Difference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word Any differences in feature and saved documents that I should know abou

	Difference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word - Any differences in feature and saved documents that I should know abou
	Discussion by yeh with 12 Replies. Last Update: September 21, 2010, 5:55 pm

yeh

Hi... I'm new to Open Office. And i don't rate myself as an advanced user of Microsoft Word. Just know enough to write whatever documents that I want to. So the question now is, are there any differences in features between the two? Some of you might say this is a redundant question since I'm not an advanced user of Microsoft Word in the first place, but hey... I just want to know. And how about saved documents in Open Office Write? Can those documents be opened in the intended format in Microsoft Word? And lastly, if you have ever encountered any problems with Open Office and its compatibility with Microsoft Word, please feel free to post it here. I would love to know about it.

PS: I'm referring to the new Open Office, 2.0. As for Microsoft Word, I'm referring to all versions since some older versions are still in used.

Wed Aug 23, 2006 Reply New Discussion

Jeigh

Well as far as you would notice probably the only differences would be cosmetic. While some of the more advanced features are either handled differently or non-existent in one or the other (I don't have any examples of this off the top of my head...) all the basics are there in both. Open Office might hide some menu items in different locations, but otherwise it can do most of the things Office can and if you just use it for basic things then it would easily be able to do them all.

As far as cross compatibility, I've opened documents between the two before and other then a few of my more complex formatting choices being slightly skewed they were the same in either program.

Frankly I can't imagine you having any issues since you just use it for the basics. If cross compatibility is a huge issue you could always try saving in Open Office as a format that is standard cross platform and furthur reduce chances of confusion between programs.

Wed Aug 23, 2006 Reply New Discussion

evought

QUOTE (yeh)

Hi... I'm new to Open Office. And i don't rate myself as an advanced user of Microsoft Word. Just know enough to write whatever documents that I want to. So the question now is, are there any differences in features between the two? Some of you might say this is a redundant question since I'm not an advanced user of Microsoft Word in the first place, but hey... I just want to know. And how about saved documents in Open Office Write? Can those documents be opened in the intended format in Microsoft Word? And lastly, if you have ever encountered any problems with Open Office and its compatibility with Microsoft Word, please feel free to post it here. I would love to know about it.
PS: I'm referring to the new Open Office, 2.0. As for Microsoft Word, I'm referring to all versions since some older versions are still in used.

Link: view Post: 85633

OpenOffice supports (among others) the Microsoft .DOC format, although sometimes minor details are lost when going between OpenOffice and MS Word (in either direction). It is sometimes safer to use the older RTF format. RTF cannot contain as much detail, so it is more likely to appear the same in both packages. Myself, if I want to send an OpenOffice document to someone else, I usually just convert it to PDF and skip the whole mess.

As far as features go, OpenOffice has everything I have looked for, including sophisticated table formatting and label layouts. It also crashes less. The menu options are sometimes in different places and he shortcut keys are different, but it is all there. I have a copy of MS Office or the Mac but have not bothered to install it.

Wed Aug 23, 2006 Reply New Discussion

yordan

I see one stupid difference.
When I write down a Microsoft Word document, I send the document with a link to the Microsoft free reader for word document.
When people send me OpenOffice documents, I have to install OpenOffice in order to read them.

Besides that, skilled people use very complicated text formatting in Word document, especially including graphics, which make them look rather strange with OpenOffice.

Nevertheless, I always prefer a free working software rather than an expensive bugging thing...

Thu Aug 24, 2006 Reply New Discussion

evought

QUOTE (yordan)

I see one stupid difference.
When I write down a Microsoft Word document, I sell the document with a link to the Microsoft free reader for word document.
When people send me OpenOffice documents, I have to install OpenOffice in order to read them.

Besides that, skilled people use very complicated text formatting in Word document, especially including graphics, which make them look rather strange with OpenOffice.

Nevertheless, I always prefer a free working software rather than an expensive bugging thing...

Link: view Post: 85731

True. When ODF becomes standard, you will probably see more OS builtin tools support it. For example, you will probably be able to read them in Konqueror or Nautilus, and maybe Firefox with a plugin. It should also be possible to do an XML->FOT transform which will make converting directly to PDF relatively straightforward. Text Edit on Mac already reads .doc and .rtf files: although the formatting is limitted, it is enough to read a document. I agree, though, that an Open Source and lightweight reader for Windows would be great.

Thu Aug 24, 2006 Reply New Discussion

Quatrux

I myself use both, and MS Word and OpenOffice.. I like the possability to create PDF files with OpenOffice, because most of the OS can open them, Well I don't know an OS which can't open them, on AmigaOS it is a bit slow, but you can always convert it to text if you really want to.. Sometimes, to people who can't read OO documents I use Word, but for personal things I use OO.. and as I noticed I am moving from using .doc because of the posability to make PDF files free with OpenOffice

There are similarities and differences, but as I don't need anything fancy using Office, I don't really get deep into it..

Thu Aug 24, 2006 Reply New Discussion

FeedBacker

OO and Microsoft Publisher
Difference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word

I recently changed computers. When I am reloading my software, I can't find the install key for Microsoft Publisher. Unfortunately, many of my work forms I use daily are on Microsoft Publisher.

I don't want to spend a few hundred dollars to buy a newer version. Is there a way to have Open Office read and edit my Publisher documents?

-Julia

Fri Jan 4, 2008 Reply New Discussion

(G)John

In the options settings on how to save a doc. You can change the .Odt default to .Doc

Just go to options and save settings and change your default there. Then all your word docs will be saved and the .Doc windows standard and thus will be readable by all windows PC's

-reply by John

Wed Sep 16, 2009 Reply New Discussion

(G)Laura

Open Office and MS excel compatibilityDifference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word

Hi,

I just recently got Open office on my computer it was going ok until I started downloading my lecture notes which are in MS excel format. All the notes open fine and are in the correct format except when there are formulae, then it seems to go strange, inserting all types of symbols! Is there any way of getting round this problem?

-question by Laura

Wed Oct 28, 2009 Reply New Discussion

yordan

QUOTE (GLaura )

[ I started downloading my lecture notes which are in MS excel format. All the notes open fine and are in the correct format except when there are formulae, then it seems to go strange, inserting all types of symbols! Is there any way of getting round this problem?
Link: view Post: 141635

Just download the (free) Microsoft Excel viewer, it will display correctly all your Excel files. You will not be able to modify the files, but no problem for reading.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 Reply New Discussion

(G)Michael Lager

Missing tables in MS Word document opened in Open Office WriterDifference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word

Opening an MS Word document (*.Doc) in OpenOffice Writer 3.1.0 contains blank spaces where MS Word tables should show up. Someone must have an answer to this. All I have found is to right-click around the blank space (sometimes several tries are needed to find the right place) to bring up the context menu, and select "Table". (Sometimes you have to click on "Edit" to create an editable copy to work on.) If you are lucky you see another box with table options: find "Alignment" towards the top right and select the button "Automatic", and click "OK" when, miraculously, the missing table now appears. The tables are numbered "Table1" in sequence as they are included in the document. You have to go through this rigmarole for each table. Is there a fix, or even a macro, to set the table alignment property to automatic for any/all tables on opening an MS Word document?

-reply by Michael Lager

Wed Nov 4, 2009 Reply New Discussion

(G)Missy Stockton

Mac user wants to send Open Office document to a Microsoft user.Difference Between OpenOffice Write And MS Word

I'm a Mac user and I want to send an Open Office document (brochure) to a Microsoft user. Can the Microsoft user download Open Office and edit the document. Will the format change from what I created when the Microsoft user opens it.

The document will have photos, shapes and text. Thanks!

-reply by Missy Stockton

Tue Sep 21, 2010 Reply New Discussion

webintern

It's interesting that you just started a thread about the differences or similarities between Microsoft Word and OpenOffice. I just wrote a short post yesterday on a thread about operating systems (I am too lazy to look for it right now) alluding to reasons I dumped Linux for now and stayed with the Windows platform.

Anyway, I have tried both OpenOffice 2.0 and Microsoft Word. The feature sets are largely the same. If I had a choice (I'll get to this later), I would stick with OpenOffice and not feed the Micro$oft frenzy. I feel that OpenOffice is a robust program with great potential and an active developer base. It strives to be compatible with a wide array of document formats, such as the DOC and RTF that were mentioned above. Its price is also unbeatable, since it is free.

Now, the reason why I am still using the Microsoft Office suite is simply compatibility. Yes, OpenOffice is continually improving in being able to read Microsoft documents, but this is not yet perfect. There have been times when the colors were different, the pages were off, and the margins were messy. Unfortunately for me, my work relies heavily on document compatibility with other people. I send and receive publishable documents on a regular basis, and there is no room for error.

I cannot convert others to use OpenOffice either, because the university already has a large-scale licensing agreement with Microsoft. It costs me only a few dollars to purchase the latest versions of Microsoft Office or Windows. Hence, there is no true advantage from my colleagues' standpoint to convert to non-Microsoft or open-source products.

Fortunately, Microsoft has mentioned not too long ago that it would be willing to adopt the Open Document Format (ODF) in future versions of Office. If they hold true to their word and there is minimal to no format compatibility issues, then I will just as quickly switch to OpenOffice. But for now, I am a Microsoft Office user.

Wed Aug 23, 2006 Reply New Discussion