Over the past few weeks, we have spoken about using Linux. One question that many of you will be asking is, "What about my documents?" This question is the basis of this article.

A drastic change is always traumatic. If you bite the bullet and move completely to Linux, you are sure to face many problems. We recommend that you make the transition in small stages. The first stage, and one of the most essential ones, is getting used to OpenOffice. Every Linux distribution worth it's salt includes Openoffice.org as the default office suite. The two best things abut Openoffice are:

1. It's free.
2. It's Cross-Platform.

Both these advantages mean that you can download OpenOffice and install it in Windows. Once you have done this, you can start using it and getting accustomed to it. At the same time, if you have problems, you can always fire up Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice is about to release its version 2.0. This is a great improvement over the previous version, and really makes it easy to shift from Microsoft Office. Version 2.0 is still in Beta, as of this piece, but a final version is due to be released by the end of this month. We suggest that you try out the Beta, or, if Beta versions aren't your thing, wait a few days for the Final version and use that.

We downloaded the Windows version of OpenOffice 2.0 (1.9.79) from the website. At 82MB, it's a reasonably small download in these days of fast Internet connections. Installation was like any other Windows Application. You can choose to make OpenOffice the default program for the Microsoft Office formats, or leave them to be opened by Microsoft Office. We suggest you make OpenOffice the default.

OpenOffice vs. Microsoft Office: The Battle Begins

OpenOffice is a fully featured office suite. For most small businesses and homes, OpenOffice is more than enough. You can do everything that you do in Word, plus some things that you can't, like export your documents as an Acrobat PDF. OpenOffice uses floating panels to great effect. In each application, the Stylist and the Navigator make working with documents that much easier. The first controls the look of on-screen elements, such as fonts and pages. The latter is a godsend feature for longer documents. It lets you quickly access specific parts of your document on the basis of content. If you work with long documents, it's a must.

The previous versions of OpenOffice were not very attractive. The new version changes all that with complete integration into the underlying operating system. On Windows XP, it will look like your XP applications, while on Linux it will use the UI (user interface) widgets that you have defined.

Let's take a look at the individual programs in OpenOffice, and how they stack up against the competition.

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