<p>Anyone have experience with “Open Office” software? We need to buy a supplementary computer, but it’s gotta be cheap. Buying Word always costs a ridiculous amount. H uses Open Word and other Open Office software on his computer, but I remain wary of any possible compatibility issues, because writing is part of my vocation, and all of my avocation, and I don’t want to take any chances. Any experiences, positive or negative, would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>I switched to OpenOffice a year ago after buying a new computer that didn’t come with Office. Compatibility was a big issue for me - I upload files to use at school every day, and I have to e-mail documents back and forth on a regular basis for youth group organizing. When you first download OpenOffice, you can go into the program options and set it to save in Microsoft formats (.doc, .xls, etc.) as a default, which will ensure perfect compatibility. It also opens Microsoft Office files with no problems. In terms of actually using the program, the interface is so similar to Microsoft Office that there’s almost no adjustment period. It really is just like using Word, except much cheaper.</p>
<p>I like Open Office. I once got sent a document with imbedded tables that didn’t open up quite right in OO, but otherwise everything has transferred back and forth just fine. There are a couple of things in the OO version of Excel that aren’t quite as convenient (like Fill), but hey, for the price I can hardly complain.</p>
<p>My son, a Best Buy Geek Squad agent, installed only Open Office software on both his computers and on both of mine. We haven’t had any problems and it’s just as easy to use. I even like it better because you can create pdf files! We also use AVG for virus protection. He says geeks in the know all use Open Office…the wave of the future.</p>
<p>I definitely cannot think of any reason at all to pay for something when excellent free software exists.</p>
<p>I dont use neooffice anymore too big and slow , but this comparision chart is helpful
[Comparison</a> of office suites - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites]Comparison”>Comparison of office suites - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>We use Open Office in our business on multiple computers. No problems. It’s a limited set of commands, which is just fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback, folks. It sounds like the way to go.</p>