OpenOffice.org - Not Just an Office Clone

OpenOffice is a godsend to anyone that can't afford $200+ for Microsoft Office and its upgrades. A very powerful, open-source office suite that does much more than parade as an Office clone. A list of features for version 2.1 can be found here.

I use it. I wouldn't be dumb enough to pay what it costs to own and upgrade Microsoft Office. If I ran a newspaper, well... then I'd use Macs - which there's a version of OpenOffice for. The only way I'd run Microsoft Office is if it was free with free upgrades. OpenOffice has those features and unfortunately Microsoft's bloated suite does not.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Windows. I like fooling around with Linux occasionally (and every major distro I've run came with - guess what? - OpenOffice) but Windows is where my heart is. Even still, I find it damn hard to justify spending two or three hundred bucks on a piece of software I would use only occasionally, if not every day. Sure, Office is the king of document/word processing/spreadsheet all-in-ones, but OpenOffice fits all that I need fitting in this area.

Very highly recommended, considering the alternative. It works about as well, is compatible with all your writing documents, and there's no friggin' "Clippy". You know - that little animated paper-clip that "helps" you use Office. If you need pop-up help in OpenOffice, a light bulb pops-up at the bottom of the screen. Very unobtrusive, in fact; I used OpenOffice for a week before I noticed it.

Put your checkbook away. OpenOffice just saved you hundreds of dollars.

To download OpenOffice.org, click here.
There's also a USB portable version which you can get here.