OpenOffice.org Novell Edition for Windows
Introducing 3.2.1, the Latest Version from Novell
OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition for Windows is the latest version of the leading open source office suite supported by Novell. It comes with many new improvements and features, including better interoperability with Microsoft Office, increased performance, and integrated extensions—for example, to be able to access your Google Docs documents.
Key Features
OpenOffice.org Novell Edition for Windows contains enhancements and bug fixes, especially for interoperability with Microsoft Office and other word processing programs, that are not available in the community edition. These enhancements include:
- Enhanced support for CJK scripts
Distributed text alignments (both horizontal and vertical) for CJK texts in spreadsheet cells. - Improved look and feel
- The visual look of the toolbars has been improved to make them more consistent.
- Quick insertion of new sheet via insert tab in Calc.
- Microsoft Excel Compatibility
- Extended row limit to 1,048,576 rows in Calc, and related performance improvements.
- Added support for multiple formula syntax for cell and cell range addresses and formula expressions: Calc A1—the traditional format (default), Excel A1, and Excel R1C1.
- Text numbers and dates are interpreted as numbers or dates when appropriate, similar to how Excel interprets text as numbers or dates.
- Toggling of cell grid lines per sheet.
- And more: user-defined tab colors, PHONETIC function support for Japanese phonetic guides, showing/hiding data from hidden rows in charts, correct rendering of charts with mixed chart types, Excel export encryption, document and sheet protection password & limited sheet protection options, external range names, and many details of the Calc user interface have been tweaked to make migration from Excel to OpenOffice.org easier.
- Microsoft Word Compatibility
Added possibility to create and interoperate dashed and dotted table borders. - Excel VBA Macro Interoperability
OpenOffice.org Novell Edition eases the migration of many macros from Microsoft Excel. Although not all macros can be successfully migrated, this interoperability offers more than the standard edition, which does not support migration of macros. - Data Pilots
Data Pilots are interoperable with Microsoft Office PivotTables. OpenOffice.org Novell Edition substantially improves the Data Pilot feature, making it possible to edit pilots after creation, allowing to assign custom field names, field members names, subtotal and grand total names, showing popup window for quick editing of show/hide field members, and defaulting to a new sheet for new tables. - Enhanced Fonts
Licensed fonts from Agfa Monotype which are metrically identical and visually compatible with some of the key Microsoft fonts. This allows OpenOffice.org Novell Edition to match fonts when opening documents originally composed in Microsoft Office, and very closely match pagination and page formatting. - OpenXML Support
The ability to export the Microsoft Office 2007 file formats. Also many improvements of the import. - SVG Support
The ability to import scalable vector graphics. - Import File Formats
Microsoft Works, WordPerfect text and graphics, T602 files, and more. - GroupWise® Integration
OpenOffice.org Novell Edition includes improved integration with ODMA (Open Document Management Architecture) services, for example for GroupWise. If you have the GroupWise client installed on the machine, OpenOffice.org Novell Edition will offer to open documents from GroupWise, or save documents in GroupWise. - Integrated Extensions
Google Docs and Zoho import and export, PDF import, Convert Text to Number, LanguageTool, MediaWiki support, Non-linear solver in Calc, Presenter Console, Presentation Minimizer, Report Designer, MySQL Connector.
Evaluation Version
OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition for Windows is the first version from Novell that gives you the choice to download the no-cost Evaluation version first, and upgrade to the Full version later. The Evaluation version is not supported by Novell, and some of the above-mentioned features are not available, namely:
- Advanced Microsoft Excel Compatibility
Extended row limit to 1,048,576 rows in Calc is available only in the Full version, the Evaluation version supports up to 65,536 rows. - Enhanced Fonts
Licensed fonts from Agfa Monotype are present only in the Full version. - Integrated Extensions
Google Docs and Zoho import and export, PDF import, MediaWiki support, Non-linear solver in Calc, Presenter Console, Presentation Minimizer, Report Designer are built-in only in the Full version.
How to Upgrade to the Full Version
It is easy—just buy a subscription and download OpenOffice.org Novell Edition for Windows (you have to login first).
Feature Comparison
The following table compares the features of the community OpenOffice.org 3.2.1, OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition - Evaluation, and OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition - Licensed.
| Feature | OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 | OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition - Evaluation | OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 Novell Edition - Licensed |
| Novell Support | Yes | ||
| Licensed Agfa fonts | Yes | ||
| Row limit in Calc | 65,536 rows | 65,536 rows | 1,048,576 rows |
| Open XML support | Load | Load and Save | Load and Save |
| VBA support | Yes | Yes | |
| Inline fields in Writer | Yes | Yes | |
| Tab colors in Calc | Yes | Yes | |
| WordPerfect Graphics | Load | Load | |
| Natural sort in Calc | Yes | Yes | |
| Enhanced DataPilot | Yes | Yes | |
| Google Docs | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| PDF Import | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| MediaWiki support | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| Non-linear Solver | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| Presenter Console | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| Presentation Minimizer | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |
| Report Designer | As Extension | As Extension | Built-in |