James Knott wrote:
Bob Barrie wrote:
TO whom it may concern: It was my understanding that Open Office was
a sort of stand in to Windows Word, in that I would be able to
utilize Open Office spreadsheets similar to Excel and, in fact prior
Excel files would be somewhat the same format that Open Office uses.
Open Office spreadsheets would be interchangeable with Excel
documents. Also Word and Open Office documents would also be
interchangeable.
I have spent a good amount of time trying to find out how this system
works, and I have yet to even seen a document or spreadsheet or any
other indications that Open Office is essentially totally compatible
with Windows Word& Excel. I thought I would be able to get right
down and create my own spreadsheet or letter or other document.
Instead what I have seen so far is nothing but text explaining
various projects that users are engaged in. Are there two different
Open Office Programs or am I missing something.
All I want is to be able to write letters and documents and use
spreadsheets that are similar to and are the same as my Excel files.
Please explain
When you create a document, you have the option of saving in Microsoft
Office formats. When you use "Save as", select the desired format
from the drop down list. Also, ensure automatic file name extension
is selected. You should also be able to open MS Office files in
OpenOffice.org too. Have you tried that?
I'm not sure exactly where you are in the process, but let's start with
this. How far did you get?
* On the www.openoffice.org website, click on "I want to download
OpenOffice.org", then on the "Download Now!" option (assuming that
you are on the computer where you want OOo -- otherwise, there's a
link that allows access to other versions).
* You should now have a file (on your desktop or wherever you
usually put downloaded files) that you can double-click to begin
the installation process by unpacking the files somewhere. Follow
the rest of the installation steps as indicated.
* Now there should be executable programs available through an icon
on your desktop, and/or one in your system tray, and a folder in
your Start menu (or wherever your system puts program shortcuts).
* From any of these, you should now be able to start Writer (which
can read and write files in various Word formats); Calc (Excel
types), Impress (PowerPoint types), and other programs that are
part of OOo but not as directly interoperable with Office
programs. By default, OOo uses the ISO standard Open Document
Format (ODF) filetypes, but if you are trying to work with others
using Office who need to be able to edit your files, you're
probably best off to stick with the formats that work with XP. If
you're just using the files for yourself, or can send PDF files,
using the ODF filetypes is best. Note that Office 2007 sp2 sort of
uses ODF filetypes, but not as they are known to OOo and other
applications that use ODF.
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