Freed word processing program?

by Big Steve May 19, 2008 4:34AM PDT

I've been looking at a few laptops by Dell sold through their small business unit and none of the ones I have looked at offer MS Works 9.0 which is all that I need, they offer various forms of MS Office which are more than I need and are also expensive. If I configured a laptop through Dell's small business unit I would select no utility software. Once I got the computer could I go to a website and download and install a free program which would allow me to compose letters, print on envelopes and such? Is something available or would I have to buy MS Works 9.0 from someone like Office Depot?

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Re: Free word processing program?

by Big Steve May 19, 2008 4:45AM PDT

I found several websites that sell MS Works 9.0 for less than $50.00 USD so if I decided to buy a Dell laptop from Dell's small business unit I could configure one without any utilities software then buy MS Works 9.0 from another online vendor and install it later.

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Openoffice.org

by berry8899 May 19, 2008 5:16AM PDT

is free, comprehensive and MS office compatible.

Http://www.openoffice.org/

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Re: Openoffice.org

by Big Steve May 19, 2008 5:28AM PDT

If I wanted to download and install what you have recommended on another computer right now which has MS Works 8.0 already installed could I do it and check your program out? Having the 2 word processing programs installed on the same computer at the same time won't conflict with each other like 2 anti-virus programs would or would it? Thanks for the post.

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No problems..no conflicts

by berry8899 May 19, 2008 5:49AM PDT

You choose the default program to open your files. You could for example, choose ms works word processor to open your ms word files even if you have both on your pc. You can your defaults change at any time. During the installation openoffice.org you'll be asked if you want it to be the default suite for opening word, excel, access etc files. It's a big download. It does however completely replace ms office (except for a substitute for Outlook). It might be good to burn the installation (download) files to a CD. That way you can use it on any pc not just the one you download to.

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One more note about openoffice.org

by berry8899 May 19, 2008 6:01AM PDT

I'm sure if you go to the CNET Office & productivity software forum you'll read much more about and how to use it. Regards, Berry

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Just a couple notes...

by John.Wilkinson May 19, 2008 9:09AM PDT

1.) At this time OpenOffice does not support the Microsoft Office 2007 file formats. (docx, xlsx, pptx, etc) Support for those will come when OpenOffice 3.0 debuts in September. (Currently in beta testing.)

2.) OpenOffice does not fully support a few of Microsoft Office's functionalities, such as Wordart. Depending on what features you typically use, though, this may not be noticeable.

3.) OpenOffice, by default, saves files in its own formats. For compatibility reasons when sending files to others, remember to save them as .doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.

John

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Re: Just a couple notes...

by Big Steve May 19, 2008 10:53AM PDT

I think I'll just consider purchasing MS Works 9.0 if I do decide on one of those Dell laptops from Dell's Small Business unit which doesn't offer MS Works 9.0 as a choice, just MS Office.

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Re: letters and envelopes

by Kees Bakker May 19, 2008 5:06PM PDT

To compose letters and print envelops Wordpad is all you need. That comes with Windows XP. Just try it on your current PC to see if it lets you do what you want. If it does, it saves you $50.

You'll find it in Start>All Programs>Accessories, I think.

Kees

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