Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice
Typing documents, use of spreadsheets and slideshows are essential tools in the life of almost every professional. The largest of the problems found in Microsoft Office according to the vast majority of users is its price, quite high in the opinion of many. This obligation on having to pay for an Office application suite has stimulated the development of OpenOffice, completely free and open source. Therefore, in addition to the constant improvement in its development, free version divides increasingly user’s opinion about who is the best. We put these two opponents in the ring and help you choose the champion!
Meet the Fighters
In the right corner, wearing red, yellow, blue and green and bearing the title of most widely used suite of applications in the world is Microsoft Office. Coaching for over two decades in Microsoft complex and showing increasingly novelties, the package prides itself for ease of use, user friendliness, functionality and various other characteristics quite evident in the 2007 release.
On the left, only wearing black and blue, with two birds tattooed on arm is the OpenOffice. Keeps getting better with unique functions and indisputable functionality, the day of the great duel arrived!
To defend the applications we have Bill, supporter of Microsoft Office, and Franco, fanatic by possibilities present in OpenOffice.
Round 1: Price
When it comes to install some paid program on your computer, the relationship between cost and benefit always comes up. What does Franco has to say about it, since OpenOffice is free?
One of the reasons that fostered the creation of OpenOffice was exactly the chance of having all these possibilities in a manner free of charge. Many people and especially small businesses can’t afford to have the Microsoft Office on all machines. But the support and the guarantees offered by Microsoft justify this value.
Round 2: Usability
Microsoft Office: In each new version of Microsoft Office, considerable improvements are made to the usability of the set. Wizards, help resources specific to each situation and more organized interface are constantly rethought topics by developers. Within the applications you can access different topics in Office help. Idea is always been to promote a set of easy-to-use applications and you nailed it over the years with the exception of those annoying paperclips that appeared in the corner of the computer screen.
OpenOffice: We offer extremely simple usage and any user of Microsoft Office won’t feel big differences when choosing OpenOffice. In addition to help resources present in MS Office package, OpenOffice have gigantic communities scattered over the Internet ready to remedy the concerns of users at any level of difficulty. This is one of the advantages of open source thought.
Round 3: Compatibility
OpenOffice: Since our first version, a passion for creating own formats, while retaining full compatibility with the already known as a whole. The user can choose any one of them, without loss in the operation or compatibility.
Microsoft Office: The goal of new formats essentially makes files lighter and faster to open. Simply use the “Save as” function for this. We create updates for Office 2003 that allows you to view files from Office 2007 without any problems.
Round 4: Tools
Microsoft Office: In all these years of development, we create the most varied kinds of tools for the entire Office package to meet the needs of users, very satisfied with the range of options and configurations available.
Open Office: All essential functions in our applications meet fully the desire of our users. Some functions such as the option to save files in PDF were first created in OpenOffice and now are present in Microsoft Office application.
Round 5: Interface
Microsoft Office: We created a system of tabs with groups visible on each page, which allows the user, in particular the beginner to learn to deal with applications faster. In addition to functional and organized, the look of the new Office is much more beautiful.
OpenOffice: Who was accustomed to the old menus may not have liked these drastic changes in how they deal with the functions. You don’t even have the option to choose between the new and the old interface. We have a passion for keeping everything as it always did. Very few adjustments have been made because our users never need to learn twice to stir in OpenOffice interface.
Round 6: Performance
Microsoft Office: In the vast majority of tests performed, our suite of applications is up to four times lighter in memory to run. All programs also work independently and problems in one of them do not affect the whole. Processing to use our package is minimal.
OpenOffice: Microsoft suite has been optimized to run on Windows. Our programs are made in Java and are well known to all platforms, which unfortunately require a bit more memory and processing. But with the value that you save with OpenOffice, you can buy more memory or processor.
Round 7: Your Choice
We have pointed out some of the biggest arguments used by advocates of Microsoft Office and OpenOffice, in a battle in which by far the biggest winner is you. Competition creates the need for improvements and innovations in smaller timeframes, always with the user’s preference in focus. Do you have something to add about the applications mentioned? Be sure to participate and agitate for further dispute!