Anyone use OpenOffice?

I don’t have Office on my computer, so I downloaded OpenOffice from someone’s suggestion here. 

I need to figure out how to change the file format to Microsoft Word when saving it, because I need to send some text documents to my dad and he has Office on his comp at home. 

Should be able to just "save as" or "export."

It's been years since I used Open Office.

Another good alternative is Google Docs.  You can even set it up so you both have access to the document simultaneously.

When you go to save the file initially or as a save as, you just change the file extension from the .odt or similar to the .doc/.xls etc.

Yes it really is that simple. I use OpenOffice exclusively.

Another vote for Google docs.  I love using that and Google sheets 

OpenOffice appears to be dying out.  Did a bit of digging and found Libreoffice. It's on my kids' win10 machine and it works great.

Special Google Docs trick.

If you take a photo with text and save it to Google Drive. You can right click on it and open it with Google Docs. It will open the pic in Docs and OCR the text below it.

I use it at work quite often for the old equipment files, manuals and drawings. 

Ranger50 said:

When you go to save the file initially or as a save as, you just change the file extension from the .odt or similar to the .doc/.xls etc.

Yes it really is that simple. I use OpenOffice exclusively.

Ok, this is what I was needing to know, thanks. 

OpenOffice is fine as a standalone.  As long as the documents are all used on the OpenOffice platform, you can expect it to do 90% as well.  Sharing text-only documents as exports to MSOffice is usually ok with some formatting snafus.  Once you get into something like a template (resume, spreadsheet, cover letter) you can expect massive formatting failures; fonts, margins, spacing, the works.

I am a bit forced into using google docs for the last 10 years but I detest it.  It's nice because they're always on the cloud, but the whole process of editing, saving, printing, and reuploading if you happen to change it on one computer and need to re-download.... I just hate it.

The Dancer uses OpenOffice pretty much exclusively for all of the work she does on her non-profit. It does great internally and it's rare that when something has to be submitted that they want it in anything other than PDF format and it exports that just fine. Certainly HOPE Jay_W isn't right about it 'dying out' as her having to switch over to (and learn how to use...) something else would be a nightmare.

I got the impression that LibreOffice had really taken over the role OpenOffice has held. It's been quite a while since I switched, but that's what made the decision.

I do tend to use Google docs much of the time now anyhow.

I still think it's insane that Word docs are the de facto standard for exchanging files when few need that kind of formatting. "I think everyone should give Microsoft a couple hundred bucks so we can talk to each other."

I accept that I'm old, but the thing I find insane is that people apparently have no problem handing over all their work-in-progress for free to Google, which smiles, sucks it in, and uses it to make mon-- I mean, "improve its services."  MS Word isn't a day at the beach a lot of the time, but at least you know where your document is.

I also have a BIG problem with people editing my text in real time, but that's my ego talking, not my foil hat.

Mrs T.J. uses Googledocs, but I would never. I have MS Office for work stuff and Libreoffice for personal stuff on my computer. I used OpenOffice for years until switching over to LibreOffice.

If I have to send a document to someone, I tend to just send them a pdf of it and don't share whatever file I used to create the document.

Curtis said:

OpenOffice is fine as a standalone.  As long as the documents are all used on the OpenOffice platform, you can expect it to do 90% as well.  Sharing text-only documents as exports to MSOffice is usually ok with some formatting snafus.  Once you get into something like a template (resume, spreadsheet, cover letter) you can expect massive formatting failures; fonts, margins, spacing, the works.

I am a bit forced into using google docs for the last 10 years but I detest it.  It's nice because they're always on the cloud, but the whole process of editing, saving, printing, and reuploading if you happen to change it on one computer and need to re-download.... I just hate it.

Thanks Curtis.  I was about to type almost exactly the same thing.

If you go into the settings for OpenOffice there is a place where you can tell it to save with Office extensions by default.