Hello and welcome
This is the first of many help blog items on OpenOffice.org
Who is this blog for?
Well anyone wishing to use the OpenOffice.org suite and wants information on how to get to grips with various parts of it.
Please note that it is a FREE OFFICE SUITE (MICROSOFT OFFICE COMPATIBLE)
The suite is open source and is permanently under development. There are also a number of extensions to enhance various aspects of the programs.
To get your copy (it is a large download 141MB - at the date of this post the version 3.2.1 is available), click the blue link below
Get OpenOffice.org suite here
It is FREE FOR BUSINESSES, CHARITIES, SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS so anyone can use it. The program has many of the features present in other more well known office programs - databases excepted (though the database option is good for most types of database work, it has its limitations).
Install the program, making sure you read carefully the various options available at each stage of the installation.
The office suite appears as one program (i.e. it is totally integrated) On clicking the OpenOffice.org icon from the desktop, you will be greeted with a 'dashboard' window with a 'Welcome to OpenOffice.org' greeting and an 'Open a new document' option list of six types. From this window you may also directly access 'Templates' and 'Open a document'.
For now please click on the 'Tools' option in the menu bar at the top. Here there are a number of tool options. Selecting the 'Options...' option, displays a 'Options - OpenOffice.org - User Data' titled window.
There is a pane to the right for optional user data to be input and in the left hand pane a few more options under the 'OpenOffice.org' headed, list. You may wish to explore this area later, but for now click on the '+' sign to the left of 'Load and Save'.
This displays 4 options, click on the 'Microsoft Office' option and in the right pane there are 3 columns and 4 rows. The first two columns are headed, [L] and [S] and have little boxes in the rows underneath. In the non-headed third column, there is a short description on what the boxes (if ticked) will do. Go ahead and tick ALL the boxes, to get maximum compatibility with Microsoft Office files. Do not click the 'OK' or any other button just yet.
You may now read and write Microsoft Office Word, Excel and Powerpoint files
Now for another option, click the '+' sign on the left of 'Language Settings' and click on 'Languages' from the two item list. Set the language settings appropriate to your requirements here, by using the dropdown box selection arrows to the right of each selection box.
Now you can Click the OK button when done or explore the other options available to you on this window.
That's all for now people, I hope this helped you and look forward to any comments, questions or queries.
