NewsForge: How Close Are We Really? Review of StarOffice 5.2 | Linux Today

NewsForge: How Close Are We Really? Review of StarOffice 5.2

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Jan 20, 2001

“I tried StarOffice last year, a couple of versions back with a
less capable system; I found it slow and unstable with an
oppressive license. Now that some disadvantages have been
eliminated, I decided on another attempt two weeks ago.”

A typical review of StarOffice begins when the reviewer
bemoans the time it takes to load the program, progresses to his or
her dissatisfaction with the integrated desktop, and pretty well
goes downhill from there. You’ll not hear any of that from me. Even
with the above well-known faults I found Star Office for Linux to
be, well, not bad.

“Here’s my perspective: I work as a CPA for my federal
government employer. I have a standard issue Micron 266mhz laptop
with 96mb ram and a 4 gig hard drive. It was respectable two years
ago when I signed for it, and it is acceptable now. The operating
environment consists of Windows NT, Microsoft Office 97, a few
security programs, and agency specific calculation software. I use
Outlook for email, Internet Explorer for the intranet. I keep my
schedule on Outlook. The agency has standardized on Exchange
servers. Because I work with personal records of U.S. citizens,
security is fairly tight, well, supposedly considering the 50 “I
LUV U” emails I got just like everybody else. I am not allowed to
keep any personal software on it; I may access no personal Web
sites. Microsoft Office is my daily environment. With few
exceptions I can be seen using an Office application nearly every
workday, sometimes all day. Like my co-workers I have become a
proficient user of this product.”


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Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

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