What is an open office for? What is Open Office

Spreadsheet, tools for drawing and preparing presentations, working with databases, visual editing of web pages and programming.

Thus, judging by the general characteristics, OOo is almost a complete functional analogue of Microsoft, surpassing it in some aspects. Works on Microsoft Windows and UNIX-like platforms: Linux, Mac OS X (without Aqua shell support), FreeBSD, Solaris, Irix. OpenOffice.org is distributed under the (Open Source Initiative) OSI approved by the Lesser General Public License (LGPL), available at: http://www.openoffice.org/licenses/lgpl_license.html

One of the interesting features of the package is the ability to use it without installation, which allows you to run it, for example, from a flash drive.

OOo includes:

OpenOffice.org Writer (word processor)

OpenOffice.org Calc (spreadsheet)

OpenOffice.org Draw (vector graphics editor)

OpenOffice.org Impress (presentation preparation program)

OpenOffice.org Base (mechanism for connecting to external DBMS, plus embedded DBMS HSQLDB)

OpenOffice.org Math (formula editor)

Macro recording system

Launch accelerator (via preload)

Writer - word processor

Writer is a powerful tool for creating letters, books, reports, newsletters, brochures, and other documents. You can insert graphics and objects from other components into Writer documents. Writer can export files to HTML, XHTML, XML, Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF), and some versions of Microsoft Word files. It also connects to your email client.

Calc - spreadsheet

Calc has the advanced analysis, charting, and decision making capabilities expected from high quality spreadsheets. It includes over 300 functions including financial, statistical and mathematical operations. The Scenario Manager provides an “what if” basis. Calc provides 2D and 3D charting that can be embedded in other OOo documents. You can also open and work with Microsoft Excel workbooks and save them in Excel format. Calc can export spreadsheets to Adobe PDF and HTML.

Impress - presentation graphics

Impress provides all common media presentation tools such as special effects, animations, and paint tools. It is combined with the advanced graphics capabilities of the OOo Draw and Math components. The slide show can be further enhanced with special text effects from Fontwork, as well as sound and video clips. Impress is compatible with the Microsoft PowerPoint file format, and can also save your work in numerous graphic formats, including Macromedia Flash (SWF).

Draw - vector graphics

Draw is a vector drawing tool with which you can do everything from simple diagrams or flowcharts to 3D artwork. Its Smart Connectors feature allows you to define your own connection points. You can use Draw to create drawings for use in any of the other OOo components, and you can create your own picture and add it to the gallery. Draw can import graphics from many common formats and save them in over 20 formats, including PNG, HTML, PDF and Flash.

Base - database

Base provides tools for day-to-day database management within a simple interface. It can create and edit forms, reports, queries, tables, views, and relationships so that the management of a linked database is much the same as in other popular database applications. Base provides many new capabilities, such as the ability to analyze and edit relationships from the view schema. Base includes HSQLDB as its default relational database engine. It can also use dBASE, Microsoft Access, MySQL or Oracle, or any ODBC or JDBC compliant database. Base also provides support for a subset of ANSI-92 SQL.

Math - formula editor

Math OOo is an editor for formulas or equations. You can use it to create complex equations that include characters or symbols not available in standard font sets. While it is used to create formulas in other documents such as Writer and Impress files, Math can also act as a stand-alone tool. You can save formulas in the standard Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) format for inclusion in web pages and other non-OOo documents.

Here are some of the advantages of OpenOffice.org over other office suites:

No license fees. Ooo is free for any use and distributed free of charge. Many features that are available as add-ons in other office suites (like PDF export) are free in OOo. There are no hidden costs now or in the future.

Open source. You can redistribute, copy, and modify the software as much as you like under the OOo Open Source license.

Cross-platform. OOo 2.0 runs on multiple hardware architectures and operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Sun Solaris.

Extensive language support. The OOo user interface is available in over 40 languages ​​and the OOo project provides hyphenation and thesaurus dictionaries for over 70 languages ​​and dialects. OOo also provides support for complex text formatting (CTL) and right-to-left (RTL) languages ​​(such as Hindi, Hebrew, and Arabic).

Compatible user interface. All components have an intuitive interface designed to be used by both beginner and expert.

Integration. The components of OpenOffice.org are well integrated with each other.

All components share a common spell checker and other tools that are used in the same way throughout the suite. For example, the drawing tools available in Writer can also be found in Calc, similar but more advanced versions of Impress and Draw.

Modularity. Usually, if you change a parameter, it can affect all components. However, OOo parameters can be set at the application level or even at the document level.

File compatibility. OOo includes the ability to export to PDF and Flash, as well as support for opening and saving files in many common formats, including Microsoft Office, HTML, XML, WordPerfect, and Lotus 123.

There is no link to the seller. OOo 2.0 uses OpenDocument, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file format developed by OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) as an industry standard. These files can be easily unzipped and read by anyone, their structure is open and published.

Minimum Requirements

OpenOffice.org 2.0 requires one of the following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP, or Windows 2003

GNU / Linux Kernel version 2.2.13 and glibc 2.2.0 or later

Solaris version 8 or higher

Support for other operating systems is expected in the future.

Some OpenOffice.org features (wizards and the HSQLDB database engine) require the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed on your computer. While OOo will work fine without Java support, some features will not be available. You can download the latest Java from http://www.java.com.

For a more detailed (and up-to-date) list of requirements, you can refer to: http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs_20.html.

Obtaining the software

You can get the OpenOffice.org installation package in any of the following ways:

Download a copy from the project home page: http://www.openoffice.org.

Download a copy using the Peer to Peer client, BitTorrent. Instructions are here: http://distribution.openoffice.org/p2p/.

Purchase a copy on CD-ROM or other digital media from a third party distributor. The project maintains a list of distributors; however, these distributors are not affiliated with or supported by OpenOffice.org: http://distribution.openoffice.org/cdrom/sellers.html.

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OpenOffice is one of the oldest packages developed by Apache. Today this office suite is distributed free of charge and is open source. Also, one of its versions turned into a standalone office suite known as LibreOffice.

OpenOffice has gained popularity in some government organizations as a free non-commercial product, which is not too inferior in its functionality to the famous MS Office. The package received special distribution in educational institutions and at some enterprises. However, it is popular among ordinary users as well.

Updates are still coming to OpenOffice packages, however, less often than to its free counterpart LibroOffice or paid MS Office. However, OpenOffice is more stable and requires less PC.

general information

OpenOffice takes its history back in the 90s, and the first full-fledged version of the package appeared in 2002. Initially, the software was developed for open source and free operating systems, such as Linux. But after a while, versions appeared for Windows users with Mac OS. OpenOffice can now be found installed by default on some Linux distributions.

Creation and processing of text documents

OpenOffice Writer is a program included in the OpenOffice and LibreOffice packages. She is responsible for the operation and design of text, as well as primitive tables. By default, all documents created in this program will be in the - ODT format. However, the editor can handle other popular text file formats like DOCX, TXT, etc. without any problems. True, sometimes "non-native" formats can open a little crookedly, that is, markup, fonts, etc. can move out there, but this is quickly restored.

A feature of this product, and indeed of all products of this office suite, is the presence of a button for converting a file to PDF format. Microsoft Office products do not have such a button by default, and in order for it to appear, you need to install special software.

The top toolbar contains all the main editing tools available. Sometimes this is not very convenient, as it can take a long time to search for the required tool. In Word, for example, all the tools are categorized and easier to find. With the help of additional plugins and add-ons, you can change the appearance of the top toolbar, add new elements, etc.

Despite this, OpenOffice Write has a definite advantage over Word because of its top bar. For example: from this panel you can quickly and easily change styles, while in many versions of Word you will have to go to special tabs and perform other manipulations.

The typing area is unremarkable. Also the user can customize the side toolbar. By default, some versions do not have it at all, or there are very few elements.

At the bottom there are elements for counting pages, words and symbols in the document, buttons for switching the language and scale. There is nothing special to change there.

The Write, which is part of the OpenOffice suite, has all the necessary functionality for the average user. The only exception can be made by some specific tools. Also, in Write, some users observe spelling problems, as the program either underlines all words, or does not underline anything at all. To fix this, you need to make some adjustments.

Create and edit presentations

The Impress program is responsible for working with presentations in this package, which is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. However, the modern version of Impress is somewhat behind its commercial counterpart, and therefore its functionality and set of features is somewhere between the 2003 and 2007 versions of PowerPoint. The main working file format is ODP. There is support for other formats, but only older versions of PowerPoint formats work correctly.

There is not so much functionality and animation in this program, but it is quite enough for developing simple presentations. You can create animations, add music, various effects.

The main part of the interface is occupied by the work area with slides, and the other half is the area with slide settings. Basically, the side part of the interface is responsible for adding and processing effects and animations.

In the upper panel there are several elements for quick insertion into a slide, plus tools for processing the document itself (a button for saving, exporting, searching for a document, etc.).

The functionality can be expanded with plugins and add-ons, but their installation is much more complicated than in the same PowerPoint, and their number is extremely limited.

Graphics program

There are no programs in the standard Microsoft Office suite specifically designed for drawing and manipulating vector images. However, Libre and OpenOffice have a dedicated graphics program, Draw. It is sometimes compared to Paint, but the similarities lie only in a few basic functions, since Draw is more functional. The program works with ODG format.

Here you can work in multitasking mode, while in Paint it is very inconvenient to work with several files at the same time, and in some versions it is completely impossible.

The OpenOffice Draw interface is conditionally divided into two main panels with tools and a panel from where you can manage the document and add various elements to the workspace. On the right is a window with document properties and a small toolbar (in some versions it is not).

In this program, it is convenient to draw up block diagrams and work with 3D objects, while Paint is just being introduced.

Manipulating formulas

The OpenOffice package has a special program for performing accurate calculations using formulas - Math. This software works with files in the ODF format. In the program, you can use both prepared in advance formulas, and compose them using code. For the production of calculations, computer algebra based on the Mathematica system is used. This system is very often used in engineering, especially when it is necessary to perform accurate calculations.

The program interface includes windows for entering code, displaying formulas and selecting operations in the central part. All formulas are divided into sections, which makes it easier to work with them. Work in the code editor is done using the MathML language. At the top there is a panel with document controls (save, send to print, etc.).

MS Office does not have a separate program for working with formulas, but simplified formula editors are built into Word and Excel. A separate professional editor of mathematical formulas will primarily be useful for engineers and mathematicians. Ordinary users could easily get around the built-in editors in Writer and / or Calc.

The functionality of this program can be expanded due to additional plugins from the Internet.

Creating and editing tables

For working with tables in the OpenOffice package, the Excel analog from Microsft - Calc is responsible. By default, it works with ODS files, but at the same time it supports working with other common tabular formats, for example, XHTML, XML, etc. True, sometimes files of other formats may not open correctly in the program.

The main part of the interface is occupied by table cells, which you can edit and change at your discretion. In the upper part there is a toolbar similar to the one presented in Write, however, most of the tools are adapted for working with tables. Here you can create charts, perform various cell manipulations, etc. From here, you can immediately output the document to PDF format, send it to print, etc. Plus, there are functions for sorting table values ​​by many parameters, for example, alphabetically, descending order, etc.

By default, some OpenOffice products include a dedicated sidebar with additional tools and data. You can customize it as you like, or remove it altogether.

If you right-click on a cell, or on a selected group of cells, a context menu will appear. For the most part, it duplicates tools, which can be found in the top and side panels.

Any spreadsheet editor must be able to work with formulas. There are no special differences from Excel here. The input process and formulas are the same.

The only drawback of OpenOffice Calc is the complexity of formatting cells, since all the necessary tools need to be found in special submenus.

Creating and editing databases

This office suite provides its own analogue of MS Access - Open Office Base. The working format is ODB, but it is possible to support other formats, although some of them may be processed incorrectly.

The program has several modes for creating tables:

• Master mode;
• Designer mode;
• Presentation mode.

The program interface is divided into several main parts:

• Left panel. The structure of the database is schematically indicated here. From here you can switch between queries, tables, forms, reports;
• The central part is divided into two windows - "Tasks" and "Tables"... In the first case, you can select some task for one of the segment of the database structure, and in the second, you can see the result in the form of tables;
• In the upper part there is a panel with basic tools for working with a document (save button, print, document search, etc.).

The database manager also supports MySQL and SQL. The process of creating some elements in this program may differ from that in MS Access. However, the interface of this program is much simpler than that of its counterpart from Microsoft.

Conclusion

The article examined the main working tools and environments, based on this, some conclusions can be drawn.

Dignity

• The interface of all OpenOffice programs is very simple, and if you have any difficulties, you can always refer to the "Help", so this office suite is great for beginners;
• The product is completely free and open for distribution;
• Supports Russian;
• There are versions for UNIX-compatible systems. An example of such systems: MS Windows, Mac, Linux;
• Works without problems even on very "ancient" machines.

Flaws

• Even though OpenOffice programs have all the functionality necessary for an ordinary user, it is still less than in MS Office;
• Some of the programs that are included in MS Office are not here;
• The interface of OpenOffice products looks a little old-fashioned even when compared to LibreOffice.

OpenOffice is good freeware and is great for most day-to-day tasks. Some of its shortcomings can be corrected by installing special extensions and plugins. However, if you need specific functionality, it is recommended to pay attention to the commercial counterparts of this package.

Open and closed file formats

As you know, documents can be of different formats, but which of them are open and which are closed, and what does this mean? For example, one of the existing plain text formats can be decrypted on every computer, without the need to use any special data about the internal structure of the document. All that is required is an encoding table. This situation classifies the plain text format with a well-known encryption table as an open format.

As for the files of a closed type, an example is the files created in the applications of the Microsoft Office software package. The format of such documents is the property of Microsoft Corporation, which means that information about the internal structure of documents is not disseminated. Some information, of course, can be purchased for a certain amount of money, which, however, does not prevent it from being incomplete, since the format is subject to changes with each new version of the software package. This document format is classified as closed.

Most users understand that the most effective, and perhaps the only way to organize a free exchange of information, without any problems of document compatibility, is to use open format documents. Such documents could be distributed over the Internet all over the world without fear that other programs used by anyone would not be able to read the file. However, the current situation is far from ideal. Many users of various software packages to this day use and send over the Internet documents of closed formats, for example, MS Office files. In the event that there is no firm confidence in the presence of such a package with the necessary editors on the opponent's computer, you should not do this. The belief that Microsoft's office is installed by "most" users, and the sent documents "will be open for everyone" is erroneous.

As for the free office analogue of OpenOffice.org, its documents refer to open format files, which are officially characterized and enshrined in the standard. These formats are workable with most programs. Such compatibility of programs and formats is determined at a very high level - the states, together with corporations competent in this area with high authority, create and approve standards.

An excellent example of standardized formats are the www formats, which are chosen by the World Wide Web Consortium, otherwise known as the W3C. This format does not have an official authority approved by any state, however, thanks to this standard, it is possible to create Internet pages that are viewed from anywhere in the world. It was the W3C Corporation that created the HTML format standard for Internet pages. There are several versions of such a standard, both HTML and XHTML, which is based on XML.

Open Office and Microsoft Office

First of all, it should be said that the Microdoft Office software package does not have the ability to convert, allowing you to work with Open Office documents. This behavior is not entirely consistent with the global policy of establishing equal competition, in addition, about the study of MDSN Library, you can notice the fact that the team of Microsoft creators is not at all "aware" of the existence of Open Office, which, of course, forces us to draw certain conclusions.

In order to work in Microsoft Office with documents from Open Office, there is no easier way than to save documents in MSO format natively in OOo. This function can be made automatic using the commands "Tools" - "Options" - "Load / Save" - ​​"General" - "Default File Format" Another way to work with Open Office files is to use additional converters. One such plugin that exists is the "Sun ODF Plugin for MSO", which enables users of Microsoft's word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation wizard to open and modify documents with the ISO-approved ODF extension. This plug-in works to open Open Document Format files in MS Office versions 2007, 2003, XP, and 2000. The principle of operation of the Sun organization plug-in is based on technology integrated into StarOffice.

Initial versions of the OpenOffice.org software package needed special converters to fully interact with versions of Microsoft Office since 2007. An example of such converters is Novell, which allows you to work with files with the docx and xlsx extensions. In addition, there is a converter directly from Microsoft, which makes it possible to convert XML documents into documents of earlier versions of Microsoft Office, and you do not need to have this office on your computer. Starting with version 3.0 of the Open Office software, no additional converters are required.

As for opening files of a software package from Microsoft in Open Office, this possibility exists without any special additions. However, some difficulties still occur, for example, documents containing macros in VBA are not supported. It is also limited to reading documents containing in their structure links with other files, such as pictures, etc., the use of which in Open Office is arranged in a different way. The transfer of such documents from the format of MS Office applications to the OO format does not occur. However, most of the standard documents developed in MS Office are imported without problems.

In addition, when working in Open Office, you can use the converter function that allows you to convert doc, xls, and ppt documents to the Open Office application format.

Differences in format

The file formats of the latest versions of office suites also have their own nuances. A saved document from one of the applications included in Microsoft Office 2010, for example, Word with the Open Document Text file format, is formatted when opened through the Open Office text editor. Likewise, when you open an ODT file, the same changes will occur in Word 2010. Such a change is associated with a different set of functions that are responsible for interacting with these formats. Differences between the two taken formats mainly entail changes in the formatting of information, as well as the ability to use some functions. When you change the format of the document, the information that it contains is subject to change, however, the formatting and the process of working with it may be different.

In order for the format of the documents to be saved in MS Word to be selected as one constant, for example, ODF or OpenXML, you can use the following commands: "File" - "Options" - "Save" - ​​specify in the column "Save files in the following format" the required format of the documents to be saved, which will be set by default.

When the process of saving a Word 2010 document in the Open Document Text format occurs, changes to the document occur concurrently, caused by the support or lack thereof with respect to the ODT format.

Support features can be either fully supported or partially supported, not to mention completely unsupported features. It is worth noting that there are quite a few completely unsupported functions of the Word 2010 application by the Open Document Text format, along with graphical functions. However, most of the main functions are nevertheless imported into this format without changes. If you really need to create ODT files using Microsoft's office, then the support functionality is quite enough, but it is better to work with documents of this format in the Open Office software package, which is closer to it.

More about ODF

The Open Document Format is an open and free file format for storing and sharing files. Such files include various types of information, be it text files, spreadsheets, illustrations, slideshows or databases.

This standard was developed by the OASIS association based on the XML format. In 2006, it was adopted at the international level - ISO / IEC 26300. The development of this format was carried out by many corporations, which allowed it to be available and used absolutely freely. This format was conceived as an analogue of commercial closed formats like doc, xls, ppt, which are part of Microsoft Office documents, etc.

It is worth noting that it is recommended to review the documents after saving and closing, in order to make sure of the required appearance of the text in the ODT format. When a document workflow is performed in multiple editors other than Word, for example using Open Office's Writer or Google Docs, filling the document with text and formatting it will be different functions. The best option would be to concentrate on text content as much as possible. After completing work on the information array, it is worth paying attention to formatting, since losses in this case will be minimal when switching to other formats, such as Word or ODT.

The positive qualities of the Open Document Text format are: a small weight of documents than similar ones in the Doc format, independence from commercial corporations due to the openness of the format, which also allows you to be free in the choice of software used. Also, of course, the approval of this format at the international level should be considered an advantage.

The disadvantages of the ODT format include the following characteristics: slideshows created in presentation wizards, for example, Impress from Open Office, do not allow tables in their content. In addition, digital signatures in the Open Document Text format defy description, and the format specification does not recognize a formulaic language.

Continuing the focus on the free text document file format, it is worth saying that it is supported by the largest corporations working in the field of software development. The most famous of these are OpenOffice.org and IBM Lotus Symphony, Star Office and Neo Office, Visio Writer, and many others.

Summing up, we can safely say that the future lies with open formats, however, at the moment, in the process of dividing preferences and a slow transition to such a format, the choice remains with the user - which document format to work with, and which software to use for this.

Openoffice(also known as Apache OpenOffice, OpenOffice.org, OO.org, OO.o, OOo) is an office suite that competes with commercial office applications such as Microsoft Office. Competition is not only at the format level, but also at the user interface level. OpenOffice runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Intel / Power PC platforms.

This office suite is based on open source StarOffice code from Sun Microsystems. Later, the rights to OpenOffice passed to Oracle. Since 2011, Oracle has publicly announced the transfer of all rights in OpenOffice to the Apache Foundation. As a result, the OpenOffice.org code license was changed to the Apache License 2.0, which the Free Software Foundation reacted very negatively, and suggested using LibreOffice from now on.

There is a version of OpenOffice.org for work without installation, the so-called "portable" version. It can be run, for example, from a flash drive or any other media. Supports work in operating systems of the Microsoft Windows family.

It is on the OpenOffice.org office suite that all Russian schoolchildren are taught computer science and computer literacy - the corresponding decision was made by the Russian government in 2008.

According to the GNU General Public License (general public license), the OpenOffice office suite is open for free installation and free use in schools and universities, offices and on home computers, both in budgetary and commercial organizations of all CIS countries.

History of origin and development

For the first time the source code of the free suite for office applications OpenOffice was published on October 13, 2000, the history of the popular program began in August 1999, when in the next issue of the Wall Street Journal an article was published that Sun acquired the Star Office application and plans to open the source program code. Indeed, since October 13, the code has been open for download. Despite the fact that there were still more than two years left before the release of the first version of the OpenOffice.org office suite, this day is considered his birthday.

The suite of free office applications quickly gained popularity - in April 2002, the number of downloads exceeded four and a half million, and the total number of users totaled more than 10 thousand people. Only a month has passed and the downloads have already exceeded six million, undoubtedly aided by the release of the first version of OpenOffice.org 1.0. The release of the program for Mac OS X was presented in the same summer.

At the beginning of 2003, the development of the next version 2.0 was also started. The following improvements were planned:

Simplification and improvement of interaction with Microsoft Office;
- Increased productivity due to increased operating speed and reduced memory requirements;
- improvements in the scripting language;
- simplified integration with GNOME;
- a lightweight interface for working with databases;
- new built-in SQL database;
- improved user interface.

OpenOffice 2.0 beta was released on March 4, 2005. Then, in 2005, Sun announced that it was abandoning SISSL. The OpenOffice.org community, in turn, has publicly announced that it will no longer be dual licensed and will release further versions only under the LGPL.

Only after that, on October 20, 2005, the working version of OpenOffice.org 2.0 was presented. Moreover, two months later, its update was released, OpenOffice.org 2.0.1, in which even non-critical errors were corrected.

After the OpenOffice.org 2.0.3 update was released, updates, improvements and bug fixes were released quarterly.
In 2008, a third version was introduced, in which native support for Mac OS X was implemented, which significantly increased the speed and stability of batch programs. The third OpenOffice could already run on Mac computers without using the X11 windowing system. In addition, the Solver component was added, which was absent at that time in the Microsoft Office suite for Mac OS X. At the same time, even after the public release of the third version, work on the second version continued: the last two updates were released after the launch of the third version.

In the same year, 2008, the developers of the suite of office applications OpenOffice separated from Oracle and announced the creation of an independent organization, The Document Foundation. In this initiative, the developers were supported by such major corporations as Red Hat, Novell, Google, Canonical. Until Oracle sold the rights to the names of the programs to the new organization, the open source product was called LibreOffice.

Application package

The OpenOffice office suite includes:

The Writer Module is a text module and visual HTML editor.
Calc module - spreadsheet processor (like Microsoft Excel)
The Impress module is a program with which you can prepare presentations (like PowerPoint).
Base module - a module that provides a mechanism for connecting to external HSQLDB database management systems
Draw module - vector graphics editor
The Match module is a module for editing formulas.

In addition, OpenOffice includes a macro recording system and a quick launch tool by preloading. Common to all applications.

StarOffice

When OpenOffice.org was owned by Sun, the development of the not-for-profit software package was primarily intended to be used as the basis for the commercial StarOffice application. All StarOffice applications from version 6 and up are based on the OpenOffice source code with some additions.

Additional StarOffice Components:

More fonts (mainly due to the enhanced East Asian fonts);
- more document templates;
- Adabas D database;
- clip art;
- the ability to sort for Asian languages;
- additional file filters;
- simplification of migration to Enterprise Edition through special tools;
- additional utilities for transferring macros and managing configurations in the Enterprise Edition.

To be fair, it should be noted that OpenOffice also borrowed quite a lot of functions from StarOffice. In particular, it is on borrowing from StarOffice that the OpenOffice.org.XML format is based, which was replaced after the second version by OpenDocument.

Extensions

Almost from the first versions (since version 2.0.4) OpenOffice.org started supporting XUL extensions of the .oxt format. In addition, when working with the OpenOffice.org package, the following extensions are available:

1. Sun Report Builder - an extension that allows you to create reports from a database. It has a fairly user-friendly interface and flexible settings.
2. CompPad - an extension for performing mathematical and engineering calculations using the equation editor in the form of entering mathematical equations.
3. MySQL Connector for OpenOffice.org is a MySQL database driver that provides the fastest and most efficient database queries.
4. AltSearch is an extension that improves the search and replace options for text in Writer. Works with regular expression support.
5. Typography - an extension that provides the ability to bring text to typographic standards (removes extra spaces, replaces long hyphens with dashes, puts appropriate quotation marks, etc.).
6. Language Tool is an extension for grammar checking in Writer, implemented for English, Russian, German, Polish and other common languages.

Prevalence

One of the most common freeware software. As a rule, when an enterprise migrates to free software, it is installed on computers first. It is used not only on home PCs or small offices, but also by fairly large companies. For example, since 2007 Rostelecom has been using OpenOffice.org. The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and the Federal Bailiff Service (since 2009) also switched to OpenOffice.

This software is quite popular in Germany. According to a study by Webmasterpro.de, the OpenOffice.org office suite and its derivatives are installed on 21% of all computers in Germany. In addition, some government organizations in Germany install free software. For example, the German Foreign Ministry installed OpenOffice for its employees back in 2008.

Not only German and Russian government agencies are loyal to free software. For example, the Belgian Ministry of Justice switched entirely to the OpenOffice suite, and the French police joined them in 2009, and police officials have publicly announced significant financial savings thanks to the use of free software. The administration of Amsterdam and some Belgian cities also works at OpenOffice.org.

OpenOffice.org derivatives and similar projects

There are a number of third-party projects that are derivatives of OpenOffice.org or modifications of it.

• LibreOffice is an independent fork with an even looser development policy. For its development, a separate non-profit organization, The Document Foundation, was specially created. It brought together 33 developers who left OpenOffice.org/
• IBM Lotus Symphony
• BrOffise.org - created specifically for the official distribution of the OpenOffice.org application suite in Brazil and other Latin American countries. All developments in this application are in favor of LibreOffice, in response to which LibreOffice promises to provide synchronous output to BrOffise.org.
• OpenGroupware.org is a set of programs for exchanging various documents with OpenOffice.org, for working with mail, instant messaging and providing general access to some applications for teamwork.
• OOExtraz - created to organize the exchange of documents, templates and add-ons.
• CPAN is a set of extensions for processing OpenOffice.org documents using external programs.
• Portable OpenOffice.org is a special "portable" version of the office suite that can work without installation, directly from a USB drive.
• OOo4Kids is a simplified version for, as the name suggests, more convenient functioning in educational institutions.
• OxygenOffice Professional - extended version of the product
• InfraOffice.pro is a commercial version of the office suite developed by the Russian company Infra-Resource. It is positioned as a solution for enterprises that work with confidential information. It is the same OpenOffice.org with enhanced security system.

Openoffice(also - Apache OpenOffice, OpenOffice.org, OO.org, OO.o, OOo) - a suite of office applications, the main competitor to commercial office applications such as, for example, Microsoft Office. Competition is taking place not only at the format level, but also at the user interface level. OpenOffice runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Intel / Power PC platforms.

This office suite is based on open source StarOffice code from Sun Microsystems. Later, the rights to OpenOffice passed to Oracle. Since 2011, Oracle has publicly announced the transfer of all rights in OpenOffice to the Apache Foundation. As a result, the OpenOffice.org code license was changed to the Apache License 2.0, which the Free Software Foundation reacted negatively and suggested using LibreOffice in the future.

There is a version of OpenOffice.org for work without installation, the so-called "portable" version. It can be run from a flash drive or any other media. Supports work in operating systems of the Microsoft Windows family.

It is on the OpenOffice.org office suite that all Russian schoolchildren are taught computer science and computer literacy - the corresponding decision was made by the Russian government in 2008.

According to the GNU General Public License (General Public License), the OpenOffice office suite is open for free installation and free use in schools and universities, offices and on home computers, both in budgetary and commercial organizations of all CIS countries.

History of origin and development

For the first time the source code of the free suite for office applications OpenOffice was published on October 13, 2000, the history of the popular program began in August 1999, when in the next issue of the Wall Street Journal an article was published that Sun acquired the Star Office application and plans to open the source program code. Indeed, since October 13, the code has been open for download. Despite the fact that there were still more than two years left before the release of the first version of the OpenOffice.org office suite, this day is considered his birthday.

The suite of free office applications quickly gained popularity - in April 2002, the number of downloads exceeded four and a half million, and the total number of users totaled more than 10 thousand people. Only a month has passed and the number of downloads has already exceeded six million, which, no doubt, contributed to the release of the first version of OpenOffice.org 1.0. The release of the program for Mac OS X was presented in the same summer.

At the beginning of 2003, the development of the next version 2.0 was also started. The following improvements were planned:

• simplification and improvement of interaction with Microsoft Office;
• increased productivity due to increased speed and lower memory requirements;
• improvements in the scripting language;
• simplified integration with GNOME;
• lightweight interface for working with databases;
• new embedded SQL database;
• improved user interface.

OpenOffice 2.0 beta was released on March 4, 2005. Then, in 2005, Sun announced that it was abandoning SISSL. The OpenOffice.org community, in turn, has publicly announced that it will no longer be dual licensed and will release subsequent versions under the LGPL. Thereafter, on October 20, 2005, a working version of OpenOffice.org 2.0 was released. Two months later, an update was released, OpenOffice.org 2.0.1, in which non-critical bugs were fixed.

With the release of the OpenOffice.org 2.0.3 update, updates, improvements, and bug fixes have been released on a quarterly basis.

In 2008, a third version was introduced, in which native support for Mac OS X was implemented, which significantly increased the speed and stability of batch programs. The third OpenOffice could already run on Mac computers without using the X11 windowing system. In addition, the Solver component was added, which was absent at that time in the Microsoft Office suite for Mac OS X. After the public release of the third version, work on the second version continued: the last two updates were released after the launch of the third version.

In the same year, 2008, the developers of the suite of office applications OpenOffice separated from Oracle and announced the creation of an independent organization, The Document Foundation. In this initiative, the developers were supported by such major corporations as Red Hat, Novell, Google, Canonical. Until Oracle sold the rights to the names of the programs to the new organization, the open source product was called LibreOffice.

Application package

The OpenOffice office suite includes:

• The Writer Module is a text module and visual HTML editor.
• Calc module is a spreadsheet processor (similar to Microsoft Excel).
• The Impress module is a program with which you can prepare presentations (like PowerPoint).
• Base module - a module that provides a mechanism for connecting to external HSQLDB database management systems.
• Draw module is a vector graphics editor.
• The Match module is a module for editing formulas.

In addition, OpenOffice provides a cross-application macro recording system and a quick launch tool using preloading.

StarOffice

When OpenOffice.org was owned by Sun, the development of the not-for-profit software package was primarily intended to be used as the basis for the commercial StarOffice application. All StarOffice applications from version 6 and up are based on the OpenOffice source code with some additions.

Additional StarOffice Components:

• more fonts (mainly due to the expanded East Asian fonts);
• more document templates;
• database Adabas D;
• clip art;
• sorting option for Asian languages;
• additional file filters;
• simplification of migration to Enterprise Edition through special tools;
• additional utilities for transferring macros and managing configurations in the Enterprise Edition.

It is worth noting that OpenOffice also borrowed quite a lot of features from StarOffice. In particular, it is on borrowing from StarOffice that the OpenOffice.org.XML format is based, which was replaced after the second version by OpenDocument.

Extensions

Almost from the first versions (since version 2.0.4) OpenOffice.org started supporting XUL extensions of the .oxt format. In addition, when working with the OpenOffice.org package, the following extensions are available:

1. Sun Report Builder is an extension that allows you to create reports from a database. It has a fairly user-friendly interface and flexible settings.
2. CompPad is an extension for performing mathematical as well as engineering calculations using the equation editor in the form of entering mathematical equations.
3. MySQL Connector for OpenOffice.org is a MySQL database driver that provides the fastest and most efficient database queries possible.
4. AltSearch is an extension that improves the search and replace options for text in Writer. Works with regular expression support.
5. Typography is an extension that provides opportunities for converting text to typographic standards (removes extra spaces, replaces long hyphens with dashes, puts appropriate quotation marks, etc.).
6. The Language Tool is a grammar checker extension for Writer for English, Russian, German, Polish, and other common languages.

Prevalence

One of the most common freeware software. As a rule, when an enterprise migrates to free software, it is installed on computers first. It is used not only on home PCs or small offices, but also by fairly large companies. For example, since 2007 Rostelecom has been using OpenOffice.org. The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and the Federal Bailiff Service (since 2009) also switched to OpenOffice.

This software is quite popular in Germany. According to a study by Webmasterpro.de, the OpenOffice.org office suite and its derivatives are installed on 21% of all computers in Germany. In addition, some government organizations in Germany install free software. For example, the German Foreign Ministry installed OpenOffice for its employees back in 2008.

The Belgian Ministry of Justice switched entirely to OpenOffice; in 2009, the French police joined them, and police officials publicly announced significant financial savings through the use of free software. The administration of Amsterdam and some Belgian cities also works at OpenOffice.org.

There are a number of third-party projects that are derivatives of OpenOffice.org or modifications of it.

• LibreOffice is an independent fork with an even looser development policy. For its development, a separate non-profit organization, The Document Foundation, was specially created. It brought together 33 developers who left OpenOffice.org.
• IBM Lotus Symphony.
• BrOffise.org - created specifically for the official distribution of the OpenOffice.org application suite in Brazil and other Latin American countries. All developments in this application are in favor of LibreOffice, in response to which LibreOffice promises to provide synchronous output to BrOffise.org.
• OpenGroupware.org is a set of programs for exchanging various documents with OpenOffice.org, for working with mail, instant messaging and providing general access to some applications for teamwork.
• OOExtraz - created to organize the exchange of documents, templates and add-ons.
• CPAN is a set of extensions for processing OpenOffice.org documents using external programs.
• Portable OpenOffice.org is a special "portable" version of the office suite that can work without installation, directly from a USB drive.
• OOo4Kids - a simplified version for the convenience of functioning in educational institutions.
• OxygenOffice Professional is an extended version of the product.
• InfraOffice.pro is a commercial version of the office suite developed by the Russian company Infra-Resource. It is positioned as a solution for enterprises that work with confidential information. It is the same OpenOffice.org with enhanced security system.