Customer Reviews

StarOffice 5.2 Companion

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first book I've looked at that makes me think the authors actually used StarOffice. It appears that they tried everything because there's a lot of information on how things are supposed to work but don't. There are also helpful, unexpected things like how to do a workaround on a process that's really a pain, like outline numbering.

It's hilarious, too--check out the tutorial on using Draw and Image together.

The book does offer a better insight to the functionality of the StarOffice 5.2 Office Suite, but it reads like a dirge. This is ill-suited to the flow of the software, which is also stodgy at best. Please note, though, that after spending time with both the book and the software, eventually all questions were answered, and I have completely transferred my Office requirements to StarOffice 5.2. Yes, the book helped. :-)

Superb writing style (even funny). Comprehensive coverage for beginner through intermediate user. Good introduction to StarOffice Basic programming. (None of my MS Office books is so well written.)

StarOffice 5.2 is a fantastic office suite (for Linux and MS Windows) at a fantastic price. The only way to learn the hundreds of SO features is with a book like this. Otherwise you'll never know the power of this software. For those trying to learn StarOffice 5.2 this book is required reading. (The book that comes with the purchased software package is less complete or fun and is more to get users started.)

I can't believe how simple and straightforward this book is. I look up stuff in the index, it's there, I go to the page number, and there's a list of steps that tells me how to do what I want. And it works. This is the way it should be.

(And I'd just like to add, WHY is anyone still writing out checks to Bill Gates when StarOffice handles Microsoft Office formats? Microsoft has enough money.)

With linux taking over the world StarOffice is the only office solution for the platform. The material is presented in a clear, straight-forward, informative manner. Each of the 1,100 pages was a joy to read as compared to other software technical guides. This is the real thing of how books should be written. StarOffice Companion should now be the benchmark of other books.[....]

We were quite dependent on this book for the first months of using StarOffice, and then ordered the 6.0 update once we decided to switch to StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice. It's very nicely written, well organized, and it is easy to find the instructions for what one needs to do.

I'll confess that I bought the book for a specific purpose, namely, to get more detailed help with relational databases in Adabas (successor to StarBase). From the last sentence under the heading "The Database Tirade," "Relational databases ... are not covered in this book." (at p. 991). Needless to say, I'm sorely disappointed.

From the little that I've read, it seems reasonably well written and goes into more detail than the help files included with StarOffice. If you think the help files are beyond you and you think a more detailed explanation would help, this book may be for you. If you're looking for more information beyond the cursory scope that you find in the help files, keep looking -- this is not your book.

I never knew StarOffice allows Multiple (Virtual) Desktops until this feature was explained in this text. Also, the built-in Explorer makes it possible to display and manipulate files on a web server, without leaving StarOffice. Integrated web browser appears as a tab along with any other open windows in the suite. The "Companion" is highly recommended!