Office 2007 vs Open Office

D

David

I use Office 2007 which I definately prefer.

However, a friend uses Open Office and has been sending me a variety
of Open Office documents. I can't open any of them.

Is Office 2007 compatible in any way with Open Office? If so, what do
I need to do to be able to read Open Office documents?

David
 
E

Emprovision

You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open Office can do.)

Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
OpenOffice.org, and it will help him with the compatibility issues he's
having.
 
H

Harlan Grove

Emprovision said:
Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
OpenOffice.org, and it will help him with the compatibility issues he's
having.
Click to expand...
....

Who's having the compatability problem?

If the OP's friend is using OpenOffice 3, s/he can open OOXML files.
Microsoft could add built-in ODF support to Office. After all, the
file specs are public, international standards. My point is this is
the OP's problem, not his/her friend's. So maybe the OP needs to buy
his/her friend a copy of Office.
 
G

Gordon

Emprovision said:
You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open Office can
do.)

Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
OpenOffice.org,
Click to expand...

And your basis for that statement is? How is an Office suite that costs
hundreds of dollars "better" than one that is free and does almost
everything the paid-for suite does?
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

You answered your own question - some people are willing to fork over the
cost of Office for better than "almost everything" available in OO. It is a
personal choice for home users.

Corporations are a different matter and may have dependencies that require
Microsoft Office.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:

| || You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open
|| Office can do.)
||
|| Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
|| OpenOffice.org,
|
| And your basis for that statement is? How is an Office suite that
| costs hundreds of dollars "better" than one that is free and does
| almost everything the paid-for suite does?
 
G

Gordon

Milly Staples said:
You answered your own question - some people are willing to fork over the
cost of Office for better than "almost everything" available in OO. It is
a
personal choice for home users.
Click to expand...

I was objecting to the OP's unqualified statement that MS Office is better
than OO. IMHO it is not. I use both and I find that OO will do almost
everything that MS Office will do.
Corporations are a different matter and may have dependencies that require
Microsoft Office.
Click to expand...

Certainly agree with that....

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:

| || You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open
|| Office can do.)
||
|| Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
|| OpenOffice.org,
|
| And your basis for that statement is? How is an Office suite that
| costs hundreds of dollars "better" than one that is free and does
| almost everything the paid-for suite does?
Click to expand...
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Except for the people who need Outlook for whatever reason - for that reason
alone, Microsoft Office will ALWAYS be better than Open Office.

To substitute a suite that lacks all of the functions of Microsoft Office
and say that it is "as good as" is a dis-service to the posters who look
here for answers.

Saying that it is an acceptable substitute is a lot different than saying
what you did. For many people, Open Office will work fine. For others,
there is no current replacement for ALL of the Microsoft Office components.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:

| || You answered your own question - some people are willing to fork
|| over the cost of Office for better than "almost everything"
|| available in OO. It is a
|| personal choice for home users.
|
| I was objecting to the OP's unqualified statement that MS Office is
| better than OO. IMHO it is not. I use both and I find that OO will do
| almost everything that MS Office will do.
|
||
|| Corporations are a different matter and may have dependencies that
|| require Microsoft Office.
|
| Certainly agree with that....
|
|
||
|| --
|| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
||
|| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
|| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
|| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
||
||
|| After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:
||
||| message |||| You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open
|||| Office can do.)
||||
|||| Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better than
|||| OpenOffice.org,
|||
||| And your basis for that statement is? How is an Office suite that
||| costs hundreds of dollars "better" than one that is free and does
||| almost everything the paid-for suite does?
 
G

Gordon

Milly Staples said:
Except for the people who need Outlook for whatever reason - for that
reason
alone, Microsoft Office will ALWAYS be better than Open Office.

To substitute a suite that lacks all of the functions of Microsoft Office
and say that it is "as good as" is a dis-service to the posters who look
here for answers.
Click to expand...

You're forgetting that at least one version of Office (albeit the cheapest)
also comes without Outlook....
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Out of all the available MSO suites to single out the only one that does not
include Outlook is disengenuous at best.

While I respect the choice to use Open Office as a Microsoft replacement, I
don't respect the attempt to suggest that it is a complete replacement.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:

| || Except for the people who need Outlook for whatever reason - for that
|| reason
|| alone, Microsoft Office will ALWAYS be better than Open Office.
||
|| To substitute a suite that lacks all of the functions of Microsoft
|| Office and say that it is "as good as" is a dis-service to the
|| posters who look here for answers.
|
| You're forgetting that at least one version of Office (albeit the
| cheapest) also comes without Outlook....
 
G

Gordon

Milly Staples said:
Out of all the available MSO suites to single out the only one that does
not
include Outlook is disengenuous at best.

While I respect the choice to use Open Office as a Microsoft replacement,
I
don't respect the attempt to suggest that it is a complete replacement.
Click to expand...


I wasn't suggesting it was. What I was objecting to was the unqualified
statement from the OP that "MS Office is better than Open Office". Period.
No reasons given, just a bald, blanket statement. In fact there are some
things that MS Office does that OO won't do, and there are things that OO
will do that MS Office won't do. The ones that MS Office does, OO is rapidly
catching up on. The ones that OO is able to do are things like being able to
use more than one email client for inserting address data into documents,
labels etc - AFAIK Word will ONLY use the Outlook addressbook. OO will also
save as PDF natively - even with Office 2007 you need to install an add-in
for that.
I think you'll actually find, that for the AVERAGE user, OO is certainly a
viable replacement for Office, especially when combined with Thunderbird
with the Lightning Calendar extension installed...
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Let's just agree to disagree, okay? I respect your expertise with Office
programs and your suggestions to use Open Office where is it appropriate.

One last thing (just before I run away before you can reply), how is a suite
that requires the addition of 3rd party programs like Thunderbird with the
Lightning Calendar extension the same as one package that includes it all?

I don't expect a reply since I really, really, REALLY, like having the last
word. <eg>

Having said that, you have a great holiday and I look forward to your very
helpful responses, both here and in the Outlook groups. Your experience and
help is always appreciated.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:

| || Out of all the available MSO suites to single out the only one that
|| does not
|| include Outlook is disengenuous at best.
||
|| While I respect the choice to use Open Office as a Microsoft
|| replacement, I
|| don't respect the attempt to suggest that it is a complete
|| replacement.
||
|
|
| I wasn't suggesting it was. What I was objecting to was the
| unqualified statement from the OP that "MS Office is better than Open
| Office". Period. No reasons given, just a bald, blanket statement. In
| fact there are some things that MS Office does that OO won't do, and
| there are things that OO will do that MS Office won't do. The ones
| that MS Office does, OO is rapidly catching up on. The ones that OO
| is able to do are things like being able to use more than one email
| client for inserting address data into documents, labels etc - AFAIK
| Word will ONLY use the Outlook addressbook. OO will also save as PDF
| natively - even with Office 2007 you need to install an add-in for
| that.
| I think you'll actually find, that for the AVERAGE user, OO is
| certainly a viable replacement for Office, especially when combined
| with Thunderbird with the Lightning Calendar extension installed...
 
M

Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

To the contrary, Gordon and I enjoy a mutual respect to agree and
disagree....

You, however... I have yet to see you offer as little as 1% of the
assistance that Gordon has offered. Remember the famous quote about opening
your mouth...

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, [signious] ^ 2 asked:

| gordon you are replying to an office mvp...
|
| don't expect a logical informed and unbiased answer
|
|
|
| || ||| You answered your own question - some people are willing to fork
||| over the cost of Office for better than "almost everything"
||| available in OO. It is a
||| personal choice for home users.
||
|| I was objecting to the OP's unqualified statement that MS Office is
|| better than OO. IMHO it is not. I use both and I find that OO will
|| do almost everything that MS Office will do.
||
|||
||| Corporations are a different matter and may have dependencies that
||| require
||| Microsoft Office.
||
|| Certainly agree with that....
||
||
|||
||| --
||| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
|||
||| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
||| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
||| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
|||
|||
||| After furious head scratching, Gordon asked:
|||
|||| message ||||| You could also ask him to save in an Office format. (Which Open
||||| Office can do.)
|||||
||||| Or you could tell him to get Office, since it's so much better
||||| than OpenOffice.org,
||||
|||| And your basis for that statement is? How is an Office suite that
|||| costs hundreds of dollars "better" than one that is free and does
|||| almost everything the paid-for suite does?
|||
|||
||
||
||
|| --
|| Asking a question?
|| Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
|| your OS, Service Pack level
|| and the FULL contents of any error message(s)
 
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