Openoffice.org is a fully functional office productivity suite that at least matches the leading commercial software, and in some cases exceeds it. It is a shining example of how far Open Source software has come in recent years — and provides an extremely viable alternative to the pricey Microsoft Office Suite.

The best bit is that it’s completely free — just download the latest release from the openoffice.org website, install it and away you go. It’s available for Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac OSX and FreeBSD.

I switched from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice.org about two years ago now, and use it on all of my writing projects. It saves seamlessly to Microsoft Office format, and none of my writing clients or editors even noticed that I’d made the change.

OpenOffice.org writer in action

Give OpenOffice.org a try — install it on as many computers as you like, as often as you like and forget about licensing worries.

If you’re used to working with MS Office you’ll find the transition to OpenOffice.org easy and intuitive. A few features work a little differently and some of the menu options are in different places — but overall the interface is a joy to use. And because it’s an open source project there’s a whole community of people who are ready, willing and able to help. There is plenty of support available free of charge on the OpenOffice.org support site, including online tutorials, user forums and several mailing lists. If you decide you want to pay for a professional training an support package there are plenty on offer.

Still not convinced? Take a look at these compelling reasons to use OpenOffice.org

You really can’t loose — trying OpenOffice.org will cost you nothing, and if you decide it’s not for you you can always switch back to your commercial alternative.

Technorati Tags: Office Suites, Open Source, Software, Writing Tools