SoftMaker FreeOffice: A cross-platform Office suite that’s fully compatible to MS Office

Most Linux users are well-acquainted with LibreOffice – many distributions have it pre-installed. Fewer know its powerful alternative: FreeOffice is a full-fledged office solution with full support for Microsoft Office file formats. It consists of a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation program. True to its name, FreeOffice is fully free and available for Linux in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

FreeOffice is far from a LibreOffice clone. The software is being developed by a German software company with a history going all the way back to 1987. Due to its background, FreeOffice has far more in common with Microsoft Office than with LibreOffice.

How to create list for LibreOffice Calc cell (video)

Spreadsheet is a convenient tool to make calculations. But that's the not the only use the spreadsheets have now.

Many people use spreadsheets as a tool to exchange information. For example, you can get a spreadsheet from your supplier with request to list your order details there. On another side, you can create a similar spreadsheet to your customer, or even for household needs: keeping budget, or inviting friends to the party. The range of spreadsheets' use is large.

There are many cases when you want to help either yourself or another people with working with the spreadsheet you composed. For example, you want to advise that certain cells can only contain a pre-defined set of values and nothing else. The best way to do so is to give users a drop-down list to choose from.

Working with Pivot Tables in LibreOffice Calc

Pivot tables is a very powerful tool in spreadsheets that allow you to analyse big massive of data in flexible dimensions.

LibreOffice Calc gives you an option to build your own Pivot tables using the built-in tools.

Please watch a how-to video showing you details of working with Pivot tables in LibreOffice Calc.

You can also follow this link to watch directly on YouTube.

By the way, if you use OpenOffice Calc, this tutorial may help you too.

How-to: different headers and footers on even and odd pages in LibreOffice

LibreOffice Writer is a great Free Open Source tool for writing, no one can argue. Its features are good for both the home users who simply need to write a note to a friend, and to professional authors who need to write texts that many other people read.

Of course, professional texts should look professional. LibreOffice Writer has tools for that! Some time ago I told you how you can insert page numbers in the footers or headers of your pages. Then I told you how you can start page numbering from a certain number – useful for books that have title page or pages created with other tools. Today is the time to uncover yet another useful feature of LibreOffice Writer.

Top 5 Free Suites to Replace Microsoft Office

Rarely do small business and home users need all of the features that are included in the powerful Microsoft Office suite of products. Microsoft Office is the industry leader in office productivity software, but many free alternatives exist that will satisfy the needs of most small business and home users. This gives cost-conscious business owners a way to save money while maintaining productivity.

Open source office products will include many of the features of costly programs and support all of the major file type, including Microsoft file types. The free suites will include the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software that businesses need. Many also include other programs like drawing applications and database tools.

If you need to cut costs, here are five feature rich office programs that you might try.