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Shortcomings of OpenOffice and Working Around Them?
1mck asks: "Most free office software does the job, and after a hard drive failure, I decided to go MS Office free, so I'm trying out OpenOffice; however, I've noticed that there are a few deficiencies that I'm having a hard time getting around like the 'Shrink to fit' function, and also having PPS files open up directly in 'Presentation' mode rather than in the Edit' mode. Has any one else picked up on other deficiencies in OpenOffice? I realize that it is free, and it won't be as well featured as most purchased software, but when I went on the hunt for the workarounds at the OpenOffice forums, and on the web I've come up with very little to no information at all. Have I chosen the right free software, or would you suggest something else?" What minor irritations and shortcomings have you found in OpenOffice and how have you adjusted to (or worked around) them?
I realize that it is free, and it won't be as well featured as most purchased software Actually, I think OpenOffice is more "well-featured" than Microsoft Office or any other office suite I have ever used. For example, OOo styles work in many more places and are more general and flexible and OOo's mathematical formula support is better than what comes with MS Office. When I am forced to use MS Office, the limitations of MS Office drive me crazy. OOo is not stripped down bargain software, it's a heavy-duty office suite that happens to be open source. The equivalent of PPS in OOo is PDF--it generates stand-alone presentations that pretty much anybody can view--much better than PPS. I don't know of a "shrink to fit", but I find selecting the text and making the font smaller to be quick and easy.