OpenOffice This is a project that came to the Mac from the world of OpenSource (open source). Created initially for Linux, it gradually migrated to other platforms. OpenOffice, like all OpenSource projects, is free and created as an alternative to commercial programs, primarily products from Microsoft. In fact, we can say that the developers set the task of creating a complete analogue of Microsoft Office, but only free, and in general they succeeded. The functions, interface, and menu structure are almost identical to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice allows you to open and save Microsoft files, but it also has its own document saving formats.
The version of OpenOffice for Mac OS X has a significant feature that can be called a disadvantage. From a programming point of view, this is a non-native program for Mac OS X, and requires the X11 environment, which is included with Mac OS X, starting with version 10.3. X11 is a special execution environment for programs originally written for UNIX and ported to Mac OS X, so to speak partially. This means that such programs do not use the Aqua graphics libraries that are part of Mac OS X, but use their own from the UNIX world. Apple designed X11 specifically so that a huge number of popular programs created for different UNIX systems could run on Macs without much effort on the part of developers. X11 is in many ways reminiscent of the Classic environment, that is, programs run in a separate execution environment and have a look that is characteristic not of Mac OS X, but of the operating system for which they were originally written. If you want, you can put X11 in full-screen mode, and then your Mac will visually turn into UNIX. OpenOffice is one of these programs and therefore has an appropriate interface (see figure), and also, importantly, keyboard shortcuts are accepted in the PC world. That is, roughly speaking, the Command (apple) key does not work, since in the PC-oriented world there is simply no such key. Because of this, you may have trouble switching languages, and note that all the usual key combinations begin with cntrl, not Command. But judging by its functionality, OpenOffice is a powerful package that can completely replace MS Office. It does not consist of separate programs, but like Apple Works switches into different modes, depending on the type of document, word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation creation.
Innovations in OpenOffice 3.0:
- New control (slider) to support multiple pages at once during editing (Writer)
- Improved work with notes (Writer)
- Added the ability to edit wiki documents (Writer)
- Number of columns increased to 1024 (Calc)
- Added the ability to collaborate between multiple users (Calc)
- Increased the maximum supported document size to 3 square meters (Draw)
- Added a fully functional table designer right inside the presentation (Impress)
Program in the catalog:
OpenOffice for Mac is a free, powerful office suite that provides a good replacement for Microsoft Office for Mac. This version is designed for older PPC Macs running OS X 10.3 or higher. You can download the latest version for Intel Mac here.
Features all the Office tools you need
OpenOffice for Mac is a multi-platform and multi-lingual office suite that is compatible with all other office suites (meaning it will open and edit Word, Powerpoint, etc. documents) and best of all, it's completely free to use.OpenOffice for Mac includes key desktop applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. It may not be as polished as Microsoft Office, but given that it gives you nothing at all, you really can't complain. The six components of OpenOffice for Mac come with Write, Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw, Base (database management), and Formula (math application).
Java may sometimes not respond to requests
Of course, there are some disadvantages to OpenOffice for Mac. Sometimes when using documents that were made in Microsoft Office, formatting or printing problems occur. The main one, however, is that since it is heavily Java-based, it can be quite slow and unresponsive, especially when opening new files. It's certainly been improved in recent versions, but it's still sluggishly old compared to Microsoft Office. The numerous settings and buttons that come with it can also be a bit overwhelming, and it would be nice to see it streamlined and streamlined a bit in future releases.Great free solution for MS Office
If you're strapped for cash or just don't want to install Microsoft software on your Mac, OpenOffice for Mac is an excellent, if slightly flawed, alternative.
The famous Microsoft Office, created by the Redmond company, has been considered the standard among office applications in the home and business segment for more than fifteen years. Unfortunately, every year the pricing policy does not become more profitable for users, and on the contrary, it becomes more expensive, and that is why we have to look for alternatives. Well, let's see how convenient the well-known free analogue in the face of Apache OpenOffice.
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A little about Office 365 and iWork
Microsoft's greed is starting to get really frustrating these days. The last straw was the release of the latest Office 365 package, which began to be distributed by subscription. For users who decide to purchase Office 365 for home, it will cost “only 339 rubles per month” or 3,399 rubles per year. The package includes the ability to install all office applications on 5 PC or Mac machines and 5 mobile devices, online versions of applications and cloud storage for documents with a capacity of 1 TB.
The quality of the software offered is truly impressive, but I don’t want to spend that kind of money every year. Here you start looking for budget or even free options (oh, the soul of a Russian person).
The proprietary Apple iWork package (Pages, Numbers and Keynote) copes well with only the simplest tasks (there is also a cloud version on icloud.com, which works even without installation). However, there can be no talk of any extended functionality (perhaps for many iWork capabilities will be enough). And there is no analogue of an application for working with databases like Access or advanced programs like Visio or Publisher. A compromise between venerable competitors was the company's product Apache -.
A little history
The development of OpenOffice in 2000 began not by creating a product from scratch, but by studying and transforming the developments of the German office suite StarOffice (1999), which gave birth to open, free software for working with documents.
The first public launch took place in 2002 and the package could be freely installed and used on home computers, in educational institutions and various organizations. The product gained enormous popularity in the post-Soviet space.
In 2010, during the reorganization and creation of a new non-profit company, The Document Foundation, most of the developers broke away, which subsequently began working on their own LibreOffice project (it is often compared to OpenOffice).
In the fall of 2016, the latest current version of Apache was released with index 4.1.3, which we will talk about.
What does OpenOffice include?
The package is characterized by six modules for working with office documents in all directions:
— Writer- word processor and visual HTML editor (analogous to Microsoft Word, Pages, AbiWord and other programs);
— Calc- spreadsheet processor (Microsoft Excel, Numbers, Gnumeric and others);
— Impress- a tool for creating and editing presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote, KPresenter);
— Base- working with DBMS (Microsoft Access, Kexi);
— Draw- graphic vector editor (Microsoft Visio, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW);
— Math- formula editor (MathType, KFormula).
Well, the hardware is really impressive (especially if you focus on the fact that it is a free product).
Compatibility and formats
No matter how the developers claim to support all imaginable and inconceivable office formats, problems still arise from time to time. The brainchild of Apache still cannot open documents in the Microsoft Office OpenXML format, that is, *.docx, *.xlsx and *.pptx. If with the help of short dances with a tambourine the problem with import and export to *.docx can be solved, then nothing can be done with the other two formats.
Not entirely correct work with formats is also observed in other similar applications of the office suite. Complex Microsoft Office documents opened in will have visible and sometimes quite significant changes. The Apache developers swear that they are constantly working on this problem, but the results so far are frankly weak.
Design and functionality
The design of the software package remained at the level of Microsoft Office 2003. It’s a long way from the ergonomics and clarity of at least a 2007 “office.” Otherwise, there is a typical arrangement of tools and quite extensive functionality that allows you to cope with the daily tasks of both a home user and a person working in an enterprise.
The latest current version 4.1.3 has received many minor changes, and it is especially worth noting the accelerated loading of the program and optimized work with multimedia files and diagrams.
The entire office suite works stably, with the exception of the database tool. Sometimes there are crashes and even non-starts on some Macs (more relevant to older machines).
Conclusion
It is between a rock and a hard place in the form of paid Office 365 and free iWork. The Redmond product has no flaws except for the indecently high price tag. Apple's brainchild is rapidly developing and gaining popularity, but still the focus is still on ordinary users rather than clerks. improvements are needed. It’s worth starting small: adding support for new formats, making a modern interface and efficiently integrating cloud technologies - you can’t do without them today. Mobile versions are out of the question for now.
A user who decides to switch from a Windows computer to Mac OS will not have an easy time at first. Despite the general similarity of control systems between Microsoft and Apple operating systems, there are still quite a few tangible differences.
Among other things, you won't find many familiar programs on the iMac and Macbook. As a rule, what new Mac OS users miss most is the Office suite. And here there are two ways - learn new programs or download familiar ones. If you decide to take the second path, this article is for you, in it we will tell you how to install the Microsoft Office package on a MacBook.
If you install the classic Word + Excel + Power Point on your computer, you have two options - official, but expensive, and illegal, but free. Which one to choose is up to you. We will cover both installation methods.
So, if you can afford to pay for “native” Word, then we proceed as follows:
Well, as you can see, everything is very simple. Now let's talk about whether there is any point in downloading the trial version. In our opinion, there is, and here's why. The Microsoft office suite is not paid for at once, but in a subscription format, that is, every month you have to pay 339 rubles. Thus, the “Try Office for free” button makes sense - it gives you the opportunity to use the full version of Word, Excel and Power Point for 30 days, that is, you get one free month and save 339 rubles.
As for the need to indicate banking information, according to the company, their indication is required “for the smooth operation of the programs after the trial period” - in short, what is meant is the following - if after the trial period, you decide to purchase the programs, but forget to make a payment, the office will stop working, and when the card data is already available, the money is simply debited at the right time and there is no need to worry about anything.
Microsoft Office Alternatives
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned that in addition to the Microsoft Office installation path, there is a way to work with alternative programs. This path is perfect for those who do not want to pay for the official package, but also do not want to download unlicensed software.
Let's start with the fact that Apple has a package similar to Word, Excel and Power Point - these are Pages, Numbers and Keynotes. Another free and very popular replacement is Open Office. However, it is worth noting that all alternatives are inferior in functionality to the Microsoft package. However, if the range of options you use is not very wide, then programs from Apple or Open Office will suit you just fine.
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