Who controls OpenOffice.org?

[scotirish]

Am curious. Does Oracle still control OpenOffice.org. or has it moved over to "Apache?" Do we need to uninstall the Oracle version and then download and install the Apache version?

[RetiredGeek]

Scottirish,

Yes they do but a spinoff LibreOffice is not controlled by Oracle and has IMHO become the new goto for non MS Office users.

[scotirish]

Thanks "Retired Geek." So, Oracle still has OpenOffice.org but how does "Apache" fit in? Also, as I read you, the LibreOffice is the new free software to use if you don't own Microsoft Office. I'll definitely look into it. Incidentally, I'm almost a neighbor of yours but right on down the coast! Thanks again for your response!

[RetiredGeek]

Scotirish,

Sorry neighbor but I have no idea how "Apache" in involved. I certianly can't find mention of them on the About Us page on the website.

[thomasjk]

Oracle does not have Openoffice any longer. Its has been give the the Apache Software Foundation /http://incubator.apache.org/openofficeorg/ . The site http://www.openoffice.org has an Apache header.

[RetiredGeek]

Thomas,

Thanks for clearing that up.

[dg1261]

FWIW, I recommend LibreOffice or Kingsoft Office over OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a heavy program and requires Java to be installed. LibreOffice and Kingsoft Office do not require Java.

The Kingsoft suite is stripped down to only the Word/Excel/Powerpoint clones, if that's all you need. Like OpenOffice, LibreOffice adds to that "Math", "Base", and "Draw", but even without those extra components LibreOffice's installation footprint is over twice the size of Kingsoft.

To my eye, Kingsoft's toolbars are the closest in similarity to Microsoft Office 2003.


Dan

[scotirish]

Thanks" thomasjk" for clearing up the OpenOffice/Oracle question. I suspected they sold or transferred it to Apache but couldn't find out anything on it.

And to "dg1261," thanks so much for your input on LibreOffice and Kingsoft. Sounds like Kingsoft may be for us, as we use the software mainly for letters and other writings. Will check it out. Hopefully it's a lot like OpenOffice and our old Corel of a few years ago.

Thanks again to all of you for your input.

[bobprimak]

FWIW, I recommend LibreOffice or Kingsoft Office over OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a heavy program and requires Java to be installed. LibreOffice and Kingsoft Office do not require Java.

The Kingsoft suite is stripped down to only the Word/Excel/Powerpoint clones, if that's all you need. Like OpenOffice, LibreOffice adds to that "Math", "Base", and "Draw", but even without those extra components LibreOffice's installation footprint is over twice the size of Kingsoft.

To my eye, Kingsoft's toolbars are the closest in similarity to Microsoft Office 2003.


Dan

Actually, LibreOffice does require a Java Runtime to do some of its work. No worries, because the same Java Runtimes which work with OpenOffice work with LibreOffice, and JRE updates are automatic these days.

[BATcher]

Actually, LibreOffice does require a Java Runtime to do some of its work. No worries, because the same Java Runtimes which work with OpenOffice work with LibreOffice, and JRE updates are automatic these days.

The long-term aim for LibreOffice is to remove any dependency on Java - see 2.4 - (hooray!) and provide the previous Java RunTime Environment functionality by other mechanisms.

Can't come too soon for me, because LO is one of the vanishingly-small number of systems which still require JRE.

[bobprimak]

The long-term aim for LibreOffice is to remove any dependency on Java - see 2.4 - (hooray!) and provide the previous Java RunTime Environment functionality by other mechanisms.

Can't come too soon for me, because LO is one of the vanishingly-small number of systems which still require JRE.

I agree totally. It's nice to be able to get the complete package without the hassle of added runtimes to upgrade and coordinate all the time. Now if only The GIMP would integrate the GTK functionality into their installed package...