The newly-released OpenOffice.org 2.4 comes with a number of bug fixes, performance improvements and new features , which include 3D slide transitions, PDF export enhancements , improved language spell checking, enhanced formula inputs and chart displays and the integration of extensions into the Help feature. Some of the more notable improvements are found in Calc: the six new data label options for charts , display equations for regression lines and reverse axis in charts.
Six months from now, an even better version, OpenOffice.org 3, is scheduled for release. Anticipated to be a huge improvement from OpenOffice.org 2.x , OpenOffice.org Ninja (www.oooninja.com) couldn’t wait to share how they think it will turn out. Here is a summary of OpenOffice.org 3.0’s new features based on its alpha release.
1) Microsoft Office 2007 file format support
OpenOffice.org 3 will offer native read and write support for .docx, .pptx, and .xlsx files.
2) The Start up screens
The splash screen is the first visual feedback that users get so they know that OpenOffice.org is starting to load. The splash screen and about dialog had been redesigned to look bolder, and more professional.
In the current version of OpenOffice.org , new applications are typically started from within any module . For example, through Writer, you can select Calc from the drop down list on Writer’s main menu . However, when you start OpenOffice.org 3 without a document and without a module, ( for example, Writer or Calc), the Start Center allows you to select the application directly. (See screenshot from OOONinja) The Start Center is a window where you can select the application you wish to use , such as text, presentation, spreadsheet, drawing, database, and other options instantly.
3) Writer
You can view multiple pages in Writer , using side by side or book layout. You can also add different – colored notepads at the margins of the document for comments, corrections, or questions.
4) Calc
Calc will boast of a linear optimizarion solver, which finds a set of input values that maximize or minimize an objective function, while satisfying a set of constraints. There will also be a new set of themes including translucence and glass effects for column and row headers. Moreover, Calc 3.0 extends the maximum columns from 256 to 1024.
5) Impress
Currently, tables are embedded as OLE objects in Impress. In the upcoming version, native tables could be created directly in Impress. A new Table Design panel also makes it easy to apply colors.
There are even more features which are currently being developed:
● Official support for Mac using the Aqua interface
● Simultaneous editing of spreadsheets by multiple users
● Cross-references to headings
● Updates to embedded fields in mail merges from Calc
● Displaying PostScript OpenType fonts on Linux and Solaris
● Titles for secondary axes in charts
If you can’t wait to try out OpenOffice.org 3.0, you can download it from OpenOffice.org mirrors in the developer/DEV300_* subdirectory <http://distribution.openoffice.org/mirrors/>
Note, however, that this version is an alpha build and is only intended for testing purposes. Download at your own risk.
For more details and screenshots, visit OpenOffice.org Ninja (www.oooninja.com).
