Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 2.x

Chapter 1: What is OpenOffice.org?

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• What does OpenOffice.org include?
• The advantages of OpenOffice.org

• How does OpenOffice.org compare?
• Features
• New features in version 2

• Minimum requirements
• Getting the software
• How to get help
• A short history of OpenOffice.org
• How is OpenOffice.org licensed?
• What is "open source"?
• Frequently asked questions

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Is this software a "demo" version?
No, this is a fully functioning software suite.

May I distribute OOo to anyone?
Yes.

How many computers may I install it on?
As many as you like.

May I sell it?
Yes.

May I use OpenOffice.org in a business?
Yes.

Is OpenOffice available in my language?
OpenOffice.org has been translated (localized) into over 40 languages, so your language probably is supported. Additionally, there are over 70 spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries available for languages and dialects that do not have a localized program interface. The dictionaries are available from the OpenOffice.org website at: http://lingucomponent.openoffice.org/download_dictionary.html

How can you make it for free?
A large share of the development, and much of the support for the project, is currently supplied or sponsored by Sun Microsystems. There are also many other people who work on OOo as volunteers.

What if I need technical support?
Read the section titled How to get help.

Who owns the software?
The copyright is shared by Sun Microsystems and all the volunteers who have contributed.

Does that mean that they can take away the software?
No. The licenses under which OOo is developed and distributed can never be revoked, so it cannot be taken away.

I am writing a software application. May I use programming code from OpenOffice.org in my program?
You may, within the parameters set in the LGPL. Read the license: http://www.openoffice.org/license.html

Why is my favorite feature from StarOffice not available in OpenOffice.org?
That feature is probably a third-party add-on that Sun cannot distribute with OpenOffice.org.

Why do I need Java to run OpenOffice.org? Is it written in Java?
OpenOffice.org is not written in Java; it is written in the C++ language. Java is one of several languages that can be used to extend OOo. The Java JDK/JRE is only required for some features. The most notable one is the HSQLDB relational database engine.
Note: Java is available at no cost. If you don't want to use Java, you can still use nearly all of the features of OOo.

How can I contribute to OpenOffice.org?
You can help with the development of OOo in many ways, and you do not need to be a programmer. To start, check out this webpage: http://www.openoffice.org/contributing.html

What's the catch?
There really is none; read the licenses: http://www.openoffice.org/license.html