subject: The Disadvantages of Open Office [print this page] Open Office is a popular open source office suite that has been gaining notoriety in the last few years as it becomes a polished software application. Even though it is great you might experience some disadvantages with this type of software.
A common issue that power users are facing with Open Office is that it might be missing a feature or two that they really need for some advanced functions. For the most part the average user will never face this issue, but it is a possibility. If you need to have advanced specialized features, another office suite may be better for you. On computers that don't require these features consider saving some money and using the Open Office software on them.
One disadvantage is that you might already be locked into a contract with Microsoft for their office suite. If you were to quickly cancel this contract, it could cost you considerable money to stop using your current contract. This vendor lock in is a situation that many businesses and governments face when considering to move over to open source solutions.
For the consumer a disadvantage is one of support. On the enterprise level, Sun MicroSystems offers support. However, for the individual user being able to get paid support is very difficult. If feel you may need a number to call customer service for help, stick with a paid office suite. If you can use forums and internet searches to fix any problems, choose with Open Office. Very few people run into issues that require them to actually get help, but some would still rather have that help available.
Although it doesn't seem to happen much anymore, there are still some lingering formatting issues from 5 year old or older Microsoft documents. This does happen to Microsoft Office at times as well since it's not entirely an Open Office exclusive issue.
Since this application is free it is a good idea to go ahead and try Open Office since you really can't lose. You may find that it is perfect for your needs.
