Business on a Budget: Free Office Applications
(“free” as in “free beer”)
A substantial cost facing business these days is software. These costs can be especially burdensome on small or just starting out operations on tight budgets. For example, Microsoft’s Office Standard goes for 300 and up. That 300 alone could be used to buy a good black and white laser printer and a multi-function ink jet printer with fax. Yet, pretty much every business these days needs at least one computer with an office application suite.
The ability to produce professional looking documents and invoices, track customer and financial data, and engage in complex calculations to deal with tax and operating cost issues is an undeniable advantage for any business. Whether it’s a mobile car washing service, a restaurant, or on-line store, you will be at a disadvantage if you don’t have these tools. Luckily, for those looking to trim costs without losing functionality, there are several no cost office applications available.
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OpenOffice.org is derived from Sun’s “Sun Office”. With over 20 years of development behind it, it is a robust office package consisting of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base. That’s a word processor/desktop publisher, spreadsheet, presentation, draw/image manipulation, and database application respectively. OpenOffice is available for all major computing platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Click on “OpenOffice.org” above to visit their site and try it out.
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Google Docs is a relatively new offering. Google Docs is a web based application that you run through a web browser connected to Google’s website. This allows Google Docs to run on all modern desktop platforms, as well as provides truly universal remote access to information created and stored in Google Docs. While Google Docs currently supports word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation functionality, it is likely that more functionality will be added. Does require you to be connected to the Internet to use, so if your connection is not near constant, this could pose a problem. Click on “Google Docs” above to visit the site and try it out.
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Lotus Symphony is an office suite developed and maintained by IBM. Also with decades of development behind it, it consists of a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, it has a modern tabbed user interface that some find superior in use. Click on “Lotus Symphony” above to visit their site and try it out.
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Try Them All. They’re Free.
Before standardizing on any one suite, you should try them all and make sure the one in question is going to do what you need done, in the way you want it done. This is important, as each suite has slightly different interfaces and philosophies behind them, so they each have a different “feel”. What feels right for someone else, may not feel right for you. As they each support OpenDocument formats, you can put each one through its paces while you’re getting real work done, and still be able to use the file with another suite, should you choose another. You might even find yourself using all three. You aren’t likely to miss paying 300+ per seat.