- APACHE OPENOFFICE VS LIBREOFFICE VS MICROSOFT OFFICE SOFTWARE
- APACHE OPENOFFICE VS LIBREOFFICE VS MICROSOFT OFFICE DOWNLOAD
There are a few plug-in programs for Microsoft Office, but more for LO/AOO.
APACHE OPENOFFICE VS LIBREOFFICE VS MICROSOFT OFFICE SOFTWARE
Here the advantage clearly goes to open source software for added program features. LO/AOO use a different form of BASIC to program macros than does Microsoft, so they are not usually interchangeable.
Microsoft is more polished in many respects, and I still count the ribbon interface as an advantage for Microsoft, although the new AOO sidebars make the advantage smaller.Īll the programs let you add and organize menus and create macros. I like the addition of Firefox themes in LibreOffice, but that’s, in part, because the basic look of LO/AOO is much more bland than Microsoft’s. CustomizationĪlthough Microsoft Office may have invented many customization options, I think there are even more controls in LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice. However, since most of my writing recently has been for blog posts, I’ve not fully tested all these features. If you can remember to name these bits and pieces, finding them is even easier.įor these reasons, I think there are advantages to using LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice for long form writers and editors, as well as e-book producers. Microsoft has a better Go to Page function but LO/AOO let you search for headings, tables, text frames, graphics, OLE objects, bookmarks, sections, hyperlinks, references, indexes, comments and draw objects. LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice have a unique Navigator control, surpassing what Microsoft offers. Microsoft has an advantage in interface, in my opinion: styles with style. I’ve barely scratched the surface of styles in my month of using the programs, so there is more to be said about the topic. With more features and more control comes more complexity and the Document and Apache Foundations would do well to try to improve both the features and the user interface. (For example, Microsoft lets you change page settings, but won’t let you save them as in LO/AOO.)
LO/AOO have much more control over styles, including character styles, paragraph styles, page styles, frame styles and list styles. The open software twins might actually be a better platform for e-books and the web than Microsoft – although there is room for improvement from all three.
LO/AOO both have much better tools for creating PDFs than Microsoft, with many more options. There are some things LO/AOO actually do better than Microsoft Office and vice versa. How do LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice Compete with Microsoft Office?īetter than I expected. That advantage was quickly erased, however, when LibreOffice also imported that feature. AOO was the first to introduce the sidebar, which I find to be surprisingly useful.
APACHE OPENOFFICE VS LIBREOFFICE VS MICROSOFT OFFICE DOWNLOAD
AOO’s download is a bit smaller, but LO’s includes more stuff, I think. (I don’t understand why Apache OpenOffice hasn’t figured that out, yet.) Also, LibreOffice allows you to embed font info with their files if you are sharing them with somebody who doesn’t have that particular font Apache OpenOffice doesn’t.ĪOO might be slightly zippier than LibreOffice, though, and some of the dialogue boxes are a bit more attractive. I’m giving the edge to LibreOffice, mainly because Apache OpenOffice had problems opening PDFs with embedded OpenOffice files and only LibreOffice allows you to save your files in Microsoft’s XML formats. (And, no, I still haven’t installed it on my new computer.) Which is better, LibreOffice (LO) or Apache OpenOffice (AOO)?įrankly, the two programs are still so similar, it’s a coin toss. Here are some of the things I learned in a month of not using Microsoft Office. The steamy dog-days of summer are over the leaves are beginning to change colors Labor Day is past and students are in school, so it’s time to end our Great, Frugal Summer-Doldrums Software Experiment. Wrapping Up the 1-Month Great, Frugal Summer-Doldrums Software ExperimentĬomparisons, Features, and Wish Lists for Open Source Office Software