OpenOffice 2.0 to break down walls to adoption

SearchEnterpriseLinux.com ^ | 29 March 2005 | Mark Brunelli

[ShadowAce]

Industry experts who have taken a look at the OpenOffice.org 2.0 said new database functionality included with the open source personal productivity suite will go a long way toward making the system a viable alternative to Microsoft Office -- especially in the all important small and medium-sized business (SMB) market.

OpenOffice 2.0, which is still in the beta testing phase, includes a new database creation application called Base that is similar to Microsoft Access and rounds out an offering that already includes alternatives to Microsoft's Excel, PowerPoint and Paint applications. Base allows users to create standalone databases and related data entry forms and reports.

Analysts said the new Base functionality and OpenOffice 2.0's improved ease of use should help the system gain acceptance with smaller companies, the vast majority of which use Microsoft Office.

"The database capabilities will be interesting because ultimately OpenOffice wants to provide an end-to-end alternative to everything that you get in Microsoft Office," said Tony Iams, a senior analyst with Ideas International, in Port Chester, N.Y. "The database offering in OpenOffice is going to reduce one of the barriers to its adoption in SMB environments."

Likely adopters

Iams said there is an increasing level of SMB interest in switching from Microsoft Office to open source alternatives that is being driven chiefly by negative perceptions about Microsoft's pricing and licensing policies.

That said, Iams pointed out that OpenOffice 2.0 has the greatest chance of being adopted by smaller organizations that are either newly formed or that don't already have a large investment in Microsoft applications.

"Microsoft, of course, feels very strongly that the value of their product justifies the cost," Iams said. "But for users that don't necessarily need all of the functions of Microsoft Office, they might be interested in something that is free."

The database functionality included with OpenOffice 2.0 should also help bolster its level of acceptance with not-for-profit organizations, said Sam Hiser, co-founder of New York-based consulting firm Hiser + Adelstein and the co-author of Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop.

"Not-for profits are dependent on their mailing label functionality and on their ability to organize data for their constituents and their donors," Hiser said. "The new database functionality in OpenOffice 2 is going to address those needs very directly."

Not-for-profits don't sound like mainstream corporate America, but Hiser, said they are a significant rung on the ladder to mainstream acceptance.

"You're going to see OpenOffice 2 adoption moving well up the curve," Hiser said. "It's going to move out of the early adopter sectors and into the mainstream much more aggressively because the objections have been removed."

All-around database improvements

The normally conservative OpenOffice developers made some very significant changes to the suite's database functionality that go beyond the addition of Base.

For one, Hiser explained, the OpenOffice 2 includes greatly improved Data Sources functionality. Data Sources allows users to connect to large commercial databases and extract information. Previous versions of OpenOffice lacked the front-end functionality that made linking to those databases effective and useful.

OpenOffice developers have also made improvements to the system's forms module, which allows developers to create templates for entering data into a database.

"Now, not only do you have the old Data Sources -- the ability to connect to a MySQL or a PostgreSQL or a DB2 database -- but you also have the ability to create database files and use the OpenOffice suite as a front end for designing databases," Hiser said.

Hiser said the beta version of OpenOffice 2.0 doesn't exactly run smooth. But apparently that's a good thing.

"It's rough around the edges and that's a good sign, because it reflects how much of it they worked on it," he said. "They did a lot."

[ShadowAce]

[Paul_B]

OOo 2 is a huge winner.

[ShadowAce]

This was posted mainly as a source of information to those who would like Office functionality without having to pay $200 - $500.

(I really have no idea how much it costs anymore. I've been using OOo for several years)

[antiRepublicrat]

I tried it. The word processor, spreadsheet and presentation app are all quite a bit improved. However, the database was a big disappointment. I messed with it for a few hours for a small database I wanted to make, and eventually gave up and did it on my server with PHP and MySQL.

[mazack]

I still prefer GNOME Office. Gnumeric rules.

[95Tarheel]

Definitely the wave of the future! The price is right. What does Office go for these days, anyway? 150? That gets to be a huge % of the price of a new economy-model type of computer.

[ShadowAce]

I gotta admit, I haven't had the occasion to use Base yet. But Writer and Calc more than hold their own. Also, I thought Impress did a pretty decent job for a simple presentation I threw together a couple of weeks ago.

The improvements are definitely there--enough so the average user would be more than happy with this product.

[ohCompGk]

Does this mean they've made headway with MySQL and PostgeSQL also? Last time I tried, a SQL INSERT call from OOo was something near impossible.

[jeffsg4mac]

I have been using NeoOffice/j which is Open office ported to OS X and it runs without X windows. It seems to work fine, but like Open Office it is ugly. Just update the Gui past 1997 and they will have a winner for sure.

[ShadowAce]

Not sure about that--as I've mentioned earlier, I haven't had the occasion to use the DB funcitons in OOo 2.0 yet. I look forward to trying them out shortly, though.

[taxcontrol]

I've always like OpenOffice and use v1 at home (and even at work but don't' tell anyone).

What I've always wanted was a spreadsheet to database converter. I know spreadsheets better than most people and can do some really cool stuff using drop down lists and other controls. But databases escape me. It would be nice to have something that could start with something I know and port it over to a base app. It would make the learning cycle much easier for me. Anyone have a recommendation?

[stainlessbanner]

bttt

[N3WBI3]

Just updated it, the interface is dramatically better than the older versions..

[JerseyHighlander]

There's a program that does exactly that for Excel to a SQL software package. I haven't used it in 3 years, so I'll get back to you if I can remember the name. I had Excel, Quickbooks and the SQL program interconnected at one point. My Excel spreadsheets were approaching 25MB each at the time with a lot of what is considered "advanced" Excel functions, I learned it through the organic method though.

[mattdono]

That's for the Student version. If you are trying to run a business, you need professional, that's a minimum of $275.

Here's my evaluation of OOo...

1. OOo has made marked improvements in speed, one of the things that would (rightly) annoy the casual user
2. For word processing, OOo can be configured to look just like Word. And, I mean the "small things", like turning off the Text Boundaries, which, by default, put a box around where the user types text (and, trust me, I have heard this as 1 of the "main gripes" among the user community).
3. You can change the settings of OOo so that your document, spreadsheet, or presentation Loads, Converts, and Saves in the proprietary Microsoft file extension (.doc, .xls, and .ppt). The "You can save it back to .doc" is common FUD technique that Microsoft advocates. With only about 5 clicks, this "problem" is completely solved
4. The ability to output something to PDF, without having to load other applications or print utilities, is a great feature.
5. The price simply can't be beat.
6. Most people just need a reliable word processor, which OOo clearly qualifies as
7. There is fairly robust XML integration, which could enable an SMB to have contract work done that would enable them not have to hire someone to re-write stuff, but extend the XML to fit the most-recent request
8. The database part is still a little weak, but it is the newest addition to OOo. And, with the Firebird project (the dB) and the accompanying FlameRobin tool (the GUI to manage the dB...see screenshots here), there is no reason to think that OOo won't improve fairly rapidly. And, this is outside of the GUI tools that are now available for MySQL, which can easily be imported into OOo documents.
9. And, if a small business owner needs someone to help them get OOo set up, including setting up database feeds, you can also have them contact me (shameless plug here)...wink

So, OOo has a ways to go. But, if these open-source projects keep the user's value factors at the fore-front (like Firefox has done with killing pop-ups and Thunderbird in easily filtering Junk mail), then the adoption is likely to take off.

It all comes down to "best product, best price". Microsoft used to have the best product, best price; but, only because there really wasn't a replacement product. Now, the game has changed some.

That OOo is free AND it has a Windows build (meaning one doesn't have to switch to Linux to use), OOo has excellent possibilities to capture home users (who hardly ever require dB components that a business does) and OOo can show substantial cost savings for small businesses.

We'll have to see what happens.

[ohCompGk]

Can't find much info on their website either. Guess it's time to download it and give it a run through.

[FateAmenableToChange]

I've switched most of my writing and presentations to OOo1.x, primarily because it is vastly more stable at handling large documents than Word and because editing slides in Impress is much more flexible than in Powerpoint.

I'm testing OOo2.0beta now. Pretty nice, but I'm not sure I like the file formats.

[PAR35]

I loaded OO on a couple of secondary machines which I don't use enough to spring for MS Office, but where I occasionally want to do something. The biggest problem I have seen with OO is changing the fonts in a document. If there is an easy (and intuitive) way to do it, I haven't found it. Is there a trick that I am missing?

[alnitak]

Interesting observations. I have been having an argument with my boss recently, since we had a new guy join our company and he needed a new PC, which they refused to buy and instead recycled a 5 year old one! (That creates a good impression of the company...not). Anyway, since we are a Microsoft development house, the cost of a new "seat" is dominated by the software. Consider that I can go to Dell UK and get a 3GHz machine, with TFT panel etc for about £650. That would scream as a development machine.

Then I need for each seat:
Microsoft Windows XP Pro
MS Office Pro
Visual Studio 6 (and or 7)
Client Licence for Windows Server
MS SQL Server (sometimes)
Exchange client licence
AntiVirus + auditing stuff
Citrix client
Visio (sometimes)


I haven't actually added it up but it must come to thousands. So the hardware is getting ever cheaper, and the software seems to be getting more expensive! I think this is why people are looking at open source more and more.

Coming from a Unix background, I now have

Cygwin
The GIMP
TEI Emacs
FileZilla
Opera

on my work machine and make use of all of them.

Other free software:
Irfanview (not open source)
CVS or subversion
Evolution - supposed to be pretty good


With quite a bit of effort we probably could migrate a lot of our apps to FOSS. But inertia rules the day.