OpenOffice confusion

[HappyLinux]

Hey folks, I've noticed something funny about OpenOffice after "Sun" was bought out by Oracle.

If you go to www.openoffice.org you'll happily find that the office suite is free. They're quickly progressing towards the 3.3.0 release as every few weeks I see a new Candidate release.

However, if you go to Oracles website and find OpenOffice, they charge you something like £33. https://shop.oracle.com/pls/ostore/f?p=ostore:product:3120172669286373::NO:RP,3:P3_LP I,P3_PROD_HIER_ID:3760861034291631761751,376075306 0221631798889

Oops, not sure if that links works. Let's see if I can attach a screen grabbed photo of the page. Ok, I think I've attached a photo.

Sorry, I live in the UK, so it must have recognised my location and is showing me the price in my currency. However, you get the picture.

Is OpenOffice free or not?

[r.stiltskin]

Yes, it's free. Oracle Open Office is essentially the same software with the addition of some "goodies" for enterprise users. I found this in the Oracle Open Office FAQ:


What are the differences between Oracle Open Office 3 and
OpenOffice.org 3.0?

At the core, binary level, there are no differences. Oracle Open
Office 3 is Oracle’s professional distribution of
OpenOffice.org. Oracle Open Office also includes

· Enterprise tools such as Oracle Connector for Microsoft
SharePoint.

· Migration tools such as Microsoft Office Document
Analyzer.

· Bundled extensions including mail/calendar functionality.
(With OpenOffice.org, you must download each extension
separately.)

· Hot fixes, patches, and updates. (OpenOffice.org requires
that users download and reinstall the entire suite to gain the
benefits of recent patches and service packs.)

· Committed time lines and roadmaps.

· Oracle warranty and indemnification.

[SoFl W]

Now to REALLY confuse you... why don't you try LibreOffice (http://www.libreoffice.org/)?

[HappyLinux]

Now to REALLY confuse you... why don't you try LibreOffice (http://www.libreoffice.org/)?

That looks like OpenOffice, just a different name and colour scheme.

[TenPlus1]

As far as I know the license that Sun's OpenOffice is under is currently Free just now but can be changed at any time so that payment may be in order... The split from OpenOffice to LibreOffice was so that a different license was used and LibreOffice will remain FREE and public domain, also it can be changed by many developers instead of just Sun's own...