When most people think OpenOffice, they think of word processing or spreadsheets. What many people do not realize is that OpenOffice also includes Base, a database system roughly equivalent to MS Access. Many businesses and individuals use these systems to allow even non-technical people to enter, store, retrieve and organize their data. Using Base, you can follow simple steps to create an easy, user-friendly way for people to store and retrieve information using custom-designed forms and reports.
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OpenOffice Base – A Simple And Useful Database Management Tool
By | August 17, 2010 |
9 More OpenOffice Extensions
By | April 17, 2010 |
Moving all of your apps and information in the cloud has been adopted by a great number of people. However, there are also a large number who still prefer having a desktop application. Pretty much everyone like free.
I am typically use Google Docs for my word processing and spreadsheets, but do on occasion tinker with OpenOffice. I tend to use OpenOffice if I am on my netbook and not connected to the internet. I can use the word processor to write and not be tempted to go on Twitter or use Stumbleupon to find random sites.
At first, I didn’t realize you could use extensions; once I found that out, I was hooked. One of my favorites was covered in a previous post about OpenOffice extensions. It allows you to import, export and update documents you create in OpenOffice with Google Docs and other cloud office apps.
Below are several more extensions to help you tailor this opensource app to the way you use it.
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How to Install OpenOffice.org 3.2 in Ubuntu 9.10
By | March 22, 2010 |
Few free software projects have had as large of an impact as OpenOffice.org. It is used by millions of users all over the world and is the primary competition to Microsoft Office in the desktop market. The latest version of OpenOffice.org (3.2) adds a number of notable features worth trying. Among them are:
- Faster startup times (a 46% increase)
- Better open and proprietary file format support
- Better Asian language support
- Numerous Calc (spreadsheet) improvements
- and many others.
The upcoming release of Ubuntu (10.04 “Lucid Lynx”) will include OpenOffice.org 3.2 by default, and the release is on April 29 — just around the corner. But if you happen to be a little impatient or just want to give it a try, there are packages available directly from the OpenOffice.org website that work well with Ubuntu 9.10.
To install, just follow these steps:
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How to Layout a Book with OpenOffice.org: Part 3
By | July 27, 2009 |
In this final part of our series on laying out a book with OpenOffice.org, you will learn how to position illustrations in your book, how to use paragraph styles, and how to export in different formats. What you will take away from this is one method that has worked for me and many other people. At the end of this post, I will provide links for further study on the subject.
Illustrations
To insert an image in OpenOffice Writer, simply click “Insert->Picture->From File“. Then, select the image that you want, and click OK.
By default, the text will wrap around your picture. If you do not want this or want a different type of wrapping, right click on the picture and choose the appropriate wrap method from the wrap menu.
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How to Layout a Book with OpenOffice.org: Part 2
By | July 20, 2009 |
In the first part of this series, I explained how to prepare an OpenOffice.org document for book layout. In this second part, I am going to highlight some key points raised by some of our readers and also how to properly align page numbers and format paragraphs.
There are a couple of things you should consider before proceeding:
1. If you are submitting your book to a publisher, they normally do not expect you to format the book or do any typesetting. That is their job. They just want the raw manuscript. In some cases, they may even insist that you use a particular generic font and not change default margins. Make sure you read their submission guidelines.
2. One of our readers mentioned that he usually formats his books after he finishes writing. This is undoubtedly the best method in most cases. What we created in Part 1 was a basic template that you can use without any further formatting needed before you start writing. Furthermore, if you are working for the publisher or are the publisher, the author might be someone else. In that case, you will take his or her text and prepare it.
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How to Layout a Book with OpenOffice.org: Part 1
By | July 13, 2009 |
It is all in your head: the plot, the characters, the locations, and even the scenes, but for some reason, staring at the blank page and blinking cursor makes you freeze. You like the idea of writing a book but cannot imagine actually completing it. If that feeling sounds familiar, then this might be the right article for you. Even if you have written a book and have it all ready to go, you may intend to self-publish it, start your own publishing company, send it to an editor, or just layout your book so you can see how it looks.
There is a long list of reasons why you might need to prepare an OpenOffice.org document in book form, and once you have learned how to do it, you will have a useful skill that you or people you know may need in the future. You can use this method for both print publications and e-books.
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How to Remove OpenOffice Splash Screen For Good
By | October 15, 2008 |
I have been using OpenOffice for the past few years and on the whole, I am very happy with it. If there is anything that is causing me frustration, it has to be the splash screen that forcefully take over your desktop when you load an OpenOffice application.
If you are feeling the same frustration as me, here is the way to remove the splash screen. It works for StarOffice and NeoOffice as well, since they are basically a branch out of OpenOffice.
Twittering From Open Office
By | June 2, 2008 |
Using clients like twhirl or twitterfox, you can post tweets to twitter from your desktop and Firefox browser. However, if you spend a lot of time on Open Office, you may want a quicker way to get your twitter updated, without having to leave Open Office.
OOoTwitter is a simple Open Office extension that allows you to post to Twitter. Once installed, it will load an input field where you can submit your message to Twitter. It is very easy to use and it is unobstructive and can be loaded from the menu Tools -> Add-ons -> Post to twitter.
A Look Into OpenOffice.org 3.0: new features, pleasant surprises
By | March 25, 2008 |
While everyone is looking forward to the launch of OpenOffice 2.4, I am already looking at the latest development project: OpenOffice 3.0, that promises better usability, Web 2.0 collaboration and enhanced interoperability with other office suites and format.
OpenOffice 3.0 is still in development stage and there are plenty of bugs yet to be solved (over 2000 issues, and counting), but if you are keen to test out the beta release, you can download the Ooo-Dev_DEV300_m3 from the OpenOffice ftp mirror.
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Mastering OpenOffice: Tips And Tricks For Your OpenOffice (Part I)
By | March 22, 2008 |
Being an open source software, OpenOffice has made it very easy for Microsoft Office users to migrate over. Not only is it highly versatile and has almost the same user interface as Microsoft Office, it also contains tons of great features that put other paid office-suites to shame.
The following are some of the useful OpenOffice tips and tricks unknown to many.
