OpenOffice
Open source "office suite" of loosely integrated office application programs, including Writer a word processor, the Calc spreadsheet, the Base database program, the Impress presentation graphics, Draw line oriented graphics software and Math formula generator. The package is also known as "Apache Open Office" and "OpenOffice.org", and commonlly shortened as OOo rather than OO to minimise confusion with the common shortenting for the term object-oriented.
The software traces its roots to the StarWriter and StarOffice packages developed from the mid 80's and up until 2010 by the German company StarDivision.
Use as a development tool
With its standardised and published file formats, reasonably well documented API and interfaces, open source code that is available for all to see and use, large number of supported platforms and lack of licensing costs, you would think that OpenOffice and its derivatives such as LibreOffice and Neo Office would have taken the world of customised and integrated office automation by storm. However a search for integrated or custom solutions based on OpenOffice and/or its derivatives yields zero results, with the applications being primarily used as a personal tools with a limited uptake with companies and organisations as a budget alternative to suites such as Microsoft Office and WordPerfect Office.
There appear to be a number of reasons for this in addition to the usual inertia:
- Rapid and incoherent changes in API and integration features.
- Large scale removal of features during the last decade.
- Complete removal of the Java API and features by open source zealots.
- The database program Base not viewed as ready for serious use, and options for using external databases removed or degraded.