Office Suite
If you have ever worked on a Windows computer you have most likely used some portion of the Microsoft Office Suite. This suite contains basic applications such as Microsoft Word (word processing), Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet), Microsoft Powerpoint (presentation), Microsoft Access (database), and other products depending on the level of product purchased.
Like most Microsoft products, these tools are specific to the Microsoft Windows platform (though this suite was recently ported over to the MAC operating System by Apple) and are the subject of numerous computer attacks due to its widespread use.
Office does not come with your Windows operating system, and what’s more, it is rather expensive. If you have ever been frustrated with the product, specifically with how it works, how much it costs, or any other reason for that matter, you now have a choice!
Open Office
Open Office is a product that contains modules for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, presentations, and databases. Like many other alternative software programs, Open Office is architected in such a manner that it is capable of running on just about any operating system you might encounter.
The Paladin can attest to the robustness of parts of the Open Office suite, as he used the spreadsheet to perform all of his coursework in his master’s level business accounting course (and he got an “A” in the class!).
Open Office also has the ability to read and write files compatible with most (if not all) versions of the Microsoft Office Suite. However, sometimes these conversions are not perfect. They have apparently been improved to the point that they are now very good, but alas, they are most likely not 100% (the Paladin has not used this feature in all of the parts of the Open Office Suite).
