OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org (sometimes shortened in OOo or OO.o ) indicates at the same time a office automation Suite free, a community of Développeur S, and Internet site lodging the whole of the project. The stated goal is “to create, as a community, the international office automation continuation leader turning on the principal platforms, and providing the access to the functionalities and the data via opened components and API and a format of data XML”.

The office automation Suite is divided into several modules being able to interact between them and sharing common general concepts:

The Logiciel is founded on the Source code of version 5.2 of StarOffice, made public by its purchaser, Sun Microsystems, in June 2000. The resulting project, now known under the name of OpenOffice.org is available under several licenses (the GNU LGPL and, to the version 2.0beta2 not included, SISSL), and functions on several platforms of which Microsoft Windows, of many Linux, Sun Solaris, or Apple Mac OS X.

Within the framework of its policy of transparency, the format of storage used by OpenOffice.org is open and documented, it is standardized like universal office automation format, under the name of OpenDocument by the organization of standardization OASIS, then by the ISO. Export in file pdf ( Portable Document Format ) is available to produce documents at ends of publications.

In order to allure the maximum of users, the software aims at being particularly compatible with Microsoft Office which was and remains the office automation continuation most widespread. This compatibility is required on the level of the formats of files, but also of the user interface while trying to make it possible most similar.

The adoption by large accounts shows that the office automation continuation is an unquestionable success.

History

Origin of the project

Star Division , a founded German company in the middle of the the Eighties publishes the successive versions of its office automation multiplates-forms and multilingual continuation StarOffice, to its version 5.1 in 1999, year of the acquisition of the company by Sun Microsystems. June 19th, 2000, whereas version 5.2 leaves, Sun announces that the Source code will be from now on available under license GNU Public General License, and managed by Collab.Net. The OpenOffice.org project is then created while having for goal to lodge the code and the necessary tools with the development. The name OpenOffice.org is used to indicate the whole of the project, including the application itself, which cannot be called simply OpenOffice , name already deposited. The source code is made available on October 13rd, 2000 under GNU LGPL and SISSL, making it possible at Sun Microsystems to build the future versions of its continuation owner StarOffice as from the 6.0, on the basis of OpenOffice.org, following the example relation Mozilla/Netscape, and at the same time to compete with Microsoft which monopolizes the market of the office automation continuations with Microsoft Office.

The project OpenOffice.org French-speaking person is launched in mode test in April 2001, and successfully involves an extension then original of the Community mode of development: the " projects; native-lang" , a hierarchical structure allowing the communities developers and users in the world to prepare their work in their native own languages, for more fluidity and of autonomy, the most succeeded results being then endorsed by the root project in English language and being integrated in the version of the distributed software.

Versions of the software

Precisely numbered in Builds in-house , the office automation continuation is known under different numbers of versions near the users:

Market shares

Although Microsoft Office keeps the broadest market share general, OpenOffice.org and StarOffice ensured 14% of the market of the large companies in 2004. The Web site of OpenOffice.org reports that nearly 100 million remote loadings were carried out.

The users of OpenOffice.org with large scales include the ministry for the defense of Singapore, and the Bristol City Council with the the United Kingdom. In France, OpenOffice.org drew the attention of the local governments and main roads which wish to rationalize their software resources, and to have formats of stable and standard files for needs for filing. It is now the official office automation continuation of the Douane and the French gendarmerie. The French administration also announced the migration, during 2007, of: 400000 stations under OpenOffice.org, in particular with the Ministry for Finances . The migration of the Ministry for the Culture (France) is in hand since the beginning of 2006. An official statement of November 22nd, 2006 of the National Assembly indicates that the deputies will use OpenOffice.org as from the next legislature, at the beginning of the summer 2007.

In Belgium, certain communes, also announced the total migration towards the office automation continuation, after the data processing department of the area of Brussels-Capital had tried out the office automation continuation.

In October 2005, Sun and Google announced a strategic partnership. In this agreement, Sun envisages to add a Google search bar in OpenOffice.org. Sun and Google should engage in common activities of marketing and R & D, and Google to help to distribute OpenOffice.org.

Behind the StarOffice of Sun, exists a certain number of commercial derivative products of OpenOffice.org. The majority of them are developed under licenses SISSL (which is valid until OpenOffice.org 2.0 Beta 2). In general, they are targeted for a local market or of niche, with grafts owners such as modules of voice recognition, automatic connections to databases, or the best dealt with of the Asian characters CJC (CJK).

Organization of the application

Components

OpenOffice.org is an office automation continuation, i.e. a unit Logiciel to create and modify documents office automation, such as articles, letters, tables of figures, or presentations. The software breaks up into several modules dividing of the common concepts. These modules are

  • Writer. Intended for the primarily textual documents, it is by far the module most usually used. Writer makes it possible to manage and format the documents, as well on the level of their semantic contents as in their page layout visual.
  • Impress . Allows to compose of the presentations in the form of continuations of slides. Those aim at visually emphasizing the important points of a verbal statement.
  • Draw. Vectorial drawing tool for the simple diagrams and illustrations. It makes it possible to handle simple graphic primitives (arrows, geometrical figure, labels, quotations) by using the concept of copies (or layers) and objects.
  • Calc . It is about a spreadsheet, which generally is used to generate graphs at ends of illustration, but also has functions of treatment and data analysiss.
  • Base. Present starting from version 2.0, makes it possible to create Databases.
  • Of other modules, such as Maths, which composes of the mathematical formulas (but nothing calculates), an editor HTML to create Web pages, an editor of source code to compose of the macros, etc

User interface

OpenOffice.org represents a document as a whole of objects to which styles are applied. A style is a collection of at the same time structural properties and working. A current use of OpenOffice.org thus consists in alternating between the drafting of text and the application of styles on this one. The interface of OpenOffice.org presents the designer , a pallet devoted to the management of the styles.

The Styles apply to any kinds of objects: paragraphs, frameworks, page, characters, classifications, etc the properties which they define are inter alia: the type of a text (standard, title, footnote, etc), the visual characteristics of a text (choice of the cast iron, size, alignment, the color, etc), the type of a meter, the shade of an image, the number of column of a page, the direction of writing of a framework (for example, to write of Japanese to the vertical), etc the styles can be created for all kinds of uses, and to even have conditional properties. For the specific uses of working, automatic styles , deprived of semantic directions, are generated by the program. The abuse these automatic styles is regarded as an error of use and overload unnecessarily the document.

The window navigator makes it possible quickly to sail through the document and to handle its structure. The styles provide structural information necessary, making it possible to the navigator to propose functionalities like the displacement of sections, the change of their hierarchical level, the installation of bookmarks, etc

The primitives of objects specific to the module used are accessible in a bar from instruments. These buttons gather the most current needs, while the more occasional functionalities are organized in menus unrolling. Among those, the creation and management of model documents and the autopilots make it possible to compose within a framework already established previously; the variables, meters, and autotexte make it possible to automate the recurring fields and values in a document, and the functions macros can be used for to program in OpenOffice.org.

The interface of OpenOffice.org is available in a great number of languages, whose French, and allows to compose of the multilingual documents, in particular thanks to the support of the Asian languages (with writing horizontal or vertical) and bidirectional (which alternates between the directions right-hand side-left and left-right-hand side), to which an inspector of orthography is added to levels of various advances according to the language.

Development of OpenOffice.org

The Web site OpenOffice.org is a place of federation for the communities, source codes, workable programs, forums, mailing lists, system of reports/ratios of bug S, documentations internal and external, user's manual, organization of events, public relations and, in a more general way, any activity in relation to the project.

Various sub-projects

OpenOffice.org, the general project, includes/understands more than one score of sub-projects divided into three principal categories. Accepted , where the most technical projects are located, Incubator , which gathers the experimental projects and the tests, and Native-Lang for the projects providing all kinds of resources in a particular language. An OpenOffice.org project is organized like a group of Développeur S around a project manager. Each category contains many projects and sub-projects. Among Accepted , one finds projects

  • related to the programming of the heart of the application; of which API (Application program interface), Application Framework , UNO (Universal Network Object), database , UCB (Universal Content Broker)…
  • related to the environment of programming; of which Build Tools and Environment , Utilities …
  • related to the graphical interface; of which Graphic System To bush-hammer , To use Interface …
  • related to the modules of the continuation; of which Word Processing , Graphic Application, Spreedsheet …
  • related to internationalization; of which Lingucomponent (dictionaries), Localization (translations)…
  • related to guidance the user; of which Documentation , to write directions for use and tutoriels, Installation, Website …
  • related to the versions of the software; of which QA (Quality Assurance), Porting (to carry the software on new platforms), external …
  • related to the management of the formats XML , definition and handling
  • related to the Marketing , to push the use of OpenOffice.org in the companies, schools, and administrations in the world
Other projects are under development in the category Incubator , like Distribution , BizDev (relation business), or KDE .

The projects Native-Lang

The projects of languages aim “to represent, coordinate and extend throughout the world the speech communities of users, developers and marketing”. These projects make it possible the communities to dialog and work in their original Langue while remaining lodged by the OpenOffice.org site, and to propose all kinds of information for the users of the Logiciel of the corresponding countries. About thirty languages thus have a space devoted on the site. Certain languages have very developed projects, like the French project, others less.

Direction of OpenOffice.org

The project is managed by the OpenOffice.org foundation, directed by an elected body, the Community Council . This council is responsible for the mediation of the conflicts, suggests objectives in the project, and, more generally, provides a forum to cure the problematic points of the project. It is composed of 9 elected members, including 5 project managers, 2 representatives of the Native-Lang projects, 1 representative of the users, and 1 member of Sun Staff. Everyone can take part in OpenOffice.org, and the responsibilities go increasing with the implication in the project. On the level low, the “user” can already make suggestions or discover bugs. A “contributor” is somebody who contributes to the project, as by writing code or documentation. A “developer” is a regular contributor who obtained the rights of writings in the project after being promoted by another developer. At the highest level, a “officer project”, named by the developers, gives the directives for his project.

Several thousands of people throughout the world contribute to OpenOffice.org with more or less of implication. The majority of the contributors are either of the individuals, or of the companies having an interest - financier or not - in the success of a free office automation continuation. The largest sponsor is Sun Microsystems, which employs several tens of its employees to work on the project.

Inner working

Outline of the technical layers

Because of its nature Open source, the inner working of OpenOffice.org is known, and technologies used accessible and are documented. The office automation continuation is organized in several layers, employing each specific technology. The layer the application, highest, includes/understands the visible modules by the user (writer, Draw, etc). The layer Framework contains the joint parts of these modules, such as the management of the documents, or the common dialog boxes, through the modules sfx2 and offmgr . The infrastructure layer contains various modules like UNO , the model of internal components, or GSL , the layer of scientific objects, including the widgets of the interface via VCL . To the lowest layers, modules of abstraction of the system as SAL guarantee its Portabilité with OpenOffice.org.

The model object UNO

The means simplest to program the software, on a level more advanced than that of a simple Macro user, is to use UNO. Universal Network Object is the model of components of OpenOffice.org. It offers the Interopérabilité between various computer programming languages, different model from objects, various architectures and various processes, in a local way, in network or by Internet. These components are instanciés by a manager of service, and communicate between them through bridges (bridges), by using precise interfaces definite with language UNO IDL, similar to the same concept CORBA. The bridges make it possible to standardize the communication between interfaces implemented in different languages. There exist at present bindings for C, C++, Java and Python making it possible to develop new components, or to reach the functionalities of those existing in these languages.

Graphic tools ( toolkits )

The heritage of StarOffice is very visible in the first versions of OpenOffice.org, in particular on the platforms GNU/Linux and Solaris, where the policy of resemblance to the Widget close in Microsoft Office is less relevant. The following versions (1.1.x) aim at bringing more and more a look & native feel to OpenOffice.org, i.e. to provide a software to graphics and the familiar behavior on all the platforms. Sun and Novell (Ximian) provide distributions of OpenOffice.org in their offices respective GNOME Java Desktop and Ximian Desktop . The graphic integration of OpenOffice.org in GNOME takes the form of a set of icons adapted, and colors functions of the graphic topic user. The environment of office KDE integrates to him also OpenOffice.org via projects like Cuckooo (OOo in a Kparts) or KDE vlcplug (to use Qt to draw the widgets).

The port Mac OS X aims to exempt waiter XWindow, (see section " MacOSX" integration;) , while the Fork (software derived) NeoOffice aims already this goal in parallel.

The salesmen distributing OpenOffice.org, like the salesmen of commercial distributions GNU/Linux, often apply their own graphic topic to integrate OpenOffice.org into their products. It is in particular the case of RedHat Fedora, Novell SuSE, and Mandriva Linux. The integration of the graphic toolkit also often aims at simulating the feel , i.e. the behavior of the widgets.

MacOSX integration

The continuation OpenOffice.org 1.0 was criticized not to have the Look and feel native applications of the platform on which it functions. Starting from version 2.0, OpenOffice.org uses Native Widget Framework Widget toolkit, the icons, the libraries of returned pig iron and cast iron, for a variety of platforms, in order to stick as well as possible to the look of a native application and to propose a better attractivity for the user.

This problem of bad integration was particularly highlighted on Apple Mac OS X, for which the user interface is singularly different from the other platforms, and in addition asks for the use of programming tools nonfamiliar for the majority of the developers of OpenOffice.org.

There are two implementations of OpenOffice.org available under Mac OS X:

; OpenOffice.org Mac OS X (X11): This stable version and official requires the installation of X11.app or XDarwin, and is a port very close to very tested the Unix version. It is functionally equivalent to the Unix version, and its user interface is the same one, just as the Look and feel of this version; for example, the application uses its own bar of menu Menu bar instead of small Mac OS X, located in top of the screen. The conversion of the pig iron and cast iron of the system is necessary so that those are usable by the version X11 d' OpenOffice.org (this conversion is made during the first launching of OpenOffice.org).

; OpenOffice.org Aqua: After a first stage using the toolkit Carbon, OpenOffice.org Aqua now passed to technology Cocoa, and a version Aqua (based on Cocoa) is developed in a very active way by the OpenOffice.org project. A Alpha version of development is currently available for tests. Sun Microsystems collaborates with the OpenOffice.org project in the development future of the version Aqua d' OpenOffice.org for Mac.

Of the regular, but nonofficial snapshots (proposed by ericb) of the Aqua version is downloadable on the site of cusoo.org '

The development of the version Aqua version is very fast, and an official version of development should (to be confirmed) be regularly proposed by the project as of version 2.4.0.

The format of storage OpenDocument (ISO 26300)

See also: OpenDocument

The format of documents used by OpenOffice.org is regarded as a great advantage over some of its competitors.

It is based on XML. This format makes it possible to reflect the internal structure of the document and to separate the contents and working. With version 2, the new format of file was introduced: the OpenDocument Format, which was allowed like standard by the OASIS then standardized ISO 26300.

Its nature standardized, clear, concise and freely usable, largely facilitates its handling by many external tools or even of the experienced users. To know the format of OpenDocument storage is useful not only for the voluntary programmers of OpenOffice.org, but also for the manufacturers of documentary tools for data processing.

That leads also the professionals to consider OpenDocument as the preferential format of storage of documents because it makes the file independent of the selected software. For many administrations and undertaken, it constitutes the motivation of the adoption of OpenOffice.org.

Concretely, the files produced by OpenOffice.org are compressed files “zip” several files XML, organized as follows:

  • meta.xml: information on the document (author, date of access…)
  • styles.xml: styles used in the document
  • content.xml: principal contents (text, tables, elements graphic)
  • settings.xml: information specific to the adjustments of the software

In addition to these files, all the objects integrated into the document are stored in their original format, XML for OpenOffice.org objects, and binary for the majority of the other objects, stored in devoted repertories, in the file zip.

“X” central of the branch 1.x is replaced by “you when it is about a model ( template in English). “Of exchange of Open' Of ocument is also replaced by “you when they are the models.

Safety

Being a solution open-source, which becomes extensive, the question of safety arises as for any other software. The only difference is due to the fact that the system being completely opened, the analysis of safety is largely facilitated.

In June 2006, the Kapersky company stated to have detected a virus for OpenOffice, named StarDust. An official press release of OpenOffice however seems to indicate that the code in question would not be really a virus, not having character car-reproducer.

At the beginning of July 2006, three security breaches are discovered and the corrective measures published. However, on the plan of the development, the continuation of OpenOffice is considered of an excellent quality, and very few critical flaws were detected to date.

See too

Related articles

  • Microsoft Office: office automation continuation under Microsoft Windows
  • KOffice: office automation continuation good integrated into KDE and Co-initiator with OpenOffice.org of the format OpenDocument
  • NeoOffice: an office automation continuation using the source code of OpenOffice.org for Apple Mac OS X in Java
  • Lotus Symphony: an office automation continuation using the source code of OpenOffice.org

External bonds

  • French-speaking Official site
  • anglophone Official site
  • Documents marketing
  • Documentation " officielle"
  • Mailing List
  • Forum of French-speaking assistance and resource center
  • OOoConv: macros for OpenOffice.org
  • official blogs of OpenOffice.org
  • XML
  • Forum of assistance in English
  • Derivative products of OpenOffice.org

Programs related to OpenOffice.org

  • Dmaths a tool to help to seize mathematical formulas.

  • OOoWikipedia: graft to connect OOo to Wikipédia
  • OOo.HG: alternative to create easily any document history-geography with the modules Cart' OOo, Atlas' OOo, Chron' OOo, Diap' OOohg. Several hundreds of charts, sketch, diagrams to be integrated in the gallery.
  • Office of Pocket of the Hist-Géo Teacher: The " Office of Pocket of the Hist-Géo" Teacher; free programs for integral key USB, in particular, OpenOffice with the modules Cart' OOo, Atlas' OOo, Chron' OOo. The unit, to download freely, pre-is installed
  • Wikipédia: Macro OpenOffice.org 2 macro of conversion of a OpenOffice document towards syntax wikipédia, to easily write its Wikipédia articles on Writer.
  • FactOOor: Is an invoice book which calculates CA automatically; the T.V.A; etc It makes use of Calc for the interface of management, Base for the conservation of the data and the macros for its operation. It functions under the platforms Windows, GNU/Linux as under fast MacOS.Installation in less than 1 min. FactOOor is of an intuitive use.

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