K12 Open Technologies

Using a new product requires some re-learning. That’s unavoidable. But you rarely have to learn an entirely new set of skills—it’s just that the new stuff sticks out as us. This article is to emphasize the similarities between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office; the things you don’t have to re-learn. I hope that not only will this show some of the similarities but will show you some shortcuts you might not have known about in either program.

One of the most helpful non-technical configurations that IT administrators can do is to take all free clip art they can get ahold of, assemble it and categorize it, and give it to every user to make OpenOffice.org more fun and more usable. This is especially beneficial in schools.

One of the benefits of open source software is that anyone can
download the source code, throw together a feature or two, and make
it available to anyone who wants it. This sounds great, and is great,
but until recently I'm not sure how much it happened on an individual
level. I know I don't remember writing up any cool new features.

The Extensions capability changes this, though. Visit
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/
and you're in a Disneyland of cool features, ranging from nice little
add-ons to immensely helpful. If you're evaluating OpenOffice.org, or
have been running it for years, you don't have the whole picture
without investigating the extensions.

I've described a few of my favorites in this blog entry, but
you're going to want to at least read the names of all of them.

Switching to an open source product like OpenOffice.org is a less well-traveled path than products that have been around longer, or are more widely used. No plan can take everything into account, but I have found five basic principles for a good transition.