Open Source software why is so little used?

[ericmark]

I need to write a report on why we should pay out for the Microsoft Office package. Some programs within the package are easy like Access which is not directly compatible with Base so all existing programs would need re-writing and Outlook as this is the only email and address book program which will synchronise with Microsoft Activesync to the PDA’s however Word, Excel and Power Point are fully covered by what Write, Calc, and Impress do plus use less hard drive space and are multi platform. Plus they have some extras like exporting to PDF and Flash files.

Can anyone give me any valid reasons why one should buy Word, Excel and Power Point?

Or give me any report as to why one should or should not use Open Source products?

Also how easy would it be to get staff re-trained with Open Source products? Is there are equivalent to the EDCL for Open Source products?

Although I can see the point in retaining Office 2003 on machines where it is already loaded on I can’t see any point in loading up Office 2007 with all the compatibility issues rather than Open Office which will view any documents both written in Word 2003 and 2007 and can convert into many formats including HTML without adding reams of control lines.

Thank you for any replies Eric

 

[mattylad]

Compatibility with clients/customers.

If your not compatible with your customers then that presents problems.
(although not surmountable, but problems nether less).

AFAIK open Office word is NOT 100% compatible with Word 2007, the current version in use.

Although if there are incompatibilities then you can have full latest Office on one PC to convert to open office etc.

We tend to send most documents out in read only PDF using Free pdf utilities to create them.

Do you send receive these documents to your customers is the question?

 

[Mister Dobbo]

I think offices & companies just pay for them as they are a standard and therefore this just sets a standard! Also a lot of the packages like Word, Excel etc. come bundled with windows for not much extra when you buy it so it saturates the market place. You ask most people to name a spreadsheet it's Excel, a word processor its word etc. It's a bit like Google they become such main players that rivals don't get a look in.

The sector where open source if very powerful is the internet, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Linux plus a lot of the CMS's that run on them right through to Firefox that browses them. The internet and web design is still a very strong open source community.

 

[ericmark]

It is all part of a University project my wife is doing and although we can get around all the problems where we can read Word 2007 with open office and people with 2007 and read documents made either with word 2003 or Open Office saved as Word document and as you say Open Office will also export as a PDF which since harder for someone receiving to alter is in many ways better.

There are some problems Access has to be Access as it can't be transferred and normally to get Access one would normally get whole package but seems strange why so little Open Office is used?

Having tried full Linux and seen the problems trying to run were just one program is not available on a Linux platform I and see why the whole operating system is not used but not why programs like Impress are not used instead of Power Point as a flash program it is so much easier to show on any computer than Power Point and also so much smaller to include in web pages.

We have wondered if it is all down to training with EDCL and other courses all biased around Microsoft in the college I went to only one room had Apple Mac and we never used them. And when testing Impress it did take me a little time to find out that the presentation could be saved as Flash maybe it is all down to the packages the government select for schools to use but rather than guess I hope some one will say "I use word because xxxxx"

If I am honest I use word because it was given to me as part of the dyslexic help package and could work with Dragon Naturally Speaking and I was trained how to use it so to me it was free. Now with Word 2003 being replaced with Word 2007 I see no point what so ever to upgrade any DOCX I get I can read and save as DOC with Write but knowing why I have taken the Open Office route in only half hearted manor does not tell me why others don't that that route.

Thanks for your Help Eric

 

[Ossy]

I've personally been guinea pig on trying to use open office as opposed to Micro$oft as my free office trial ran out and I'm too tight to buy a license. I am also the 'tech guy' in the office as I'm the one with the least pitiful knowledge of IT and was toying with the idea of converting us all to open office.

I'm afraid I've come away from the experience on the side of Micro$oft for a couple of reasons. The biggest problem was the spreadsheet (Calc?) just didn't seem to be as gutsy as Excel. I could get on with it ok for basic accounting and the like, but when trying to use the technical aspects for engineering calcs I just couldn't seem to find alot of functions and it just felt more basic/less powerful. Part of this may be lack of education in the workings of Calc (versus 10 years or so experience of excel), but there were also problems in the interface and the way some of the old commands (ctrl+d for example) do similar but different, and less useful, functions. Basically, the cost implications in lost work time and efficiency while everyone retrained (whilst working) would have been greater than kitting out all of our machines with brand new licenses, so not economically viable.

Incidentally, we have got one machine that has office 2007 while the rest are on 2000/xp or 2003. The number of complaints I've had from that one person, and the times I've had to go and help find functions/menus has been a right pain in the backside. Everything's still there but they have made it bloody difficult to find!

 

[ericmark]

Thanks Ossy for a great answer. I must try using Calc like you trained and used Excel for last 10 years.
Eric

 

[empip]

M$Pretty much entrenched here . . .

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/nhs/pages/nhs_licensing_home_user_programme.aspx

How much does it cost?
The software license itself is free, however there is a fee charged to cover packaging and handling costs, of approximately eighteen pounds.

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[mattylad]

Here most of us are still using Office 98.

It still works OK, no one has sent us much that we cannot read.

There are freeware viewers available for most Office apps too.