The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group StarOffice 7 Major Keary

It is usual for software reviews to be laden with screen shots of the product. There is really no need for that in respect of StarOffice because its look and feel will be familiar to anyone who has used an 'office suite'. Like household taps, the basic function is common: counter-clockwise is on, and clockwise is off. Taps may have some fancy variations, but that's the way most of them work — one doesn't need pictures.

StarOffice is a suite of applications that functionally resembles Microsoft Office. In my opinion StarOffice is better; it makes smaller files (discussed later), has an excellent selection of filters that make foreign file formats accessible, and is more compact.
 
Applications

The application modules offer the following: word processor (Writer), spreadsheet (Calc), presentations (Impress), drawing and image editing (handles vector and raster images), math formula editor, label and business card layout/print, Web authoring, and database connectivity.

The draw/paint/image editing application is a sophisticated product that enables users to create complex graphics, use special effects, introduce and manipulate text, and produce 3-D objects. It includes a module, FontWork, that does all those fancy effects such as distorting and curving text. Export options include a number of formats. I was impressed by the export-to-EPS facility; my EPS test is a simple straight line (its length or orientation makes no difference to the lines of code), which requires 1149 lines of code in FreeHand (and much the same in Illustrator), but only 28 lines of code in StarOffice. My own hand-coded version runs to four lines.

Database connectivity is quite different from having some Mickey Mouse database application. It is possible to set up a small database in StarOffice, but industrial strength relational database products, such as MySQL, are freely available and StarOffice has been built to use such applications. If you want something really simple, use Calc — spreadsheets are an instance of database technology. The important thing is to have the means of connecting with databases, regardless of how complex or simple they may be.
 
Writer is a fully featured word processor that can be used for creating simple or complex documents, flyers, newsletters, and book-length documents. It is not PageMaker or Quark — and neither is Microsoft Word — but has a remarkable repertoire of style and layout features, including tables of content and indexes, and linking. Most users should find everything they need.

Calc, the spreadsheet module, is as powerful as any and provides a full range of tools: functions, formulas, pivot tables, data manipulation, and formatting.
 
Like most modern integrated 'office' suites StarOffice is equipped to add objects and links to text and spreadsheet files, and is also geared for use as an HTML authoring tool.
 
Writing PDF Files

The PDF export feature does not requires the presence of Adobe Acrobat. I have tested it, including on direct export of Microsoft Office files, and found the PDF function reliable, very easy to use, and capable of faithfully reproducing the original format and style.
 
There are two 'paths' to PDF export; one is 'export directly to PDF' on the toolbar, and the other is an item on the 'file' drop-down menu. The toolbar path default is 'screen optimised', which results in the smallest file size. That is suitable for printing text, but any graphics come out pretty ragged. If you want to print (and see) clear graphics in a PDF file, use the "File | Export as PDF" path, which provides a pop-up dialogue box with three options (screen, print, and image-setter). The `print optimised' option ensures clear graphics in which any text can be read.
 
StarOffice Makes Smaller Files

For example, a 260 KB Microsoft .DOC file was reduced to 49 KB when saved to StarOffice Writer format, a space saving in the order of eighty per cent. An even more remarkable reduction was experienced with an 82 KB StarOffice spreadsheet; the same data required 1,392 KB for an .XLS file. A 19 KB Microsoft .XLS file was imported and saved as a StarOffice .XSC (spreadsheet) file that weighed in at 13 KB, a saving in the order of thirty per cent. That is a significant factor when moving files over a network, especially as attachments to e-mail messages.
 
Factors such as the way Microsoft Office files retain redundant information accounts for some of the file size difference. However, in one instance that was not an issue. George Skarbek sent me his Computer Guide in Word format, size 2.2 Megabytes. When it was opened in StarOffice and saved as a Writer file the size changed dramatically to 1.2 Megabytes. The original file was opened in UltraEdit which showed no evidence of surplus baggage. I wondered how that difference in file size would be reflected in an 'export to PDF'. Using the StarOffice export-to-PDF facility the original and converted files were each exported using the 'print optimised' option. The resulting PDF files looked exactly the same and were exactly the same size.

The reason for file-size difference appears to rest with the way that StarOffice stores its files, in compressed XML. Of course, XML does not have built-in data compression; that is done 'in house' by StarOffice, which automatically uncompresses the data when loading a file, an operation that works very smartly.

Compatibility With Other File Formats

An important issue is the ability of StarOffice to open files created by other applications. As far as I could ascertain, the Computer Guide file retained its integrity in respect of format, pagination, embedded graphics, and links. Other Microsoft Office files, including a spreadsheet, were tested and converted successfully. Anecdotal reports from Linux users have said that conversion of Microsoft files in previous versions of StarOffice was unreliable, but the problem has not been experienced in Version 7.
 
The library of filters provided in StarOffice is impressive, extending to many other applications other than Microsoft Office. The draw/paint/image-edit module also offers a wide range of graphic formats.
 
WordPerfect is not on the list, but filters are being developed. A version for importing WordPerfect files into Writer is available at http://libwpd.sf.net.

Look-and-Feel

The look-and-feel of StarOffice is similar to most GUI-based 'office' applications. Similarities in the look-and-feel of StarOffice/Microsoft Office are not matched by their respective philosophies. Microsoft seems to rely on added features for marketing new versions of its products, and sometimes 'writes out' backward compatibility. Sun and the OpenOffice Project, on the other hand, remove features that are not widely employed by the user-base, and reduce complexity by combining some `free-standing' features with one or other of the main programs. StarOffice also maintains compatibility with its own earlier versions.

Language Support

This is a feature that interests me, but no matter what I tried it wouldn't work properly. StarOffice is supposed to support Chinese/Japanese/Korean vertical format in right-to-left columns, and horizontal right-to-left languages (Arabic and Hebrew). In the Setup Guide it says, "For support of Asian character input under Windows 98/ME a native Windows 98/ME system is required", which is somewhat mystifying. I suspect there is an answer, and will report on that at a later date.
 
Macros

Macros can be generated in both Microsoft Office and StarOffice, but they use different code. StarOffice cannot translate Microsoft macros, which means there may be some problems in the importation of Microsoft Office files into StarOffice. Users can, however, rewrite the Microsoft macros using the StarOffice macro editor. In the files I have tested there has been no apparent problem. In my limited experience of importing Microsoft files into StarOffice, if macros are detected a dialogue box pops up and offers the option of deleting them.

The CD contains a library of sample macros that are useful aids as-is, and which can be modified or used as examples for learning how macros are created.

Programming StarOffice

StarOffice has undergone some changes in the way it can be programmed. The StarOffice version of BASIC is now integrated into the main program. A 219-page manual in PDF is on the CD. Programming functionality is similar to that of VBA in Microsoft Office. Some of the texts on earlier versions (especially Using StarOffice published by QUE) contain detailed tutorials on StarOffice Basic, but users should check with the CD's manual for variations in the current version, which uses run-time libraries. Most users will find the macro recording and editing facilities will satisfy their needs.

Documentation

It is pleasing to see a package accompanied by a real manual. It runs to 482 pages and contains good tutorials on each of the modules as well as information on advanced topics, including how to customise the user interface (even for a single file), how to search tables and form documents, and how to search with a form filter.

As well as the manual (which is also in a text-searchable PDF file on the CD) Sun Microsystems publishes books on StarOffice. The current version of StarOffice Suite Companion covers version 6, but-apart from changes to the StarOffice Basic program-is quite relevant for those who want tutorials on how to put the various application modules to work. QUE also publishes a Special Edition Using StarOffice, which is very detailed (it runs to over a thousand pages); the current edition covers version 6, but is still relevant to the sharp-end applications.

Support

Sun provides support that includes access to mailing lists; one has to register (but not necessarily the product). What I have seen so far indicates a good level of real support. Also relevant is the OpenOffice Project, which also has an active user support mailing list and Web site.
 
A feature that I found interesting is the Error Report Tool that cuts in automatically in the event of a crash (or endless loop) and records all the necessary information that can be used by the developers to detect and rectify problems. The manual explains how the Error Report is sent. I haven't tested it because StarOffice refuses to crash or 'hang'.

Price

Of course, prudent folk will shop around for the best price, but at around $190, which is a bargain when compared to the price asked for similar products. Multiple user licences are available for small to large business. The local authorised distributors include City Software, Harris Technologies, Everything Linux, and Q-Computer.

What Do I Think of StarOffice?

I found its ability to create files of such small size impressive. The capacity to handle Microsoft files (as well as a host of others) and save them in their original format has been a great achievement, and a considerable help to me personally. I had been using version 5.2, which enabled me to have a Microsoft Office-free environment, but still able to receive and work with Microsoft files. The export-to-PDF facility operates very well and is exceptionally convenient.
 
There is none of the invasiveness that was a source of complaint about early versions; according to some users StarOffice 'took over' their respective systems. Some other 'office' suites still have a tendency to do that, but StarOffice 7 is well behaved in that respect and users are able to install selected modules.
 
I recommend it to anyone, or any organisation, that wants a stable commercial product with proper documentation and no-fee support.

The fact that it is able to handle files from other office suites means that it can be safely used without concern about that one might be isolated from a world that is-at least for the time being-Microsoft oriented. There is also the added advantage of cross platform compatibility: Windows, Linux, flavours of UNIX, and Macintosh OS X.

Reprinted from the July 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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