LinuxPlanet - Print - A First Look at OpenOffice.org 2.0

A First Look at OpenOffice.org 2.0

By: Rob Reilly
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 07:42:15 AM EST
URL: http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/5764/1/

Moving Ahead

A lot has happened since May of 2002, when I did my review of the OpenOffice.org 1.0. We've waged a war, been through a presidential election, and I'd thought we'd become a hurricane magnet here in Florida.

And OpenOffice.org has changed too.

Just as I said back then, it's now the premier office productivity suite in the open source world. It's also bundled with a great majority of distributions and use is rapidly growing on the Microsoft platform, as well.

This release brings new features and carries on the tradition of quality that makes it a great value. In this story I'll talk about some of the new features that I like and give you a glimpse of how they work. Don't just take my word for it, try it out for yourself.

Overall, everything worked well, albeit a bit slow on the old 300-MHz PII no-name laptop. Sometimes I feel like one of those crusty old newspaper guys that bangs out his story on an antique Underwood typewriter.

Give It a Spin

I actually wrote this article entirely in the beta (1.9.65) version that is considered a pre-production release (the official 2.0) version. Click on the "snapshot (preview) build" link on the OpenOffice.org download page for the latest beta version.

These versions are updated regularly and can be downloaded from the "snapshot (preview) build" link on the main OOo download page. You'll get a tar.gz file that was unzipped (use your tar.gz file name) with the following command:

     root# tar -xvzf OOo_1.9.m65_native_LinuxIntel_install.tar.gz

Here's the command structure I used to install the various modules:

     root# rpm -Uhv openofficeorg-core-1.9.65-1.i586.rpm

I was pleased that all the RPMs loaded without a glitch, even considering that I was on SUSE 8.2 Linux and my ancient laptop.

The size of the download has grown slightly since version 1.0, going to 95 MB for Linux, 91 MB for Solaris x86, and 78 MB for the Windows version. Of course there's the obligatory disclaimer to read because it's beta.

Down to Base-ics

The big news for me in OpenOffice.org 2.0 was the addition of Base, a Microsoft Access-like database application, and the redesign of the tool bar.

Some of my other favorite updates include:

Word count in selections
Nested tables in Writer
New file format for OASIS XML (OpenDocument text - .odt, .ods)

Many other enhancements have been added and I'm sad that I can't cover them all. As a heads up, you might take a look at the Asian language, MS compatibility, and developer enhancements.

For your feature investigating pleasure, a rather comprehensive guide can be found at on the OOo Marketing page.

To start, let's look at Base in a little more detail.

Many purists will grumble about putting something like Base into the office suite, instead recommending a LAMP- or SQL-oriented solution, but I think it's a good thing. It represents another option to the normal business/consumer user that can help them do their jobs. It's especially true for all the Microsoft converts that have long requested such a program.

Using Base was pretty straightforward. I simply opened a new database under the File tab.

Next I used the "Create New Database Wizard" (see Figure 1) to build a new table. OpenOffice.org has a number of canned sets of fields that you can use to build a new database. I chose to use the business contact set, which included fields like name, address, phone number, email, etc. I picked out eight or ten from the selection list and clicked them into the table. I stepped through the wizard and ended up with a new database with the fields I selected. The field types and some default lengths were even filled in. Slick.

After getting the table set up I used the table view to insert some ficticious data in each field. I did a few rows just for fun. (see Figure 2)

Lastly, I used the Form Wizard to build a quick form. I selected the database I wanted to use, then picked out the fields. A few more steps like picking out the form style and there it was. (see Figure 3)

Navigation of the completed form was like the old Access forms I used to create five or six years ago. The database controls, like next record, delete record, sort, and filter buttons were all there and worked as you'd expect. Easy and simple.

If you've ever used Access before, building new tables, forms and queries will be familiar and intuitive.

Other New Features

Redesigning the Toolbars

In short, I'm very happy with the new toolbars.

Virtually every icon is sharper and more well defined, so it's easy to find the function that you desire. Also, the colors are brighter, as well for more contrast. The old OpenOffice.org toolbars, were just kind of washed out compared to the new look.

For example, the tab right and back buttons are now blue horizontal text lines, black outlines and a little red arrow to indicate the direction. It's not that there's different pictures, just that everything is easier to see against the toolbar background.

Word Count

Although it may seem trivial, as a writer I constantly use various word counting techniques, as I write a story. I have to keep track because I always have a lower threshold that I need to meet, but don't want to just go on in a 3,000- to 4,000-word ramble.

It's a welcome feature for me to be able to highlight a section and then get the number by clicking on the Tools and word count selection. In the past, I'd just go to File and then Properties to get a total number.

It's much better than the old way.

Nested Tables

How many times have you wanted to do a table within a table? Now you can with version 2.0.

For example: I normally use tables when I design a brochure. Using tables helps me format and organize data into groups (see Figure 4). It's also easier to put boxes around things using tables than to try to line everything up in standalone graphics boxes.

Graphics and logos are much more easily manipulated and arranged when they are in cells in a table.

New OASIS XML File Format

Now we have a new set of file formats for Writer, Calc, and Impress. The idea is to standardize the content into an XML format so it's perpetually accessable.

You can still unzip the .odt or .ods into their constituent parts. You can also still save files in the OpenOffice.org version 1.0 formats, if you like.

Businesses and government agencies are struggling with vendor lock-in, as far as their data goes. Moving to an open XML format, that let's a company get at it's data using a variety of programs seems like the right direction to me.

Wrapping Up

The OpenOffice.org 2.0 team has put a new face, new file formats and several useful new features in this release. Again, you can see a comprehensive change list on the OpenOffice.org web site.

Version 2.0 is quite a bit different that version 1.0. The only way to get the full experience is to download it and give it a try.

Rob Reilly is a consultant, writer, and commentator who advises clients on business & technology projects. His Linux, personal branding, and public speaking skills-related articles regularly appear in various high-end Linux and business media outlets. Send him a note or visit his Web site at http://home.earthlink.net/~robreilly.