A must-have for the Linux user is the free suite of "Office" products from OpenOffice.org which is a multi-platform office productivity suite. It includes the key desktop applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program; with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Sophisticated and flexible, OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office, and the vendor-neutral OpenDocument standard from OASIS.
LINUX SOFTWARE
Available in over 65 supported languages with more being constantly added by the community, OpenOffice.org runs stably and natively on Solaris, Linux (including PPC Linux), Windows, Mac OS X (X11), and numerous other platforms.
Written in C++ and with documented APIs licensed under the LGPL open-source license, OpenOffice.org allows any knowledgeable developer to benefit from the source. And, because the native file format for OpenOffice.org is the vendor-independent OpenDocument open standard, interoperability is easy, making future development and adoption more certain.
OpenOffice comprises:
* Word Processor: Writer – a word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
* Spreadsheet: Calc – a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyse, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics.
* Presentation: Impress – the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations.
*Vector drawing tool: Draw – lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations.
* Database: Base – lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within OpenOffice.org
* Mathematical function creator: Math – lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.
System Requirements for Linux:
* Linux kernel version 2.2.13 or higher, glibc2 version 2.2.0 or higher
* 128 Mbytes RAM
* 200 Mbytes available disk space
* X-Server with 800 x 600 or higher resolution with at least 256 colours