Sun Microsystems is a multinational vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information technology services. Sun is a proponent of open systems in general and Unix in particular and a major contributor of open source software and thus released Open Office.

OpenOffice is an office application suite available for a number of different computer operating systems. It supports the OpenDocument standard for data interchange as its default file format, as well as Microsoft Office '97-2007 formats - among many others.

Components

OpenOffice.org is a collection of applications that closely work together to provide the features expected from a modern office suite. Many of the components are designed to mirror those available in Microsoft Office. The components available include:

Writer

A word processor similar in look and feel to Microsoft Word that offers a comparable range of functions and tools. It also includes the ability to export Portable Document Format (PDF) files with no additional software and can also function as a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor for creating and editing web pages.

Calc

A spreadsheet similar to Microsoft Excel with approximately the same range of features. Calc provides many features not available in Excel, including a system which automatically defines series for graphing, based on the layout of the user’s data. Calc is also capable of writing spreadsheets directly as a PDF file.

Impress

A presentation program similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. It can export presentations to Adobe Flash (SWF) files allowing them to be played on any computer with Flash player installed. It also includes the ability to create PDF files and read Microsoft PowerPoint's .ppt format. Impress suffers from a lack of ready-made presentation designs. However, templates are readily available on the Internet.

Base

A database program comparable to Microsoft Access. Base allows the creation and manipulation of databases along with the building of forms and reports to provide easy access to data for end-users. As is the case with Access, Base may be used as a front-end to a number of different database systems, including Access databases (JET), ODBC data sources and MySQL/PostgreSQL. Base became part of the suite starting with version 2.0. Native to the OpenOffice.org, suite is an adaptation of HSQL. While ooBase can be a front-end for any of the databases listed, there is no need for any of them to be installed.

Draw

A vector graphics editor related in features to early versions of CorelDRAW. It features versatile "connectors" between shapes - which are available in a range of line styles - and facilitate building drawings such as flowcharts. It also has similar features to Desktop publishing software such as Scribus and Microsoft Publisher.

Math

A tool for creating and editing mathematical formulas, similar to Microsoft Equation Editor. Formulas can be embedded inside other OpenOffice.org documents, like those created by Writer. It supports multiple fonts and can export to PDF.