OpenOffice.org 3

OpenOffice.org 3 is the newly-released version of the most popular free office suite in the world.  Compatible with Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), OpenOffice.org has rapidly been gaining popularity over the last few years.  It is the office suite of choice for many pre-built Linux systems (including the ones being sold by Dell, HP and ASUS), and is also compatible with Windows, Apple, and Unix operating systems.  The interface closely resembles Microsoft’s, and there is almost no learning curve for Microsoft Office users wishing to convert to a free alternative.  OpenOffice.org can open Microsoft Office 2007 files without having to install a converter, which is something that earlier versions of Microsoft Office cannot do.  OpenOffice.org can also save any office document as a PDF file without having to install any additional software.

NOTE:  By default, OpenOffice.org is set to be most compatible with international opensource document formats. Follow these easy steps to make it more compatible with Microsoft Office document formats.

Download OpenOffice.org

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UPDATE:

Because this is a brand new release, the download servers are being hit pretty hard with web traffic.  As a result, the download may be pretty slow.  But don’t be discouraged!  Just look at all the positive press that OpenOffice has received in the past few days:

Yahoo!

ZDNet

Houston Chronicle

Computerworld

Vista4Experts makes changing Vista easy

Oddly enough, Vista4Experts is likely to be most helpful to those who are not experts.  Ironically-titled Vista4Experts actually takes most of the common system adjustments made to Windows Vista (turning off excessive notifications, disabling automatic file indexing, etc) and organizes them into one extremely simple interface.  Just select the changes you wish to apply (the most common are preselected by default), and click the “Perform Actions” button.  That’s all you need to do.

Download Vista4Experts

Create PDF files in Office 2007

Microsoft offers a free add-in that allows Office 2007 to save any file as a PDF.  After installing the update, you can create a PDF by using the Save As feature and selecting the PDF option.

 

Download the add-in here

Get Windows Defender in XP

One of the new features of Windows Vista is the inclusion of Windows Defender, Microsoft’s anti-spyware security application that monitors files in realtime.  While not automatically included, Microsoft has made Windows Defender available to Windows XP users, as well.  The program’s abilities are limited to spyware/malware detection only, but offer an increased security shield when run alongside a full antivirus application like AVG Free (most anti-virus applications have lackluster spyware detection).

Download Windows Defender for Windows XP

Trouble Opening Office 2007 files?

If you are using an older version of Microsoft Office (97/2000/XP/2003) and are having trouble opening files created with Office 2007, you are not alone.  With the release of Office 2007, Microsoft changed the program’s default file type from the classic .doc (for Word) extension to a new .docx extension.  One little letter makes a lot of difference, and all previous versions of Office are unable to open this new file type without installing a converter.  Fortunately the converter is available for free from the Microsoft website, and is easily installed.

Download from Microsoft