Review: Sun StarOffice 7

ValourX writes "Here's the Internet's first comprehensive review of Sun's new StarOffice 7 suite. With the ability to export to PDF and SWF and greatly improved conversion filters, Sun's $80 office suite is more than a match for the upcoming ultra-expensive Microsoft Office System 2003."

Re:This I like...

[Anonymous Coward]

Jeez, I wish Excel would have that. Oh wait. 1995 called, they want Kurt Cobain back too.

Re:Good for them

[Smallpond]

Personals

SWX, clean, non-smoking, looking for long term relationship. Willing to accomodate unusal formats. Cheap, but not easy.

Yes but adversity builds character!

[Futurepower(R)]

I've never been like "Damn! If I only I was using Word!"

You'll have to agree that the quirkiness of Word is character building. You don't have that in OO.

Re:call me a moron...

[+trewq000-()-0-]

Oy, you're the bastard that I had to follow around on September 2, just to re-install all the Office Suites on the school computers.

I'll get you for that!

</joke>

Re:call me a moron...

[hcuar]

Then next year you could try removing Wordpad and just using notepad. Wouldn't want all the extra features of Wordpad to get in the way. Maybe you could go back to MS-DOS editor. Oh wait... Even better... How about vi?

Re:C'mon, money where the mouth is people!

[Jonboy X]

As romantic as it sounds, you can't have coders working for free for the common good w/o ultimate payment.

You heard it here first, folks! Coders of free software are now demanding a reward in the afterlife for their good deeds. Without the promise of eternal happiness in Heaven, or coming back in the next life as something really cool like a dolhpin, free software authors will soon reach the conclusion that it simply ain't worth it. Unless we can assure the free software community that they will, in fact, get to meet Turing after they die, open-source innovation is nearing the end. Barring divine intervention, it's been a good run...

Re:Yes but adversity builds character!

[CanadaDave]

You can certainly become popular around the office should you become a whiz at dealing with Word's quirks. I have had many "discreet" encounters with Word-inept, yet beautiful co-workers through these means. After showing them the ins and outs of image placement in Word: anchors, and the magic of paste special... and how to stop images from jumping to the top of the page, they are usually ready to hop on the desk when the office clears. I can say this has truly been a character-building experience for me. Thanks ladies.

Office System Launch Event Punishment

[x136]

According to a button [microsoft.com] on Microsoft's Office System Beta page, you can attend a Microsoft Office System Launch Event, and watch someone get hanged.

(hint: look at the character on the right, and the unfortunate placement of the edge of the whiteboard)

open sauce?

[stieglmant]

Well you know us open sauce zealots...We can't decide between a tomato source and a cream source!

Re:call me a moron...

[FatRatBastard]

vi has too many features. Go with ed.

Re:Yes but adversity builds character!

[CanadaDave]

What quirkiness are you talking about? I've used Word since like Word 1 and I never considered it "quirky". I could understand bloated and feature-crept but not "quirky".

You are right, "quirky" is not the right word. "Flaky" is more appropriate.

Stop exporting SWF's!

[Colonel Panic]

the ability to export to PDF and SWF

First it was jobs, now it's women.

If we keep exporting all of the Single White Females, who will geeks date and marry?

Re:Office System Launch Event Punishment

[Anonymous Coward]

They probably mispelled the button and it should have read: "Attend a Microsoft Office System lynch event"

...Now that's an idea. A system to lynch people at the office. Upper management here I come!

Now that's funny

[dswensen]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but in trying to find out how much the "ultra-expensive" Office actually is, I went to Microsoft's FAQ page [microsoft.com], which says "Find retail pricing and upgrade information for Microsoft Office System programs, servers, and services at Microsoft Office System Pricing Information [microsoft.com]."

And when you follow THAT link, you get a 404 error.

So, it's so expensive that even Microsoft doesn't know how much it is? Or don't want to say?

Either way, doesn't bode well.

"most important aspect" - ha!

[RabidOverYou]

> By far the most important aspect of any office suite is its word processor

Son, you're living in 1993. By far, it's email. Indeed, the main job a word processor is to compose mail.

Re:MOD PARENT DOWN

[Anonymous Coward]

Well with a link to the urinalpoop.org gallery, I'm sure that he's a fine upstanding member of our community.

Re:Other Office Apps

[Anonymous Coward]

I dont get it... Its not free?

Hey this is Slashdot, we dont pay for software here.

Re:Other Office Apps

[dolson]

Does OOo have a grammar checker yet? I know that that is a minor detail, and most people can get past it... But what about Clippy? Last I checked, OOo didn't have that either... My version is getting a little old though. :)