NeoOffice 2.0 Alpha 3 Released

ndansmith writes "NeoOffice, the port of OpenOffice.org to Mac OS X, has made their 2.0 Alpha 3 release available for download. From NeoOffice's site: 'This release is based on the OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 code and includes all of the new OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 features,' including the utilization of Open Document formats. Currently only the PowerPC version of the software is available publicly, but users can download the Intel version by purchasing a membership."

Not sure why alpha 3 is news exactly, but...

[VValdo]

I think when NeoOffice goes beta, THAT will be news. Why? Because the current plan for beta includes an aquified version.

Take a look at how this is progressing here [neooffice.org]. Pretty amazing, especially when you consider that NeoOffice has two developers. TWO. And they aren't even full-time.

Also, a new graphics, file icons, splash screen, etc. are in the works for 2.0 beta. Check out the forums [neooffice.org].

And FWIW, I've had absolutely no problem with the alpha series so far.

W

Re:Just use the X11 Build, avoid NeoOffice

[R.Mo_Robert]

NeoOffice is free, but for these early alpha builds of version 2.0 they're asking users to pay because they're short of funds. Either that or there may be no NeoOffice at all, so I think this is a reasonable request. If you don't want to pay, just wait until it's released. As for the X11 build of OpenOffice.org ... ick! Printing and fonts are a nightmare, not to mention the interface. And let's not even go into the steps a normal user would have to take to get it to work in the first place (install Apple X11, etc). Use it if you want (I use it sometimes, too), but don't complain when somebody tries to make something that's actually usable by a wider majority of people.

I realize you were mostly ranting about the cost, though, and that really won't be an issue later. They just needed some funds, so they decided to offer super-early alpa versions for a fee. That's all.

Re:Alpha, but usable

[Oopsz]

Neooffice is unusably slow on my G3 iBook. Office X runs very well, and Office 2004 is fast enough to be usable. At this point, $300 (More like $150) for Office X is well worth it, compared to ~$1200 for a new laptop.

Re:Intel binaries

[Uncle Asad]

The vast majority of OS-independent OOo code (and most of the Windows and X11-specific code, too) is written by a small-company-sized contingent of Sun employess in Hamburg, by small groups of employees of Novell and other Linux vendors, and so forth, who are paid by their employers specifically to work on OOo as their full-time job. So the "engine programmers" most certainly are getting paid for their work. :-)

If you want to help offset some of Sun's costs or to support the other community developers who also contribute their time, skills, and code to OOo, please do so! If you appreciate having a native, more Mac-like version of OOo, please also contribute to NeoOffice, because unlike the "engine programmers", these 2 developers are not paid by large companies to bring you NeoOffice and the work required to bring you Mac OS X integration, while not as large as writing an entire office suite, is still quite significant in its own right.