Open Office Vs. MS Word

[john smith]

Ok, I'm getting ready to make a switch from a dinosaur of a PC running Windows 98 to an Intel Mac. I have loads of MS Word files. What happens if I choose to make Open Office my word processor? It's free! Am I going to be able to continue to read and edit these files or must I invest in MS Office for Macs? Do I even know what the hell I am talking about? LOL!

Are there issues with Open Office I need to be aware of? Things such as compatibility or inadequate tools compared to the MS word processor?

John

[JustinB]

John -
Open office on mac kind of sucked the last time I tried it. There is no "aqua" version, which would use the native API, and only runs on X.

That means any cut and paste between applications only works sometimes, and requires different key combinations depending on whether you are using a native OSX app or OO that runs on X.

In other words, I liked it not at all.

Microsoft office on Mac is great - especially if you (or your son) qualifies for student pricing.

Other options include Apple's own offering, pages (for a word replacement), and someone listed a few others in another thread.

BTW, nothing on the market compares to excel if you need a complex spreadsheet.

-- JB

[JustinB]

OH, yeah, and (assuming it works for Intel Mac) install fink for all your opensource needs:
http://fink.sf.net

-- JB