[users] Re: OpenOffice.org on Mac

[Neil Gardner]

Just remind all Mac users out there, if you want an application that  
behaves almost like a Mac app with the same Aqua look and feel and  
with the same key bindings, then NeoOffice (
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php ) is the only realistic  
Free and Open Source choice. X-11 is like running Wine (or Xine).  
It's fine for a few niche applications you only need occasionally, I  
use it for Inkscape, which IMHO is in the same league as Adobe  
Illustrator, but it's not something I'd recommend for something as  
essential as a Word Processor. NeoOffice 2.2.2 is very stable in my  
wee MacBook, indeed a colleague with whom I'd been happily exchanging  
documents was absolutely convinced I was a Microsoft Word for the  
Mac. NeoOffice uses Java for some of its frontend inegration, but  
then Eclipse (another workhorse app for me) and Limewire are written  
almost entirely in Java. I often have all three running happily side  
by side. The real reason Sun shuns the small NeoOffice team is  
because it's licensed under GPL rather than LGPL.

When the OpenOffice team release the beta version of their new Aqua  
build, I might try it again on my Mac. On my ageing Simply Mepis  
desktop I use OpenOffice as it integrates fine with the rest.

Neil