[MACEP] New at ftp.mesd--NeoOffice 2.1 (PowerPC version)

[John Bromley]

The following files are new or updated in the /pub/mac directory of  
the FTP server located at:
  ftp://ftp.mesd.k12.or.us/pub/mac/.

NeoOffice 2.1(PowerPC version)
ftp://ftp.mesd.k12.or.us:21//pub/mac/NeoOffice2.1PowerPC.dmg

NeoOffice is a fully-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.


Features in NeoOffice 2.1

NeoOffice 2.1 is based on the OpenOffice.org 2.1 code. As a result,  
if there is a bug in OpenOffice.org 2.1, the bug is almost guaranteed  
to also be in NeoOffice. So, what features does NeoOffice have that  
are not in OpenOffice.org 2.1? Here's the list:

Feature
Description
Handles Microsoft Office 2007 Word Files
NeoOffice includes the ODF Add-in for Microsoft Word. The ODF Add-in  
is an open source project that makes it possible for NeoOffice to  
open, edit, and save files in the Office 2007 Word format. This  
feature is not available in current Mac versions of Microsoft Office  
and will not be available until Office 2008 for the Mac is released.
Handles Macros in Excel Files
NeoOffice includes the Excel macro support developed by Novell's ooo- 
build project. The ooo-build project is an open source project that  
continually develops feature enhancements to OpenOffice.org.
Aqua
Unlike OpenOffice.org, NeoOffice has native Aqua menus, file open and  
save dialogs, print dialogs, buttons, scrollbars, and many other  
native Aqua user interface elements.
No X11 software required
NeoOffice uses the Java technology that is built into Mac OS X. By  
using Java, there is no need to download and install the X11 software  
that OpenOffice.org requires.
Integrated with Finder and Mail
The Mac OS X Finder will automatically launch NeoOffice and open  
OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office documents that you double-click  
on. Also the Mac OS X Mail application will open OpenOffice.org and  
Microsoft Office attachments in NeoOffice.
Uses Mac OS X fonts
Unlike OpenOffice.org, NeoOffice uses the same fonts that all of your  
other Mac OS X applications use. This means that NeoOffice will  
handle reading and writing of Western European characters (e.g.  
characters with accents, umlauts, circumflexes, cedillas, etc.) and  
some fonts will even handle Japanese, Chinese, and Korean ideographs.  
Also, NeoOffice is able to use any fonts that you install using the / 
Applications/Font Book application.
Handles international keyboards
Unlike OpenOffice.org, NeoOffice will use any keyboard layout that  
you use. Also, if you switch your keyboard layout while NeoOffice is  
running, NeoOffice will automatically switch as well.
Native printing support
NeoOffice supports printing using Mac OS X's native printing  
functionality. Like other Mac OS X applications, you can use  
NeoOffice to print, preview, or save a document to a PDF file.
Native copy and paste support
NeoOffice supports copying and pasting using Mac OS X's native  
clipboard so you can copy and paste text and images between NeoOffice  
and other Mac OS X applications.
Native drag-and-drop support
NeoOffice supports native drag-and-drop so you can drag and drop text  
and images between NeoOffice and other Mac OS X applications.
Bugs in NeoOffice 2.1

Since all NeoOffice development and testing is done by volunteers,  
there are some missing features and bugs. This is by no means a  
complete list but it should give you a sense of what still needs to  
be implemented to make NeoOffice a full-featured office suite. Here's  
the list of missing features and bugs that we know about:

Missing Feature or Bug
Description
Image resolution is limited to 300 dots per inch when printing
Due to the way that the underlying OpenOffice.org and Java code  
handle images, printing of high resolution images is limited to a  
maximum of 300 dots per inch. This limitation only affects high  
resolution images and does not affect printing of text, lines, or  
shapes.
No video, plug-in, or applet support
We haven't had time to implement these features.
C



-- 
John Bromley
(503) 668-3332

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just  
sit there." -----  Will Rogers



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