OpenOffice's Calc spreadsheet does a good job of reading and writing Microsoft's Excel files directly.

If you need a serious word processor and don't want to pay much, check out OpenOffice. Quibbles are minor and small, but the price is even smaller: $0. These more advanced features don't always translate well among different programs, so be aware. Normal academic-support tools are included, such as headers, footers, cross-references and a bibliographic database. LibreOffice and Microsoft Office call the tool Track Changes, but the name difference doesn't cause any problems in the function across all three similar suites. OpenOffice does support Track Changes, but calls the features Changes (Edit > Changes > Record). But if your ideas include wrapping text above, around or below images and graphics, OpenOffice is less flexible than the other two options. If you want tight control over the look and feel of your documents, you should have no trouble finding the tools you need. Styles, Themes, clipart Gallery and the Navigator are nearly identical between OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Unfortunately, you can't get rid of that slim toolbar on the right, although you can undock it and move it out of your way. If you like less clutter, click the hard-to-see icon of three lines with a down arrow on the top right of the work space. Added to the right side of the page are multiple style- and properties-management tools.

OpenOffice Writer presents the common top menus and blank page when opened, just as do Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer. That's a little better, but not by much for those looking for real-time collaboration or a cloud platform. LibreOffice vaulted slightly ahead in the collaboration race by offering an easy way to access Remote Files, and supporting Google Drive and SharePoint servers.

Yes, that means OO is falling behind in the cloud and collaboration world. Microsoft Office didn't include any collaboration tools in 2003, and OpenOffice doesn't include any now. If you memorized keyboard shortcuts such as Alt-I-H for Insert>Hyperlink, you'll be right at home. Fans of the Static menu will be happy to see File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Table, Tools, Window and Help across the tops of their documents again. Each application looks much like its counterpart programs in Office, at least the version of Office before the Ribbon interface created so much annoyance among users.

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