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March
2002 -
Volume 1, Issue 2
StarOffice
6
Sun Microsystems'
StarOffice 6, with a full complement of well-integrated applications,
each offering a standard Windows interface and almost all the features
of Microsoft Office, has the look of a replacement package. The
word processor falls short of matching Microsoft Word's feature
list by only a grammar checker and macro recorder; its tools include
as-you-type spell-checking, built-in charting, styles, a nice set
of templates, HTML manipulators, and completely customizable toolbars
and menus.
StarOffice's
spreadsheet application is similarly well endowed, with a DataPilot
feature to help create useful Excel Pivot Table-like views. (Pivot
Tables select parts of a worksheet and then move the parts around
for different views.) Based on a wizard-like system, the presentation
manager offers a full set of special effects, and can automatically
create a presentation from a word processing document. All applications
can default to save in standard Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP file
formats.
On the downside, the lack of macro-recording tools limits users'
ability to customize, and the software's dialog boxes and help topics
are thick with technical jargon. Third-party training materials
and support are minimal. StarOffice is best suited for technically
oriented firms that use a mix of Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating
systems (it's available for all three).
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