ARCHIVED: What are StarOffice and OpenOffice.org, and how can I get these products at IU?

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

StarOffice and OpenOffice.org are suites of personal productivity software built on the same code base. OpenOffice.org is an open-source product and project that is free for anyone to use. StarOffice is a commercial product that is based on a snapshot of the OpenOffice.org code at the time of release. Since they are built on the same code base, the differences between these two products are minimal. In essence, StarOffice is a value-added version of OpenOffice.org.

StarOffice builds on the OpenOffice.org base by adding complete support for 11 languages, a commercial quality clip art library, enhanced document filters, extra fonts, integrated database support, and a central configuration utility. With the exception of these additional features, StarOffice and OpenOffice.org operate in very similar manners. Both products are designed for compatibility with outside programs and are able to work with all but the most complex documents created in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Both StarOffice and OpenOffice.org run on Windows, Linux, and Solaris. OpenOffice.org expands this availability by offering ports to Mac OS X, FreeBSD, and HP-UX.

The support models for these two products differ drastically. Since StarOffice is a commercial product distributed by Sun Microsystems, a full range of support options is available directly from the manufacturer, including printed documentation, telephone support, and training. OpenOffice.org is a community-based project and does not have a support infrastructure in place. All support comes from community resources and training is available only from outside sources.

Obtaining OpenOffice.org or StarOffice at Indiana University

StarOffice 8

UITS has a site license with Sun Microsystems for StarOffice 8. This license allows students, faculty, staff, or departments to download and install StarOffice 8 free of charge. You can download StarOffice 8 for Windows, Linux, and Solaris in ISO image format from:

  ftp://iu-only.ussg.iu.edu/staroffice

Note: Due to licensing restrictions, this site will work only from computers located on the IU network.

OpenOffice.org

UITS also hosts a mirror of the OpenOffice.org project. Since OpenOffice.org is an open-source project it is free for anyone to download, use, and modify as needed regardless of affiliation with IU. You can download OpenOffice.org for Windows, Linux, and Solaris from:

  ftp://ftp.ussg.iu.edu/pub/openoffice/stable/

At Indiana University, for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems support, see Get help for Linux or Unix at IU.

This is document anir in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 13:52:38.