OpenOffice.org
Apache OpenOffice, commonly known as OpenOffice.org, OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source office productivity software suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software and is written using its own GUI toolkit. It supports the ISO/IEC standard OpenDocument Format (ODF) for data interchange as its default file format, as well as Microsoft Office formats among others. As of June 2011, OpenOffice.org supports over 120 languages. As free software, users are free to download, modify, use and distribute OpenOffice.org. LibreOffice is a fork of OpenOffice.org which was formed by many of the original developers of OpenOffice.
OpenOffice.org originated as StarOffice, an office suite developed by StarDivision and acquired by Sun Microsystems in August 1999. The source code of the suite was released in July 2000 with the aim of providing a free and open alternative to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org was an open-source version of the StarOffice suite, with development sponsored primarily by Sun Microsystems. After acquiring Sun in 2010, Oracle Corporation stopped supporting commercial developmentand in June 2011 contributed the suite to the Apache Incubator to become a project of the Apache Software Foundation.Subsequently in December 2011, the Apache Software Foundation announced that the project's name would become Apache OpenOffice.
The project and software are commonly known as OpenOffice, but this term is trademarked both in the Netherlands, by a company co-founded by Wouter Hanegraaff, and, independently, in the UK by Orange UK. As a result, the project adopted OpenOffice.org as its formal name.
History
| Version | Release Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Build 638c | 2001-10 | The first milestone release. |
| 1.0 | 2002-05-01 | |
| 1.0.1 | 11-Jul-2002 | |
| 1.0.2 | 17-Jan-2003 | |
| 1.0.3 | 07-Apr-2003 | |
| 1.0.3.1 | 2003-05-02 | Recommended for Windows 95. |
| 1.1 | 2003-09-02 | |
| 1.1.1 | 2004-03-30 | Bundled with TheOpenCD. |
| 1.1.2 | 2004-06 | |
| 1.1.3 | 2004-10-04 | |
| 1.1.4 | 2004-12-22 | |
| 1.1.5 | 2005-09-14 | Last release for 1.x product line. Final version for Windows 95. It can edit OpenOffice.org 2 files. |
| 1.1.5secpatch | 2006-07-04 | Security patch (macros) |
| 2.0 | 2005-10-20 | Milestone, with major enhancements. |
| 2.0.1 | 2005-12-21 | |
| 2.0.2 | 2006-03-08 | |
| 2.0.3 | 2006-06-29 | |
| 2.0.4 | 2006-10-13 | |
| 2.1.0 | 2006-12-12 | |
| 2.2.0 | 2007-03-28 | Included a security update. Reintroduced font kerning |
| 2.2.1 | 2007-06-12 | |
| 2.3.0 | 2007-09-17 | Updated charting component and minor enhancements |
| 2.3.1 | 2007-12-04 | Stability and security update. |
| 2.4.0 | 2008-03-27 | Bug fixes and new features. |
| 2.4.1 | 2008-06-10 | Security fix, minor enhancements, and bug fixes. |
| 2.4.2 | 2008-10-29 | Security fix, minor enhancements, and bug fixes. |
| 2.4.3 | 2009-09-01 | Bug fixes and minor enhancements. |
| 3.0.0 | 2008-10-13 | Milestone, with major enhancements. |
| 3.0.1 | 2009-01-27 | Bug fixes. |
| 3.1.0 | 2009-05-07 | Overlining and transparent dragging added. |
| 3.1.1 | 2009-08-31 | Security fix and bug fixes. |
| 3.2 | 2010-02-11 | New features, and performance enhancements. |
| 3.2.1 | 2010-06-04 | Updated Oracle Start Center and OpenDocument format icons. |
| 3.3 | 2011-01-25 | Release motto: "Fit and Trim". |
OpenOffice.org 1
On 19 July 2000, Sun Microsystems announced that it would make the source code of StarOffice available for download under both the LGPL and the Sun Industry Standards Source License (SISSL) with the intention of building an open-source development community around the software. The new project was known as OpenOffice.org, and its website went live on 13 October 2000. OpenOffice.org 1.0 was released on 1 May 2002 for MS Windows, Linux and Solaris. OpenOffice.org 1.0 for MacOS X (X11) was released on 23 June 2003.OpenOffice.org 1.1 introduced One-click Export to PDF and can Export presentations to Flash (.SWF). It also added the 3rd Party Add-ons ability.
OpenOffice.org 2
Work on version 2.0 began in early 2003 with the following goals: better interoperability with Microsoft Office; better performance, with improved speed and lower memory usage; greater scripting capabilities; better integration, particularly with GNOME; an easier-to-find and use database front-end for creating reports, forms and queries; digital signatures (only in ODF format; this feature is not defined in ODF 1.1 specification); a new built-in SQL database; and improved usability. Sun released a beta version on 4 March 2005.On 2 September 2005 Sun announced that it was retiring the SISSL.As a consequence, the OpenOffice.org Community Council announced that it would no longer dual-license the office suite, and future versions would use only the LGPL.
On 20 October 2005, Sun Microsystems formally released OpenOffice.org 2.0 to the public. Eight weeks after the release of Version 2.0, an update, OpenOffice.org 2.0.1, was released. It fixed minor bugs and introduced new features.
As of the 2.0.3 release, OpenOffice.org changed its release cycle from 18 months to releasing updates, feature enhancements and bug fixes every three months. As of 2010, new versions (including new features) are released every six months (so-called "feature releases") alternating with so-called "bug fix releases" which are being released between two feature releases (every three months).
OpenOffice.org 3
Version 3.2 included support for PostScript-based OpenType fonts. In addition, the software will now warn users when ODF 1.2 Extended features have been used. An improvement to the document integrity check will determine if an ODF document conforms to the ODF specification and offer a repair if necessary. The Calc and Writer components both have a reduced "cold start" time by 46% compared to version 3.0.
New features in version 3.3 include an updated print form, a FindBar and interface improvements for Impress.
In future versions, the user interface will receive incremental improvements. This work began with Impress in version 3.3.
Before the codebase was donated to Apache, OpenOffice.org was in the beta stage of version 3.4. The first beta included "new SVG import, the improved ODF 1.2 support and other enhancements". With the donation to Apache development slowed while the foundation moved the codebase and other web infrastructure to its servers. The Apache OpenOffice project expects to make its first release in the first half of 2012
Included applications
OpenOffice.org comprises a collection of applications that work together closely to provide the features commonly included in modern office suites. Many of the components mirror those available in Microsoft Office. The components available include:| www.cobraitech.comModule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
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Writer | A word processor similar to Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. It can export Portable Document Format (PDF) files, and can function as a basic WYSIWYG editor for creating and editing web pages. |
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Calc | A spreadsheet similar to Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3. Calc can export spreadsheets to the PDF format. (See ooWriter entry, above, for details of PDF). Calc provides a number of features not present in Excel, including a system which automatically defines series for graphing, based on the layout of the user’s data. |
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Impress | A presentation program similar to Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. Impress can export presentations to Adobe Flash (SWF) files, allowing them to be played on any computer with a Flash player installed. It also includes the ability to create PDF files, and the ability to read Microsoft PowerPoint's .ppt format. Impress lacks ready-made presentation designs but this can be overcome by downloading free templates on-line.[45][46] |
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Base | A database management program similar to Microsoft Access. Base allows the creation and manipulation of databases, and the building of forms and reports to provide easy access to data for end-users. As with MS Access, Base can function as a front-end to a number of different database systems, including Access databases (JET), ODBC data sources and MySQL/PostgreSQL. Base became part of the suite starting with version 2.0. Native to the OpenOffice.org suite is an adaptation of HSQL. While Base can be a front-end for any of the databases listed, there is no need to install any of them. Raw SQL code can be entered by those who prefer it, or graphical user interfaces can be used. |
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Draw | A vector graphics editor comparable in features to early versions of CorelDRAW and Microsoft Visio. It features versatile "connectors" between shapes, which are available in a range of line styles and facilitate building drawings such as flowcharts. It has similar features to desktop-publishing software such as Scribus and Microsoft Publisher. Draw can also export its creations to the PDF format. (See ooWriter entry, above, for details of PDF). |
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Math | A tool for creating and editing mathematical formulae, similar to Microsoft Equation Editor. OOo users can embed formulae inside other OpenOffice.org documents, such as those created by Writer. It supports multiple fonts and can export to PDF. |
