Free Office Suites Bob Barton MLMUG May 9, 2020 MLMUG May 9, 2020 1 1 ● History ● Suite functions ● Some $$ ● Some detail and comparisons ● Examples ● Fonts ● Summary MLMUG May 9, 2020 2 ● Apache OpenOffice (OO) – v2019 – Free – Apache Software Foundation – 2012 – From: OpenOffice.org, StarOffice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 3 ● LibreOffice (LO) – V2020 – Free – The Document Fdn (Sun Microsystems) - 2010 – From: OpenOffice.org, StarOffice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 4 ● NeoOffice (NO) – Free (old), $30 – Recoded for MacOS – 2005 – From: OpenOffice.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 5 ● MicroSoft Office (MSO) – v2016 – $70 to $250+ – Microsoft ● 1990 Mac, ● 1992 Windows – From: MicroSoft Works – 1986 to 2009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 6 ● iWork – V2020 (v10.0) – Free for macOS 10.14 +, was $ – Apple - 2005 – From: AppleWorks/ClarisWorks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 7 ● Google Docs (GD) – Free Online, G-Suite $7 /user/month – Google – 2006 – From: Writely https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_office_suites MLMUG May 9, 2020 8 &:: ● Basic Three: ● Legend: MSO, iWork, OO LO, GD names – Text - layout ● Word, Pages, Writer, Docs – Spreadsheet – workbook ● Excel, Numbers, Calc, Sheets – Presentation – slides, charts ● PowerPoint, Keynote, Impress, Slides MLMUG May 9, 2020 11 &:: ● Other – Drawing (vector) ● Draw – Database ● Base ● MS Access – PC only ● FileMaker Pro (macOS 10.13+) $140 to $197 MLMUG May 9, 2020 12 : ● OO (Apache OpenOffice) ● LO (LibreOffice) ● GD (Google Docs) MLMUG May 9, 2020 15 : ● Database – not relational ● Drawing – vector graphics ● Equations – useful for math documentation ● Mail merge – Text document + spreadsheet or database – Letters and mailing labels MLMUG May 9, 2020 19 : ● MSO – doc, xls, ppt, docx, xlsx, pptx ● OO & LO – odt, ods, odp – Can save, open, export in some MSO formats ● Google Docs – Can download in MS, OD formats ● Apple iWork – pag, num, key – Can save, open, export in MS Office formats MLMUG May 9, 2020 20 ● Recent comparison – https://www.lifewire.com/libreoffice-vs-openoffice-who- wins-2512178 ● MS format compatibility – LO can save in docx, xlsx, pptx, OO cannot ● Mobile functionality – Both have apps for Android and iOS ● Conclusion – Too close to call MLMUG May 9, 2020 21 ● Three way compare – MSO vs GD vs LO – https://download.cnet.com/news/microsoft-office-vs-go ogle-docs-suite-vs-libreoffice-in-2019/ ● GD is inherently online – Can use offline but need to start online – 15 GB free storage, 1 TB for $10 a month ● MSO – 15 GB free storage, 1 TB for $7 a month incl. 360 ● OO, LO – Desktop, bring your own storage – Limited mobile capability MLMUG May 9, 2020 22 ● Conclusion: – GD is the best value for collaborative productivity – LO is the best value for offline productivity ● Whatever you are comfortable with is probably the best for you (Bob) – If it is not broken, don’t fix it.. MLMUG May 9, 2020 23 MLMUG May 9, 2020 24 ● Some considerations – Simple note – consider TextEdit (txt + rtf) – User interface – Complex document with footnotes, links.. – Collaboration – multiple authors, change track – Styles, Headings – Table of contents – Footnotes, References MLMUG May 9, 2020 25 : ● LO, OO items with link, footnotes, font height – Size menus go to 96 pt; type # to get higher ● GD doc with Table of Contents ● Save as formats MLMUG May 9, 2020 26 & ● Simple spreadsheet/workbook ● Multiple sheets in tabs ● Function/equation formats slightly different – Cell range (A1,A3,A5) xls & LO comma – (A1;A3;A5) OO semi-colon ● Macros – Record/play back a keystroke sequence – Need Java runtime environment active – Some macros built in ● Save as formats MLMUG May 9, 2020 31 : ● Templates – Some built-in, can download others ● Master slide formatting to get desired font ● Header and Footer ● Menus vary between GD, OO, LO MLMUG May 9, 2020 36 : ● Shapes ● Text & Fontwork – Resize & Rotation ● Freeform MLMUG May 9, 2020 41 ● GD touts use of a “sheets” spreadsheet as a database – Claims GD sheets is more powerful than Excel – There are similarities ● Columns ~ Fields ● Rows ~ Records ● OO & LO have database “base” functions ● Format is odb, Open Office Base MLMUG May 9, 2020 46 A font is what you use, a typeface is what you see. ..for most people, the terms font and typeface can be used interchangeably.. fastcompany.com Default font selection in OO, LO Calc & Impress is not obvious MLMUG May 9, 2020 49 : ● On the right sidebar, click the first icon labeled “Sidebar Settings” and select “Properties” – Then select View.. Master Slide in Impress ● Change the default font and font size, and click the “Update Selected Style” button ● Close the Properties window. Next, go to “File -> Templates -> Save as Template …” ● Give this template a name, and at the bottom select the “Set as default template” box. Click Save https://www.maketecheasier.com/change-default-font-libreoffice/ MLMUG May 9, 2020 52 &: ● Provided overview of free Office suites ● Hopefully provided enough information for you to select one or more free Office suites to try ● Bob has used NO, OO, LO and GD – Likes LibreOffice for desktop – GD attractive for online ● Questions? MLMUG May 9, 2020 53 ● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productivity_softwa re#Office_suite ● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Suite MLMUG May 9, 2020 54 This Template is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. It makes use of the works of Mateus Machado Luna. MLMUG May 9, 2020 55.