Sun’s StarOffice Comes Close to Matching Microsoft, but Latter Still Has an Edge

Sun Microsystems is trying to do to Microsoft what Microsoft did to Netscape. A couple of years ago, Microsoft put an enormous dent in Netscape’s revenue by giving away Internet Explorer, making it virtually impossible for Netscape to charge money for its competing Internet browser.

Last month, Sun announced that it would give away free copies of StarOffice 5.1, an integrated program with word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail and other functions similar to those of the popular Microsoft Office. Microsoft grosses billions of dollars on Office, which costs users anywhere from $249 to $800, depending on the version.

Sun also announced that it was working on a Web-based version of the program that would allow users to perform office tasks from any Web browser without having to first download software to their PCs. The Web-based version won’t be available until next year. But a version of the StarOffice program that runs on Windows, Linux, IBM OS/2 and Sun’s Solaris operating system is available for free from Sun’s Web site (https://www.sun.com/dot-com/staroffice.html).

Sun got its hands on this program by acquiring the German company Star Division. Star Division had previously allowed individuals free personal use of the program but charged businesses $149 per user.

So if you have a high-speed Internet connection or a great deal of patience, you can download the 64-megabyte file from Sun’s Web site. It took me about a half-hour to download it using my high-speed cable modem. However, it will be about a three-hour wait to download this program on a 56K modem and a six-hour wait if you’re using a 28.8K modem. (Alternatively, you can buy the program on a CD-ROM for $9.95 plus $6 shipping and handling.)

I installed the StarOffice Windows version on two of my machines and put the program through its paces.

On balance I found StarOffice performed as advertised. Indeed, I’m using Sun’s StarOffice to write this column.

It provided the same basic functions as Microsoft Office. However, Microsoft Office has advantages, given the enormous support system that’s developed around it, ranging from books about Microsoft’s program to the thousands of experts with whom you can consult.

The first thing I noticed about StarOffice is that it’s an efficient single integrated program. Microsoft Office is really a suite of programs, so that you have to switch around to Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other Microsoft components.

With StarOffice, all components are at your fingertips, loaded as soon as you launch the single program. To create a new spreadsheet, you just hold down the File menu, select New and then select Spreadsheet. The same goes for creating a text document, presentation features or drawing.

The other thing I noticed about the program is that each of its features is similar, but not identical, to those of Microsoft Office. The program is able to open and save documents in Microsoft Office format, yet it’s not a clone of Office. It has its own look and feel.

Although it can open and save Office documents, StarOffice does not support some of the special features of Office, such as Word and Excel macros and styles. A macro is a little program you create inside Word or Excel to automate a particular task. A style is a way to custom-format text.

Not everyone uses styles and macros, but those of us who do are often quite dependent on them. StarOffice has its own macro and style functions, but because you can’t import them from Microsoft Office, you have to create them from scratch.

StarOffice also provides you with a “desktop” application that serves as an alternative way of viewing programs and files. When you first run the program, it hides the Windows desktop and Start menu and replaces them with its own versions.

If you prefer to use the standard Windows desktop, you can disable Sun’s version. Unlike standard Windows, StarOffice enables you to create multiple desktops, which means you can set up alternative ways to view your files and programs. That can be handy if you share your PC with other users.

I tested only the Windows version of the StarOffice program, but StarOffice has the same look and feel when you use other operating systems, according to Sun executives, so what you see in the Windows version should be nearly identical to what you get with Linux. This can be handy for companies that want to mix and match Windows systems with Linux systems and share data files.

This presents Microsoft with a double whammy. Not only does StarOffice enable users to wean themselves from Microsoft Office, it also makes it easier to move away from Microsoft Windows.

One nice feature of StarOffice is the Explorer bar, which, when clicked on, displays links to your programs and files. The bar also contains a link to a gallery, which displays art images that you can easily drag into a word processing document. You can also use the Explorer to access the program’s built-in e-mail editor and scheduler, which together give the program features similar to those in some versions of Microsoft Office.

StarOffice also can be used to create and edit Web pages, but Windows 98 comes with FrontPage Express, which performs a similar function.

One complaint I have about StarOffice is its slowness in displaying files when you try to open one. Like other programs, the software shows you all of the files in a directory, but if the directory has a lot of files, it will take several seconds before the program lets you open a file. Microsoft Office does this task instantaneously.

Although Sun has acquired a worthy program, it will be an uphill battle to unseat Microsoft as king of office suites even at the attractive price of free.

Critical programs such as word processors and spreadsheets have a way of building on their own success. Individuals and organizations like standards and, despite loud complaints about Microsoft’s domination, people flock to its software products largely because of their popularity.

Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 1:48 p.m. weekdays on KNX (1070). He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web page is at https://www.larrysworld.com. On AOL, use keyword “LarryMagid.”