Apache OpenOffice is an open-source office software suite with applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, etc. It was forked from OpenOffice.org, which was an open-sourced version of the StarOffice. It is currently managed by The Apache Software Foundation.
OpenOffice is designed to run on numerous operating systems such as Windows XP or later, Linux (32-bit and 64-bit), and Mac OS X 10.7 or later. It is written to support as many as thirty-eight languages. It follows OpenDocument Format (ODF) file format, an ISO/IEC standard. It can also read and write a wide variety of other file formats, including those from Microsoft Office.
The very first release of OpenOffice by The Apache Software Foundation was in May 2012. It released OpenOffice’s 4.1.3 in October of 2016, its newest stable version at the time of this writing. It is licensed under Apache License.
Components of Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice consists of wide array of components which allow accomplishing various user application tasks.
- Writer: A word processor that provides many tools to create, edit and manage documents. It is similar to Microsoft Word and WordPerfect.
- Calc: A spreadsheet program with tools to calculate, analyze, and create numerical reports and related graphics. It is similar to Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3.
- Impress: A presentation program to create multimedia presentations. It is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote.
- Draw: A vector graphics editor program with tools to create simple diagrams as well as dynamic 3D graphics.
- Base: A database program that has tools to create and manage databases and data within. It also allows to create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports. . It is similar to Microsoft Access.
- Math: A tool for creating and editing mathematical formulae with a graphic user interface or by directly typing formulas into the equation editor.
It also includes OpenOffice Basic, a programming language similar to Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). OpenOffice Basic is available in Writer, Calc and Base. Further, it has some level of Microsoft VBA macro support.
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