Welcome back to Self Employed Mum. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve just about had it up to here with Microsoft Office (if you’re not able to remote view I’m holding my hand up to my forehead). I got a new laptop about two months ago and since then I’ve been struggling. I followed the instructions and installed my previous software on my new machine but I’m having all sorts of problems. Registration problems, registry issues, Outlook having a hissy fit and crashing every time I try an open an email with embedded images, Word doing the same when I try to use the thesaurus, the list goes on.
I’ve always used Microsoft Office, mainly because it came pre-installed on my laptop and virtually everyone in the business world uses Word and Excel as standard so it’s convenient to have documents in that format.
But on the advice of a friend, John Baldwin of NETS Ltd, I’ve switched to OpenOffice.org. If you’ve never heard of OpenOffice.org, it’s time you did.
The programme has six full-blown applications: the Writer word processor, Calc spreadsheet, Impress presentations program, Base database program, Math equation editor, and Draw graphics program.But best of all, it’s free!
I’ve been using it for about a month now and I’ve found it really easy to use. It has all the features you’d expect, but some very nice extras as well, the most useful being the wizards. I now use OpenOffice.org for all my personal stuff as well as writing blog posts and basic bookkeeping jobs such as cashflow forecasts and expense/purchase lists. It will also open other programmes so you can still open Word and Excel documents, and it will save as these formats as well.
What is OpenOffice?
“OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.” – OpenOffice.org website
Never heard of open-source software?
It’s software that has been developed in collaboration by programmers and end-users. They have access to the source code (hence the name) so they can modify and improve it. It’s free to download, use and distribute, by anyone for any purpose.
But what if I have a problem?
No problem, there’s a wealth of free advice and support out there. No hanging on the end of a telephone line whilst being charged exorbitant call rates!
If this sounds too good to be true, I promise you it’s not. Open-source software is probably more common than you think. If you use Wordpress for your blog, Mozilla Firefox for your internet browser or Joomla for your website then you’re already using open-source software.
So if you’re looking for an office programme that’s both free and easy to use, try OpenOffice.org. I’m a convert, are you?
P.S. I used OpenOffice.org to write this post!
Kassia is our new contributor here at SEM. She runs Bright Angels, a company that helps small and medium sized businesses with their bookkeeping, marketing, and admin services. She also blogs at Working Mum
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