


If I click on More Options, it shows the following in a column: 'Use this app for all PDF files', 'Keep using Reader', 'Nitro Pro 7', 'Support', 'Internet Explorer', 'Notepad', 'Paint', 'Windows Media Player', 'Windows Photo Viewer', 'Wordpad', 'Look for an app in the store', Look for another app on this PC'. If I click on Choose Default Programme, it shows the following in a column: 'use this app for all pdf files', 'Keep using Reader', 'Nito Pro 7', 'Support', 'More Options'. When I right click on a PDF file, go to 'Open With', there is no Open Office Writer/Draw to click on to open the PDF file - the only thing I see are: 'Nitro Pro 7', 'Reader', 'Support', 'Choose Default Programme'. It's fallen behind LibreOffice in recent times, but OpenOffice remains a good choice for those looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office.I've been using Open Office for years (on XP and Vista) and have been able to comfortably carry out required PDF edits using Open Office Draw until now - now that I have got a Windows 8 (not a touch-screen) laptop. OpenOffice also saves your documents in the open document format (ODF) meaning that they can be opened within other office suites, even Office itself. Everything you need to run your business. OpenOffice ships with a document writer, a spreadsheet, a presentation maker and many other modules. That compares favourably to the Mac and Windows versions of Office, which are very different beasts, making it hard to become experts across both. Despite losing its way of late - leading to rival LibreOffice taking the lead, OpenOffice is now firmly back on track and making waves of its own.įor those uninterested in such rivalry, the key thing to note is that OpenOffice will write and open most Office formats, while its cross-platform nature means you can use it across Windows, Mac and Linux without having to learn a whole new way of doing things. Of those free alternatives, the granddaddy is OpenOffice, the first serious rival to Microsoft Office. The need to run Office for compatibility's sake is no longer as compelling as it was either, with a raft of free alternatives all capable of opening even the latest Office document formats with few problems. But both don't come cheap, which can make it a prohibitive cost for an individual or small business. If a friend or colleague asks you to recommend an office suite, your first thought is likely to be Office for PC or iWork for Mac.
