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Both word processing programs are running head to head with each other in the word processor program market. Open Office Writer is a freeware word processing program from Sun Microsystems. MS Word is proprietary word processing software from Microsoft Inc.
At one time, organizations had only one option – MS Word. But now things have changed. Open Office Writer is seen as an able replacement for MS Word. Becoming increasing popular, Open Office Writer, is seen as a no-expensive alternative for organizations with basic documentation needs.
Unlike MS Word, upgrades to Oo Writer are free. New versions are available free of cost. Even though MS Office – the office program from Microsoft is given free to certain groups of the society as part of its philanthropic initiatives, almost all licenses of MS Office are bought.
Another benefit of Oo Writer or any program under the Oo suite is the freely available code. While this can be an advantage for people who want to customize Oo applications, it could also prove to be a security threat. MS applications do not release their code to the public, hence their applications are safe to use.
MS has given the world an idea of how to develop office applications. The Oo Writer may be modeled to a large extent along MS Word. Now, Office 2007 has a new user interface for the Word application. The effort is to bring in more user-friendliness to the program, and set it apart from Oo Writer. The two programs are good for use. But still MS Word is still the safer option.
