There is, as far as I know, no personal computer that does not have an office package or suite installed . Word processors, database managers, spreadsheets, presentation programs, are necessary applications to obtain adequate performance from the machine.
The usual thing for Windows users is to use Microsoft Office, a professional package with high benefits and also a high price. GNU/Linux users, in its different distributions, use a suite that has nothing to envy Office and that has an added advantage: it is free.
Apache OpenOffice also has versions for Windows and for macOS. If you haven’t tried this suite yet, despite having lost part of its reputation, what are you waiting for?
If you install the package, you will find six applications, each one with its specific function, which together cover the usual needs of any computer user. Although the package by more than one hand, it is still open source. Among the languages it supports is Spanish. You only need to download and install it on your computer to enjoy all its power. You will not regret.
The applications that Apache OpenOffice includes are the following:
Apache OpenOffice Writer
It is perhaps the most used application of the package, a powerful and versatile word processor. It implements everything necessary in this type of program: macros, proofing language selection, thesaurus, chapter and page numbering, footnotes, bibliographic database, mail merge wizard…
Allows the insertion of manual jumps, fields (date, time, title, author…), symbols, headers and footers, text marks, references, notes, indexes, images… Opens most of the formats, including the one corresponding to Microsoft Word, and exports, among others, to PDF.
I opened a corrupt document in Writer , written in Word, that I couldn’t open with Microsoft’s word processor. I exported it to the original format and it recovered all its structure. The internal header definition system had broken down, which is all too common in DOC files.
Apache OpenOffice Calc
Application designed to create spreadsheets. It includes all the options and functions necessary in this type of program. It has nothing to envy Excel, the program included in Microsoft Office. It also offers the possibility of exporting the created sheet to PDF. It is capable of opening and editing XLS documents, the typical Excel format up to the 2007 version of Office. Save and export to most existing formats, including the obsolete ones.
On a simple and intuitive interface are all the necessary tools to create a spreadsheet from scratch or to manipulate one already created. It allows the insertion of images, video and sound, different types of objects, graphics and floating frames. The performance that can be obtained from this application is immense.
Apache OpenOffice Impress
It is the typical presentation program, which has Microsoft PowerPoint as its older brother and of which it has nothing to envy, since it implements all the necessary tools in this type of application.
Opening the program offers the possibility of loading an already saved presentation or starting a new one by following a wizard. The work system is similar to that of the applications discussed so far, although with specific tools. It also allows export to PDF, something that the Microsoft application does not include.
The document can be exported to all imaginable formats. ODP files are the ones used by the program by default.
It has a small graphical editor with simple tools. It allows the insertion of all kinds of elements: images, videos and sound, objects, spreadsheets, diagrams, floating frames and various types of files.
The presentation is fully configurable. Allows you to indicate the style and design of the slide, using the models that come by default or loading different ones. Managing the transition models between slides and the time that has to elapse for automatic presentations is very simple, you just have to resort to the different sections of the Presentation menu .
Apache OpenOffice Draw
It is a drawing application similar to the classic CorelDraw . A vector drawing program that implements all the necessary tools for creating rectangles, ellipses and circles, text insertion, lines, connectors for drawing diagrams, shapes, block arrows, flowcharts, callouts, stars, insertion of points…
Allows you to include bitmap drawings made with other applications, supporting all known formats. It also allows the insertion of video and sound, diagrams, spreadsheets or floating frames.
Like all the applications included in the package, the interface is very intuitive, easy to use for any user. Supports all import and export graphics file formats. It is capable of exporting to PDF as well.
Apache OpenOffice Math
It is a tool designed to create and edit mathematical formulas, similar to Microsoft’s Equation Editor. It can be used independently, calling it from the programs menu, but the most common is to call it from the Apache OpenOffice Writer word processor . So you can insert formulas in any document right where the cursor is, or modify an inserted formula by double-clicking on it with the mouse pointer.
Its interface is very simple and intuitive, like the one offered by all Apache OpenOffice applications . We only have to select the formula and follow the necessary steps, including the appropriate parameters, to achieve the appropriate structure.
Apache OpenOffice Base
It is a powerful database manager. You can use an assistant to start creating a base or make it directly by hand. After defining the tables that will make it up, you must access the creation of a Form in design view or use an assistant .
In a similar way you can create Tables , in design view, using a wizard or by creating the view. The same happens with the creation of Queries , including in this section the option to create a query in SQL view, and with the creation of Reports . The created database will be saved in the ODF format. There is, it could not fail, the possibility of exporting, and also importing, to other formats, including Access , an application included in Microsoft Office.
The creation environment is very easy to use, with a multitude of assistants, as we have already pointed out, and with a typical structure in this type of program. All functions are accessible from the menu line.
Access
If you haven’t used Apache OpenOffice yet , we suggest you spare a few minutes and check out its great value. Download the suite and install it on your computer. You will not regret. An update of this complete suite just came out just two days ago.
