MESSAGE
| DATE | 2005-03-09 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir Secretary NYLXS
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] A first look at OpenOffice.org 2.0
|
Wish they would have fixed 1.0 first.
On Mon, Mar 07, 2005 at 01:27:56PM -0000, Inker, Evan wrote:
>
> Tectonic
> Africa's Source for open source news
> www.tectonic.co.za
> http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=420
>
>
> A first look at OpenOffice.org 2.0
>
>
> March 4 2005
> Craig A. Adams
> It is not too bold to say that OpenOffice.org 2.0
> will usher in a new era of functionality,
> reliability, compatibility and ease of use. The extensive changes and
> enhancements which are to be included in the upcoming release are all the
> evidence needed to justify this assertion.
>
> For those who are impatient and unwilling to wait for the final release,
> today sees the public availability of the first beta version of
> OpenOffice.org 2.0. This beta is not for the faint of heart, and should not
> be considered as reliable or be used in a production environment.
>
> OpenOffice.org is made available for free download from a multitude of
> locations, worldwide, and is offered under the LGPL and SISSL Free Software
> and Open Source Licences. But the scale of the enhancements and improvements
> made to OpenOffice.org in preparation for this release means that many users
> will not only consider using the suite for its affordability but also for
> its functionality.
>
> New interface design
> An immediately
> noticeable and significant change to OpenOffice.org is the complete redesign
> of the interface. This has been updated to reflect the current look and feel
> of alternative office suites and additionally makes use of current desktop
> themes and components such as file selection dialogues. Substantial changes
> have also been made to the design and location of the default tool bars,
> which now feature more advanced docking control and context sensitive
> states.
>
> While the changes to the interface may appear merely cosmetic, they are
> intended to have a significant impact in terms of ease of transition for
> users from any alternative, proprietary office suite and ensures that the
> suite blends seamlessly in to the desktop environment. After all, the sooner
> a user can become reliably productive, the lower the cost of migration and
> it's attendant training requirements.
>
> OpenOffice.org Base
> For many users perhaps the most exciting new addition to the office suite is
> the inclusion of OpenOffice.org Base, a database module capable of creating
> self-contained, portable and cross-platform database applications.
>
> While many will consider OpenOffice.org Base similar in function to
> Microsoft Access, the inclusion of this database module brings with it a
> number of significant implications. The self-contained, portable database
> files are made possible by utilising the HSQLDB database engine, which is
> implemented in Java, allowing complete cross-platform compatibility between
> GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Sun Solaris users. In
> consequence, any database application developed in OpenOffice.org using this
> database platform is immediately portable to users on any operating system
> supported by the OpenOffice.org office suite.
>
> Document Filters
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 also includes a host of functionality and features that
> will make collaboration easier with users of alternative office suites.
> Areas that received particular attention from developers are the enhancement
> to the document filters for Microsoft Office, as well as the addition of
> import filters for Corel WordPerfect.
>
> These advanced and capable file filters help to ensure that users of the
> OpenOffice.org office suite are able to reliably and faithfully share files
> with those users who still use proprietary and vendor-specific document
> formats.
>
> For those who wish to distribute documents in a non-editable format, the
> very popular PDF export feature, introduced in OpenOffice.org 1.1, has been
> greatly enhanced in this release. The PDF export now gives greater control
> over the quality and size of PDFs generated as well as providing support for
> links, indexes, forms and presentation transition effects.
>
> OpenDocument format
> With this release of OpenOffice.org the community has adopted the OASIS
> (Organization for the Advancement of
> Structured Information Standards) OpenDocument file format as it's default.
> This truly open XML-based document file format was developed by a dedicated
> OASIS Technical Committee, and is based on the original OpenOffice.org file
> format.
>
> The OpenDocument format has been recognised as an open standard by the
> European Union TAC (Telematics between Administrations Committee), who have
> recommended that OASIS submit the open standard to the ISO (International
> Organisation for Standardisation) for formal standardisation. As a result of
> this recognition, full support for the OpenDocument format has been
> announced by IBM, Novell, Adobe, Sun Microsystems, OpenOffice.org and
> KOffice
>
> An open standard ensures equal access to, and use of the standard, by any
> person or organisation wishing to do so, without hindrance or fee. The
> OpenDocument file format standard ensures perpetual access to data without
> reliance on a specific vendor, regardless of changes in methods or
> technologies, as well document format stability with complete backwards
> compatibility.
>
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 includes an automated document converter which eases the
> document format transition by providing a tool to convert the content of
> entire directory structures from the old OpenOffice.org and proprietary
> Microsoft Office file formats to the new OpenDocument open standard. For
> users of earlier versions of OpenOffice.org, version 1.1.5 will provide
> compatibility with the OpenDocument file format for those unable or
> unwilling to update to version 2.0.
>
> Wizards and mail merge
> Existing OpenOffice.org users will notice that the AutoPilots have now been
> renamed "Wizards". This change has been implemented in order to conform with
> general practice within the software industry. In addition to the change in
> terminology, several of the Wizards have been updated and new ones added
> including the Mail Merge Wizard which simplifies the creation of mailing
> labels and form letters.
>
> Styles and formatting
> A commonly requested feature by users of OpenOffice.org has been a "Format
> Paintbrush". This tool has been introduced in version 2.0 and allows the
> user to easily copy formatting and styles from one place to another.
>
> Word count
> Professional writers and authors have long requested a better word count
> feature in OpenOffice.org. Previously these users had to rely on a
> third-party macro to provide a conditional word count. No Longer. The word
> count feature is now a part of OpenOffice.org 2.0 and provides more accurate
> results and easier access.
>
> Extended spreadsheet rows
> In OpenOffice.org 2.0, the Calc module has now been expanded to support
> 65,536 rows of data. Whilst most users of any spreadsheet application will
> seldom make use of even the earlier limit of 32,000 odd rows, the new limit
> will allow advanced users to make fuller use of OpenOffice.org Calc when
> dealing with vast quantities of data.
>
> Custom drawing shapes
> Often neglected or underestimated by OpenOffice.org users is the Draw
> graphical diagramming module. This module allows for the creation of a great
> variety of diagrams, graphics, art and other graphical representations.
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 introduces a number of enhancements to this module,
> including the addition of the Custom Shapes tool bar. This tool bar, which
> is accessible in all OpenOffice.org modules, offers a great variety of
> predefined shapes from symbols and block arrows to flowchart symbols and 3-D
> effects.
>
> Web forms and XHTML
> XForms is fast becoming a standard method in creating web-based forms.
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 introduces a comprehensive XForms creation and editing
> capability. In conjunction with improvements in the suite's ability to
> export XHTML 1.0 Strict code, OpenOffice.org can now be considered a mature
> web authoring tool.
>
> Installer update
> Administrators will also appreciate the new installer for Microsoft Windows
> and native distribution packaging for GNU/Linux. Changes to the installer go
> beyond merely a new format, providing a number of improvements when it comes
> to installing and maintaining OpenOffice.org on networks and multiple user
> desktops.
>
> Other enhancements
> The list of additional functionality and enhancements to OpenOffice.org 2.0
> is far too lengthy to detail. At this stage the incomplete "Guide to New
> Features" numbers 39 pages. Many of the changes are extremely technical in
> nature, having to do with core components and technology within the suite.
> For those who are interested in all the new capabilities of OpenOffice.org
> 2.0, you are free to download the beta and try it out. The beta version of
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 will be available later today. For a list of download
> sites including local mirrors visit
> http://download.openoffice.org/2.0beta/index.html
> (This list will be
> updated as soon as the official announcement is made at around 10am SAST
> today).
>
> As can be seen from the highly abridged list of changes in this article,
> OpenOffice.org 2.0 will doubtlessly live up to the claim of ushering in a
> new era of functionality, reliability, compatibility and ease of use. The
> net effect of the changes, improvements and enhancements will be to bring
> true cross-platform office suite functionality in an open, standard manner
> to the world.
>
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Evan M. Inker (New York) x. 4615
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************************
> This message contains confidential information and is intended only
> for the individual or entity named. If you are not the named addressee
> you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.
> Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received
> this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.
> E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free
> as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive
> late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not
> accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this
> message which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.
> If verification is required please request a hard-copy version.
> This message is provided for informational purposes and should not
> be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or
> related financial instruments.
> GAM operates in many jurisdictions and is
> regulated or licensed in those jurisdictions as required.
> ****************************************************************************
>
--
__________________________
Brooklyn Linux Solutions
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
http://fairuse.nylxs.com
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
http://www.inns.net <-- Happy Clients
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
____________________________
NYLXS: New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
NYLXS is a trademark of NYLXS, Inc
|
|
