How does OpenOffice compare with Microsoft office besides its free availability?

Question

i heard there are issues with java, and on the plus side you can save documents in PDF format which is a feature ms office doesn't offer.

Answer 1

I have used both MS Office and OpenOffice. I have had some formatting problems with OpenOffice when working with .doc files. Also, I wish they came up with something like Frontpage. The webeditor that comes with OpenOffice is very very primitive and not even close to Frontpage. Also, it is a matter of getting used to OpenOffice since many functions and properties are not the same as MS Office.

All in all, if you won't be using OpenOffice to make/edit webpages, I think it is a great replacement to MS Office.

Answer 2

Actually, you can make pdf files straight from word. Severl third party tools (even free ones) will plug-in to word and allow you to print to a pdf file. Tools even exist which will convert a postscrit file into a pdf file. ANY word processor should be able to create postscript files since that is the format for printers.

Regarding your question, I prefer MS office because we use it at work, and nearly all of our customers use it at their work. Its easy to share documents that way. The few people who use open office are a real pain because you have to work extra hard to get their stuff to work right.

Answer 3

We are in the process of switching to Open Office at work. I hate it. It is not compatible with many of my files. Things do not transfer in the same format.