NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and drawing programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.

Released as free, open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), NeoOffice is fully functional and stable enough for everyday use. The software is actively developed, so improvements and small updates are made available on a regular basis.

It is available for free from the NeoOffice download page.

WHAT'S NEW
Version 2.2.1:

* Based on OpenOffice.org 2.2.1 codebase
* Support for Microsoft Office 2007 Excel and PowerPoint document formats
* Support for Mac OS X 10.5 Beta
* Support for Quick Look under Mac OS X 10.5
* Access to the Mac OS X Address Book as a data source
* Use of the native Mac OS X spell-checker for supported languages
* Enhanced the Akua set of toolbar icons with a more Aqua appearance
* Support for printing high resolution images at their expected DPI

REQUIREMENTS
# For PPC Macs: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

# For Intel Macs: Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Since Apple no longer includes free productivity software with new Macs, I highly recommend checking out NeoOffice if you're just looking for something that will open the Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents, as well as has the ability to Save As the same. Early G4 and older systems may not have enough horsepower to run this program smoothly (NeoOffice uses Java to draw its windows), but it runs great (even better than MS Office in Rosetta mode) on Intel machines, and G5's should also handle it very well.

PC Magazine editor Jim Lauderback has been one of Vista biggest cheerleaders since its launch, but not anymore. He's so frustrated, in fact, that's he's quit his job as editor and is mulling a move to *gasp* Linux. Jim needs to take a walk through his neighborhood Apple store 

Read all about it here: http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=213291,00.asp

The obvious has finally become official: Appleworks is dead. With the addition the other day of Numbers, a new spreadsheet application, to the iWork suite (which also includes Pages and Keynote), Apple has finally laid the venerable old suite to rest. Appleworks had not been updated in years, and was never released as a universal binary. The old Appleworks URL now redirects to the iWork '08 site. Appleworks word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet documents can be imported into iWork.

I've been a bit lax in updating this site recently. We've actually had to move the website as we are no longer able to host it at JJC. I'm currently hosting it myself, so if anyone has any issues with it loading, etc. please let me know at the email address posted on the Contacts page. I'll be bringing the blog up to date soon with some of the more exciting news that's been happening recently in the world of Apple.

Joel 