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[[Image:StarOffice_Logo.png|right]]
[[Image:StarOffice_Logo.png|right]]
A multi-platform office package released for OS/2, [[Microsoft Windows]] (16 bit and 32 bit), Macintosh, Sun Solaris and [[Linux]] introduced in 1995. Developed by the German company [[StarDivision]] that had been developing office application software since 1984, and had been offering some sort of office bundles on the English speaking markets since 1988 and as such in fact predate the Microsoft Office package.
'''StarOffice''' is a multi-platform office package released for OS/2, [[Microsoft Windows]] (16 bit and 32 bit), Macintosh, Sun Solaris and [[Linux]] introduced in 1995. Developed by the German company [[StarDivision]] that had been developing office application software since 1984, and had been offering some sort of office bundles on the English speaking markets since 1988 and as such in fact predate the Microsoft Office package.


The package later became the basis for [[OpenOffice]].
The package later became the basis for [[OpenOffice]].
Line 18: Line 18:
;Optional
;Optional
* '''[[ADABAS D]]''' - Database engine.
* '''[[ADABAS D]]''' - Database engine.
* '''StarSchedule Server''' – [[PIM]] severer & synch.
* '''StarSchedule Server''' – [[PIM]] server & synchronisation
</div>
</div>


==Versions==
==Versions==
[[Image:StarDiv BusinessPack.jpg|thumb]]
;Bundles
;Bundles
This product package for Windows 3.1 consists of StarWriter compact, StarBase and StarDraw.
This product package for Windows 3.1 consists of StarWriter compact, StarBase and StarDraw.
* 1992: StarOffice
* 1992: StarOffice
* 1993: Office Pack 2.0
* 1993: Office Pack 2.0
 
[[Image:StarOffice3.jpg|thumb]]
[[Image:StarOffice31-OEM.jpg|thumb]]
;Office suite
;Office suite
* 1995: StarOffice 3.0
* 1995: StarOffice 3.0
Line 33: Line 35:
* 1998: StarOffice 5.0
* 1998: StarOffice 5.0
* 1999: StarOffice 5.1
* 1999: StarOffice 5.1
* Last known OS/2 version: Sun StarOffice 5.1a (last updated 1999-08-24)
* 1999: Sun StarOffice 5.1a (last update: [109258-02] (2002))
 
* 2000: Sun StarOffice 5.2
;Update
* 2002: Sun StarOffice 6.0 (OpenOffice.org 1.0)
* [http://ftp.sunet.se/pub/OS2/hobbes/os2/apps/suite/staroffice2up.zip 109258-02] (2002)
* 2004: Sun StarOffice 7.0 (OpenOffice.org 1.1)
* 2006: Sun StarOffice 8 (OpenOffice.org 2.0)
* 2008: Sun StarOffice 9 (OpenOffice.org 3.0)


;Known issues
;Known issues
The system is relatively bug free but there are a few setup issues. The most common complaint is that the last version of StarOffice (the Sun branded one) installs correctly but fails to start after reboot with an unrecoverable error message, and will not run after that. The issue is actually simple to fix, when the installer creates a program object it does not specify a working directory, simply open up the properties notebook for the StarOffice program and copy the folder from the "Path and file name" section to the "Working directory" section, minus the program name, i.e. if it is "C:\OFFICE51\SOFFICE.EXE" then the working directory should be "C:\OFFICE51".
The system is relatively bug free but there are a few setup issues. The most common complaint is that the last version of StarOffice (the Sun branded one) installs correctly but fails to start after reboot with an unrecoverable error message, and will not run after that. The issue is actually simple to fix, when the installer creates a program object it does not specify a working directory, simply open up the properties notebook for the StarOffice program and copy the folder from the "Path and file name" section to the "Working directory" section.


This and a few other minor setup niggles made a lot of people believe the last release of SO 5.1 was buggy and reverted back to one of the StarDivision releases of SO 5.1 or stopped using it altogether. Actually the Sun release incorporates all known fixes and is fairly is rock solid, what seems to have happened is that someone in Sun's USA office did the final packaging of all the releases and that person was simply unfamiliar with OS/2.
This and a few other minor setup niggles made a lot of people believe the last release of SO 5.1 was buggy and reverted to one of the StarDivision releases of SO 5.1 or stopped using it altogether. Actually the Sun release incorporates all known fixes and is fairly rock solid, what seems to have happened is that someone in Sun's USA office did the final packaging of all the releases and that person was simply unfamiliar with OS/2.


The 32 bit version of StarOffice [[Microsoft Windows]] also gained a reputation for instability but what was happening there was that people did not install the IBM and later Sun version of [[Java]] that came with the StarOffice package but chose to use the [[Microsoft]] Java Virtual Machine that MS offered as a download for Internet Explorer users, however that VM was (intentionally) not fully compatible with the Sun Java implementation and it caused crashes with StarOffice 5.x. Using the Java implementation supplied by StarDivision fixed those problems. It is perhaps understandable that people choose to use the MSJVM as the computer press and in particular the USA press made lots of noises about MSJVM and how it was supposed to be faster than the Sun or [[IBM]] Java versions for Windows, however that was only true running under Internet Explorer, standalone the IBM version was faster.
==Publications==
* Michael Koch; Sarah Murray; Werner Roth: ''Using StarOffice: Special Edition'' - Que 1999, ISBN 0-7897-1993-2
;Reviews
* Volker Weber: ''[http://heise.de/-285656 Büroelefanten: Corel Office 7, SmartSuite 97, MS Office 97, StarOffice 4.0]'' - from [[c't magazin]] 1997-05-12


==Publisher==
==Publisher==
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* [[Sun Microsystems]]
* [[Sun Microsystems]]


 
[[Category:Office suites]][[Category:Software written in C++]]
[[Category:Tools]][[Category:MS Windows Tools]][[Category:Linux Tools]]
[[Category:Office suites]][[Category:Word processors]][[Category:Spreadsheets]][[Category:Graphics software]][[Category:Maths]][[Category:File formats]]
[[Category:Software written in C++]]
[[Category:Software written in Java]]
[[Category:Linux Tools]]
[[Category:Solaris Tools]]
[[Category:MAC Finder Tools]]
[[Category:MAC OSX Tools]]

Latest revision as of 14:14, 29 May 2025

StarOffice is a multi-platform office package released for OS/2, Microsoft Windows (16 bit and 32 bit), Macintosh, Sun Solaris and Linux introduced in 1995. Developed by the German company StarDivision that had been developing office application software since 1984, and had been offering some sort of office bundles on the English speaking markets since 1988 and as such in fact predate the Microsoft Office package.

The package later became the basis for OpenOffice.

Applications

  • StarWriter - Word processor
  • StarCalc - Spreadsheet
  • StarDraw - Drawing program
  • StarChart - Charting application
  • StarSchedule – Personal information manager
  • StarMail – E-Mail client
  • StarDiscussion – USENET client
  • StarImage – Image editor
  • Web browser – Web browser
  • StarBase - Database front end.
Optional
  • ADABAS D - Database engine.
  • StarSchedule ServerPIM server & synchronisation

Versions

Bundles

This product package for Windows 3.1 consists of StarWriter compact, StarBase and StarDraw.

  • 1992: StarOffice
  • 1993: Office Pack 2.0
Office suite
  • 1995: StarOffice 3.0
  • 1996: StarOffice 3.1
  • 1997: StarOffice 4.0
  • 1998: StarOffice 5.0
  • 1999: StarOffice 5.1
  • 1999: Sun StarOffice 5.1a (last update: [109258-02] (2002))
  • 2000: Sun StarOffice 5.2
  • 2002: Sun StarOffice 6.0 (OpenOffice.org 1.0)
  • 2004: Sun StarOffice 7.0 (OpenOffice.org 1.1)
  • 2006: Sun StarOffice 8 (OpenOffice.org 2.0)
  • 2008: Sun StarOffice 9 (OpenOffice.org 3.0)
Known issues

The system is relatively bug free but there are a few setup issues. The most common complaint is that the last version of StarOffice (the Sun branded one) installs correctly but fails to start after reboot with an unrecoverable error message, and will not run after that. The issue is actually simple to fix, when the installer creates a program object it does not specify a working directory, simply open up the properties notebook for the StarOffice program and copy the folder from the "Path and file name" section to the "Working directory" section.

This and a few other minor setup niggles made a lot of people believe the last release of SO 5.1 was buggy and reverted to one of the StarDivision releases of SO 5.1 or stopped using it altogether. Actually the Sun release incorporates all known fixes and is fairly rock solid, what seems to have happened is that someone in Sun's USA office did the final packaging of all the releases and that person was simply unfamiliar with OS/2.

Publications

  • Michael Koch; Sarah Murray; Werner Roth: Using StarOffice: Special Edition - Que 1999, ISBN 0-7897-1993-2
Reviews

Publisher