StarOffice 8: Taking the Office Suite Showdown to a Heightened Level What's New in Version 8 Adam Stone
What's New in Version 8
So, what's new in StarOffice 8?
By far the most significant enhancement promises to be the application's interoperability with Microsoft Office. Sun has acknowledged this as a shortcoming in prior versions, and it's a big one, since poor interoperability can hinder the efforts of those looking to transition away from the Microsoft product.
The new version addresses the issue in a number of ways. First, Sun says it has revised and improved upon its existing import and export filters for handling all Microsoft Office documents. Further, it now should be easier than ever to import password-protected Microsoft Word and Excel documents. In addition, all custom animation effects and slide transitions from Microsoft PowerPoint are now available in StarOffice.
While StarOffice 8 Beta has its own XML-based file format, every StarOffice application that has a Microsoft Office equivalent can read and write the MS Office file formats seamlessly. Text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, charts, and so forth can all be moved easily from Office to StarOffice. The same holds true for the XML file format of Word and Excel, which StarOffice 8 now provides import and export filters for.
Sun has cleaned up StarOffice's toolbars, too. While still highly functional, the revised toolbars are more usable, displaying only default tools that have been carefully selected, thus cutting down on the clutter.
An improved mail merge wizard promises to ease the sending of form letters, whether in printed form or by email.
Sun has been eager to tout the open-source nature of the product. It says it plans to take a periodic snapshot of the code in the hope that the open-source community will provide contributions that can later be integrated into Sun's product offerings.
The bottom line on StarOffice 8 Beta follows in step with what the user community has been saying of the suite since its introduction. This is a good, solid choice for users on a budget who need access to an effective productivity package. It has all the tools you will need, nicely integrated in an easy-to-use form.
Moreover, the suite's ability to support multiple operating environments will prove a major plus to those running different OSes within their offices or for those looking to transition away from a Windows-based environment.
Technical info
These are the requirements for StarOffice/StarSuite 8:
Solaris: SPARC & x86 Platform Edition
Solaris 8 OS or higher. Solaris 9 is recommended
128 MB RAM
400 MB available hard disk space
X-Server with 800 x 600 or higher resolution with 256 colors
Gnome 2.0 or higher required for support of assentive technology tools
Linux:
Linux kernel version 2.2.13 or higher glibc2 version 2.2.0 or higher
Pentium compatible PC
128 MB RAM
350 MB available hard disk space
X-Server with 800 x 600 or higher resolution with 256 colors
Windows:
Windows 98, ME, 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), or XP (Please note the discontinuation of support of Windows NT)
Pentium compatible PC
128 MB RAM
250 MB available hard disk space
800 x 600 or higher resolution graphic device with 256 colors
Note: Sun decided to end the StarOffice 8 Beta Program on April 7th, 2005. Version 8 will officially be available in July, 2005, at which point a 90-day evaluation version will be available to potential customers at no charge.
Pros: Inexpensive, with licenses costing around $70 per seat; interface will be familiar to most Office veterans and easy to learn for beginners; offers all the features and functions most office suites provide; handles a wide array of file formats; runs on both Linux and Windows
Cons: Not the most feature-packed suite on the market, so it may not have a specific tool some businesses are used to in Office or other office suites; file imports from other formats, while excellent and generally accurate, aren't always perfect and might require a close examination before use; the most complex Microsoft VBA macros may not import to StarOffice cleanly
