So this post is a comparison of Freeware Office Suites or just their writing applications.  I have to get to class, so I’ll extend on this as time goes on, but if you’re looking for an MicroWord alternative, you might consider Lotus Symphony from IBM, OpenOffice, or AbiWord.  There are some other one’s that’ll be added as time goes on, but the main 3 are these.  Why am I writing a post about the comparisons?  Well, I’m looking for a Windows writing application for school.

OpenOffice is quite slow.  It also lacks some features I would like to see.  A great update to openOffice is Go-Oo.  It is loads faster and has better file handling capabilities.  Go-Oo is a great freeware alternative compared to proprietary office suites out there.  It covers all the basics, like Word Processing, Presentations, and Spreadsheets.  There are some other applications as well that provide much more.  Unlike OpenOffice, it is only on Windows and Linux.  NeoOffice is what Mac Users should probably use until OpenOffice 3 is officially released, then we’ll have to compare and see which is better.  Other than better support and faster loading times, I haven’t noticed too much of a difference between openOffice and Go-Oo.

NeoOffice is a more feature rich version of OpenOffice for Macs.  It integrates better with the Operating System offering some features which openOffice for Macs doesn’t have.  The load time is about the same (using the latest OpenOffice 3 releases) when compared to each other.  The option panes aren’t as “mac like” as Microsoft Office 2004.  This could be a plus or minus depending on what style you like.

Lotus Symphony is IBM’s implementation of OpenOffice.  It uses pieces from eclipse for the user interface.  Compared to the other user interfaces, Lotus Symphony is one of my favorites.  Even though it has a great use interface, it lacks in some areas.  The menus are different from other office suites, which could make it hard to adjust to.  It is also based off of the OpenOffice 1.x code.  What this means is lower caompatability with certain file types, which is okay since most people still use the MS Office 97 – 2003 and very few use Office 2007, which if they do, they are usually kind enough to save the file in a previous format.  Lotus Symphony also has plug-ins (so does OpenOffice and etc.).  The plug-ins for Lotus Symphony seem like plug-ins people will really use (since there are so few of them).  It took me a while to find the plug-in for OpenOffice.  Other than lacking the file compatability of other office suites, for typing my own documents, Lotus Symphony is great, but if someone else sends me a new file type, then I’ll probably have to use Go-Oo.  Another problem with Lotus Symphony is it takes 500+ MB.  Go-Oo and OpenOffice only take about 300 MB, so it could be a problem for those with low hard drive space.

I’ll update this post as I get time to do so.