Here are links to our previous posts on using and configuring this very capable free office suite:

• Our first IBM Lotus Symphony post, from about a year ago…
• Our post about major IBM Lotus Symphony updates
• IBM Lotus Symphony “how-tos” can be found here.

Edit 06/19/2009:

Amy Vernon wrote about Lotus Symphony 1.3 over at HotHardware.  She notes that according to an IBM press release there are several large companies that are using this free alternative to Microsoft Office…

We’d like to thank all of our regular and new customers for their support.  Thanks also to all who have contacted us, even if we haven’t yet done business.

If you’re having a computer issue, don’t hesitate to contact us - we’ll work you into our schedule quickly and do what it takes to get your PC up and running smoothly again!

Avira Antivir, Avast, or AVG… are (all) very worthy contenders that can hold their own or surpass any heavyweight for-pay antivirus; however Anitvir and Avast are definitely in the first tier, while AVG is a close second tier.

We concur with this analysis, and are currently recommending Avira Antivir for home users.

And, as always, if you need help or advice with antivirus or any other computer-related issues, contact us!  We’d be happy to be of assistance!

In this article you will find a range of free editors that can be used by graphic designers, photographers, animators, artists and even kids.  Some have basic functionality for the amateur or learner, others are very powerful and suitable for the professional.

There are selections for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. We are big fans of IrfanView, and agree with this article’s statement that it is “simple for beginners and powerful for professionals”.  There are many other winners here, too.

Edit 04/29/2009:

The 1stwebdesigner blog recently featured 28 Online Photo Editing Websites to Have Fun With.  These make for easy embarrassment of family and friends (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing sometimes…)

We’ve used it since it first became available as a beta and like it a lot!  Here’s where you can download it and find more out about it.

Another interesting tidbit from this comparison which was news to us - Novell has a custom version of OpenOffice.org 3.0 available for download.  What makes their version different from the mainstream version of OpenOffice.org? 

OpenOffice.org Novell Edition for Windows contains enhancements and bug fixes, especially for interoperability with Microsoft Office and other word processing programs, that are not available in the standard edition. These enhancements include:            

• Microsoft Excel*: Compatibility: Improved Excel compatibility for certain built-in functions (e.g., CELL, INFO, INDIRECT), hyperlinks and filters, improved ergonomics, and support for “R1C1″ style addresses. Improved performance on certain text functions such as SEARCH.  Natural sorting option in cell range sorting.
• Excel VBA Macro Interoperability: OpenOffice.org Novell Edition eases the migration of many macros from Microsoft Excel.  Although not all macros can be successfully migrated, this interoperability offers more than the standard edition, which does not support migration of macros.
• Data Pilots: Data Pilots are interoperable with Microsoft Office PivotTables*.  OpenOffice.org Novell Edition substantially improves the Data Pilot feature, making it possible to edit pilots after creation.
• Enhanced Fonts: Licensed fonts from Agfa* Monotype* which are metrically identical and visually compatible with some of the key Microsoft fonts.  This allows OpenOffice.org Novell Edition to match fonts when opening documents originally composed in Microsoft Office, and very closely match pagination and page formatting.
• EMF+Support: The ability to render EMF+ formatted graphics
• SVG Support: The ability to import scalable vector graphics.
• Import File Formats: Microsoft Works, WordPerfect* text and graphics, T602 files, OfficeOpen XML, and more.
• Groupwise® Integration: OpenOffice.org Novell Edition includes improved integration with ODMA (Open Document Management Architecture) services, for example for GroupWise.  If you have the GroupWise client installed on the machine, OpenOffice.org Novell Edition will offer to open documents from GroupWise, or save documents in GroupWise.

Yes, OpenOffice.org Novell Edition opens Microsoft Office 2007 (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx) files!

Free registration with Novell is required to download OpenOffice.org Novell Edition.  For those who regularly share files with MS Office users, this might be the way to go.

Here, in .pdf format is Novell’s FAQ for OpenOffice.org Novell Edition.

Here is a direct link to download the suite in .iso format, without registration.  This page provides instructions on how to burn .iso files to a CD via many popular CD burning programs.

Even though OpenOffice.org… can’t do everything (Microsoft) Office can, it can do a lot, and it has some of its own tricks that even (Microsoft) Office can’t manage.

Mr. Mendelson’s article makes a nice addition to our series of OpenOffice.org posts.  Tip #5 in his article is a shorter version of our post on Configuring the OpenOffice.org suite for use in a Microsoft Office world… 

As we’ve said before - you can’t beat the price!

With this guide, we will be providing you with a list of useful applications that we feel stand above all others in what they attempt to do, and when all is said and done, your PC will be ready for nearly any everyday task you throw at it.

For those wishing to “cut to the chase”, here are all of their picks in one table.  More discussion (along with more suggested apps) can be found in the comments.

Ever had one of those moments when you really wished you knew how to do something specific? If only there were someone you could ask…

Here’s a run-down of more than 60 great how-to sites and guides covering everything from building a mashup to being more productive, creating a website and more.

And, as always, if you need help or advice on computer-related issues, contact us!  We’d be happy to be of assistance!

There are several good, free sources of just-in-time training guides and “cheat sheets” for popular software applications on the web. Here are our picks:

The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business maintains a great, publically-accessable Computing Documentation Library full of handouts and ”cheat sheets” for many software programs.

CustomGuide is a software training company based in Minneapolis, MN. They offer several FREE Quick References for popular programs and operating systems.

OpenOffice.org user guides for Version 3 (their latest version) are available here.

As discussed in our Lotus Symphony posts, ”cheat sheets” in the form of reference cards are available here.

If you have any others to add, leave a reply below or contact us!