Using Open Office has saved our company thousands in licensing fees. Everyone in our organization uses it and we have yet to run into a compatibility issue when sending files to our clients. Sometimes we’ve found that the spell check doesn’t install properly initially and it is necessary to manually set it up. You’ll need to install the dictionaries and ensure spell check is enabled.

Here’s what we did to get it going. Note: You will need to be connected to the Internet so the dictionaries can download.

1. Go to File -> Wizards -> Select your language -> Click the “Start dicOOo” button.
2. Now follow the prompts until it asks you to restart Open Office
3. Once restarted go to Tools -> Options -> Language Settings
4. Under Writing Aids verify/modify the settings and click OK.
5. Under Languages verify/modify the settings and click ok.

You should be good to go. I had to modify mine in one more spot because my Locale is different (long story).

1. Under Format -> Character -> Font the “Language” setting should match what you set in your Language Settings -> Languages

Now any new document you start will have spell check enabled.

We referenced this forum post, spell checker in openoffice.org, to get us started on the right path.

Download a copy and give it a try! OpenOffice.org

Hope this helps!

In writing a technical summary of a customers network in Open Office 2.4 it became necessary to add a page between two existing pages. The document was already nine pages long and I needed to add a page between page three and four. Unlike some others in the office I am NOT a word processing power user and therefore had to Google to find the answer.

Click in the top of the page you want to be below the new page.

hit <ctrl><enter>

You now have a new page. It was that simple to add a new page in Open Office 2.4. No need to enter a manual page break or import into draw. <ctrl><enter> is all you need to add a new page.

By the way did you know Open Office is free? as in beer? YES! There’s no need to spend the $300 for the other office program. Open Office will handle Word and Excel files no problem. Did you know you can edit and create .doc and .xls files in Open Office? Open Office has come a long ways the last couple years and really you could run your office with Open Office and save the money on the purchase and yearly license for every workstation in your office.

If your using MS Office I challenge you to give Open Office a try. You’ll find that Open Office will handle your day to day office documentation without the need to pay thousands in licensing fee’s. If nothing else it’s a sound business decision that free’s up monetary resources for business growth.