Chicago (IL) - After three long years in the making, OpenOffice.org has finally unveiled the new version of its free office productivity suite Open Office 3.0. The new release effectively solves document incompatibility problems with the OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.2 file format and Office 2007 OOXML import filters. It also delivers new collaborative options that allow multiple users to edit documents at the same time, in addition to improved drawing and charting tools. XML support and XSLT based filters are also updated, while the Mac version received a thorough code overhaul and now runs as a native OS X application.

OpenOffice 3 promises several enhancements across its word processing, presentation, spreadsheets, graphics, databases and other applications, along reliability and performance improvements. The new Start Centre sports new icons and a new zoom control in the status bar. The Chart application received many subtle interface, improvements; Draw and Impress come with improved crop features and Writer has a new notes feature and a built-in math solver component. The software can now display multiple pages during editing which is a response to growing screen sizes and comes in handy when working with complex document. Workbooks can now have up to 1024 columns in each spreadsheet while new sharing options enable multiple users to collaborate on a single workbook at the same time.

One of the most significant killer features in this release are out-of-the-box import filters for the latest Microsoft Office file formats, enabling OpenOffice 3.0 to read documents saved with Microsoft Office 2007 or 2008 in .docx, .xlsx, .pptx or other new formats. OpenOffice 3.0 can also read and write documents in standardized OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.2.

The Mac version of the software introduces partial support for Visual Basic for Applications that enables Mac users to program macros and add custom functionality beyond the default feature set. OpenOffice 3.0 is now a native OS X application, unlike previous versions that relied on OS X's X11 graphical environment for UNIX applications that resulted in relatively slow performance and had a non-standard user interface.

With Aqua being integrated, Open Office 3.0 for Mac not only feels and behaves like a regular Mac application with all the usual bells and whistles, it also is nicely integrated with OS X's Accessibility API – which results in much better accessibility support than what is offered by most other Mac applications. The re-written code and a native execution environment deliver noticeable performance and reliability improvements.

OpenOffice.org’s website was down most of the morning due the countless download requests from users. When site is back up again you can download the software here free of charge. 

world is full of cheap people.

Oct 13, 2008 12:12     

what this sotware is a rip off of years of office application ideas and then re-write it as a clone and give it out for free.
andy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -43

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Oct 13, 2008 12:16     

world has some smart people
sja report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +23

@andy

Oct 13, 2008 16:05     

Beh... You seem to imagine that Microsoft invented the word processor, spreadsheet, or what? As with most software on the market, Office is just as big a rip off as OpenOffice.org. Microsoft decides to charge money for their rip off, while OpenOffice.org gives theirs away for free. Now tell me which is more fair. And if you really feel like paying money, go ahead and buy Office. Nobody will stop you. As for most of us, we have better things to spend our money on than commodity software.

Patrick report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

@andy

Oct 13, 2008 16:26     

so you rather pay $100-$300 for Microsoft office than download open office for free? its not being cheap. its being smart.
godmode report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

@Andy, considering

Oct 13, 2008 18:24     

Considering nearly all office apps over the years have looked and operated similarly, how are those apps not rip-offs too?
hank report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Open office 3.0 Rocks

Oct 14, 2008 00:33     

After downloading and using open office 3.0 i become the fan of open office 3.0. it will take some time to adjust with some other office application but i like the word processor http://readerszone.com/office-suite/download-open-office-30.html
Ajay report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Re: world is full of cheap people.

Oct 14, 2008 05:57     

Should we acquire Windows Vista, too? :B
nke report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

good article

Oct 14, 2008 06:00     

thanks for the comprehensive list of what's what. The thing I love about open office is that it reclaims the office. So many ideas stolen, bought out or just plain messed up by MS which in effect owns global office work. A heading or centre text or TOC is not MS's idea. Now those and offices are freed again.
Cy Starkman report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

cheap guy

Oct 14, 2008 07:16     

@andy you say it as that is something very bad
djemo report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

well well well

Oct 14, 2008 12:47     

Please don't argue! Open Office and MS Office are similar but they are not the same. They both are word processing application. Depend on how much you like, you can get OpenOffice Free or buy license for MS Office. But overall, MS Office is still being used in most of the organizations and companies as official office suite (there definitely are reasons for that). Best!
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