OpenOffice vs MicroSoft Word

**MHC** · 06.22.2012

My current word processor program is OpenOffice, which is free. Would it be worth the expense to switch to MicroSoft word?

**DragonTamerBrat** · 06.22.2012

In a word? No. If you absolutely need a Word file, OO does save to Word's file type.

**RizenPhoenix** · 06.22.2012

I've used OO for years, and on occasion have used Word, not much difference. As DTB said, OO can save as just about any kind of file you need - word, pdf, text, etc.

**rsconsulting** · 06.23.2012

I was gonna stay out of this (since I'm a 30+ year IT professional)..

OO is just as good for most applications. If there's no REAL JUSTIFICATIONS (i.e.: other applications that call specifically for the Microsoft product for "integration purposes"), then you'd be just as well, keeping the $$ in your wallet than in Bill Gate's (he don't need it ANYWAY).

That being said - I run both the Win & Mac versions of BOTH products. I prefer the Micro$haft for myself - because I use Outlook for my email/contact management, because I've been using the $haft product since it first came out, because I have to support it on consulting clients, and (mainly) because I get mine for FREE (being a microsoft reseller/partner).

Rick

**brsims** · 06.23.2012

I fully agree with Rick. I use OpenOffice for all my schoolwork, and have yet to have any difficulty in having professors being able to read any of my papers. Just make sure you save your work in the appropriate format, I.e. Word 'o7, pdf, and so n. It's not very difficullt usind the "Save As" function.

Any questions?

**Sly Fox** · 06.23.2012

Definitely a fan of OpenOffice. That's all I use today. Been using it since back when it was StarOffice years ago. All of my paperwork is done through OpenOffice and then 'hard-copy saved' as a PDF file.

**dannythetrucker** · 06.23.2012

They are both good products with more features than I'll ever use. More and more I am using the Google Drive document and spreadsheet creators. It's not as feature packed, but I really haven't found much that I need that it can't do.

It's just a big advantage for me that it's already stored in the cloud, then I can access it from my phone, my laptop, my desktop at home, or someone elses computer without having to upload, send, or put on disk. I can e-mail it, share it with other people who can make their own changes if I allow them too. For me, it's just a better way to create and store files.