OpenOffice.org 2.4 Released

ahziem writes "The multiplatform, multilingual office suite OpenOffice.org has announced the release of version 2.4. New features include 5 PDF export enhancements, text to columns in Calc, rectangular selection in Writer, bug fixes, performance improvements, improvements supporting the growing library of extensions such as 3D OpenGL transitions in Impress, and much more. Downloads are available either direct or P2P. In September, OpenOffice.org 3.0 will add PDF import, Microsoft Office 2007 file format support, and ODF 1.2."

Comments

Also, Neooffice 2.2.3

[Anonymous Coward]

FWIW, NeoOffice, a Mac Os X port of OpenOffice.org just had a new release last week. It's based on the 2.2.1 code and adds Quicktime video support, import from scanners and cameras, Mac OS grammar checking in Leopard, and some more stuff. Details here. Don't forget if you download it to grab the latest patch too.

The insane thing is NeoOffice only has two code developers.

Thank god!

[Digi-John]

My life has been empty without the ability to switch between slides in STUNNING 3-D! I seriously just peed a little in excitement.
Come on; there's not even a reason to have *any* transitions between slides. Nothing says "Oh god, what an amateur" than seeing slide after slide spiral into another one, or slowly dissolve, etc. Transitions are just a way to waste your time trying out different possibilities instead of polishing your content or doing something else useful.

Re:Thank god!

[stuporglue]

Nothing says "Oh god, what an amateur" than seeing slide after slide spiral into another one, or slowly dissolve, etc.

Depends on the transition, the material and the audience. For example, if you're switching between a before and after slide (eg. with photos) using a crossfade can make it more clear what the differences are. Also, some suits prefer a smooth transition to a blocky sudden switch.

Re:Thank god!

[Colonel Korn]

The GP's complaint against transitions is that they serve no functional purpose. One reply pointed out that in some very limited cases, they do (before/after photos benefit from a crossfade), which is reasonable. Your reply equates transitions with video and audio, which is absolutely unreasonable in the framework of the GP's post. Video and audio have obvious utility. Transitions are almost always decoration, and I agree with the GP that they're usually a distraction from the material.

Re:Thank god!

[claus.wilke]

I would argue that if you are preparing a presentation that is running by itself, without a human presenter, a simple but elegant transition effect will work better than no effect at all. This might be quite useful for exhibits at tradeshows and similar occasions.

Re:Thank god!

[xtracto]

Transitions have a specific use and is to "inform" your audience that you have changed the slide. Even a very discrete fade out transition is sometimes useful. When you give a presentation people are usually looking at you and hear you talking. They just refer to the slide when it is shown at first *or* when you point at a specific feature of the slide.

Re:Only one comment

[zappepcs]

I do. Also contribute to EFF, Chronix Radio, Ubuntu, and several other F/OSS applications. I don't think everything should be free, but I feel damned comfortable paying what feels comfortable to me in a value for dollar kind of way. I happened to pay $45 for OOo and think it was a damned good deal at that price.

Re:PDF import?

[rbanffy]

"I can't wait for that. PDF import will turn OpenOffice.org into a poor-man's Adobe Acrobat."

I would rather say a free man's Adobe Acrobat. It's not about the cost - it's about the freedom.

Re:PDF import?

[genesus]

Never used fillable forms? Acrobat's ability to change and manage the form data and the advanced editing features are a godsend, especially working with locked government pdf forms that are not set up properly at all.

Re:PDF import?

[nurb432]

Acrobat sux for reading in and editing existing documents. You would be better off editing the original document and re-exporting to PDF.

OpenGL 3D effects before antialiased graphics????

[wpegden]

Openoffice still doesn't do good anti aliasing of vector graphics (for example, in a presentation). It seems idiotic to implement OpenGL "eye candy" before dealing with this half-decade old issue. Who is going to put up with crappy-looking drawings, just because they can now transition between them smoothly?
Here's one thread on the issue: http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=33584

Get rid of modal dialog boxes

[xiox]

One of the most annoying features of OpenOffice are all those modal dialog boxes. Why do I have to keep closing the formatting dialog whenever I switch between different bits of text? It really slows down repetitive operations. Many of the dialogs could become non-model, giving a much smoother feel to the whole program.

Re:PDF import?

[Knuckles]

Be that as it may (and I think it's a good point), fact is that it allows non-experts to do very fancy stuff that I wouldn't even know how to do with other means. Maybe the non-proprietary alternatives should simply try to be better, this approach seems to be more promising than simply being annoyed about PDFs impressive feature set.