated with the
Linux platform, but the successful porting of several applications has
prompted more open source development tailored for Windows.

There are numerous well-known open source applications, such as Apache
HTTP Server and Mozilla Firefox, which are arguably better than many of
their expensive paid-for rivals. However, one of the most comprehensive
open source projects currently available is OpenOffice, a fully
featured office suite developed to run on a variety of different
platforms.

The OpenOffice suite includes Writer, Impress, Math, Draw, Calc and
Base, giving it the ability to handle anything from documents and
spreadsheets to databases and presentations. In fact, OpenOffice has
the ability to do almost anything you could do using the likes of Sun
Star Office or Microsoft Office, neither of which are particularly
cheap.

OpenOffice uses XML based file formats, allowing you to access
documents from any OpenDocument compliant software. Alternatively, if
you will be interchanging documents with those more familiar to
Microsoft Office, you can save them to more popular formats such as
.xls, .doc and so forth. You can also output documents in PDF format,
without having to purchase additional software.

The best part about OpenOffice is that it is available for free, and is
constantly undergoing modifications and improvements. Although it is
not yet as powerful or established as Microsoft Office, it still has an
awful lot to offer, whether you�re a casual home user or small business.

The drawback with open source software is the lack of dedicated
technical support. Although the community and publishers are keen to
help out if any problems arise, there is no guarantee that they can fix
a specific problem. There are few technical support packages available
for open source software, so if you are reliant on your office suite
from a business point of view, there are risks involved. It cannot be
doubted that you also lose a certain amount of usability as well as a
number of features, which may or may not influence your decision.

However, the bottom line is cost. If you are a home user or small
business, moving to a suite such as OpenOffice will no doubt save you a
significant sum and still allow you to do the vast majority of day to
day office tasks. With basic Microsoft Office licenses retailing at
over $300 and the fully featured version over $400, it is easy to see
why many are choosing the open source route.

If you can cope with fewer features and learning new software, there is
no reason not to try something like OpenOffice, available from
www.openoffice.org. However, if you are a business and rely on support
and comprehensive feature lists, it is quite possible that open source
solutions are still not quite up to the task, and you may be better
sticking with what you�ve got already.