Is OpenOffice.org Right For You?

I have a confession to make. See, even though I have OpenOffice.org on a computer for my wife to use, my own computer still uses Microsoft Office. My justification there is that I already paid for it, so why not use it? The thing is, I also paid for another program to create PDF files for invoicing, reports and Ebooks. Since I paid for that, I thought it would be good to continue using that too.

It took me a long time to realize that making my job easier was just a matter of installing OpenOffice.org on MY computer and actually using it. When the time comes to renew the other software, I can save money by NOT paying for the renewal. Instead, I can use the fully functional options that are built into OpenOffice.org Office Suite.

Figuring out how much I would save was easy: Microsoft Office upgrade cost $195 at a discount store. The next version will cost even more - up to $400. The PDF creator cost $97 purchased online. Sure that one lets me edit PDF files, but when I have the original documents, that is not necessary; I can edit the original and click a button to create the new PDF file.

Add another $49 to $97 for a program that helps you make an installation CD for OpenOffice.org, so it can be installed on multiple computers. That is great for homes or offices with more than one computer. Why do that when we already have it here for you?

Okay, just looking at the office suite and PDF software, we will save between $292 and $497 by NOT renewing the other packages and using OpenOffice.org Office Suite.

My thinking was off. Yours probably was too, right? Stop thinking that way! It is not always how much you will save now - you already spent that money. Think about how much you will save when the time comes to upgrade or renew the existing software. Think also about the productivity increase when you do not have to learn, or train someone, to use multiple programs.

• Ribbon Finder for Office Home and Student 2007 2.1.0.13
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• Ribbon Finder for Office Enterprise 2007 2.1.0.13
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• Ribbon Finder for Office Enterprise 2010 2.1.0.13
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• Ribbon Finder for Office Professional Plus 2010 1.0.0.3
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