StarOffice 6.0

Writer: The word processor in StarOffice Writer, looks much like its main rivals, Word, WordPerfect and Word Pro. It supports most of the same heavyweight functions, too, such as outlining, frames, columns and tables. Table functions include merge, split and distribution and cells can be made to expand as you type or stay fixed.

Writers' tools include a spell checker, thesaurus and auto-correction of common typing errors. Longer document functions are also supported, with footnotes and end-notes, cross-references, indexing and tables of contents.

Writer defaults to a print layout view of the page, so you can see all elements as you create them and this gives a lot of scope for desktop publishing and even Web page design. All StarOffice modules now use XML as their default file format, so most documents will display directly in Web browsers. Sun realises it must maintain compatibility with Microsoft though, and Writer, like the other modules, opens documents from its Office equivalents.

Writer is fully graphical and includes image import and integrated graphics and charting. One of the key ways of adding images to your Writer documents is from the Gallery, a suite-wide clipboard which comes with masses of clip-art. You can drag and drop any item from the gallery to a Writer page and, just as easily, drag items from your page to store in the Gallery for use in other documents or modules.

Calc: The StarOffice spreadsheet is a capable program, though not quite up to the likes of Excel, 1-2-3 or Quattro Pro. As you would expect, you can enter numbers, text and formulas into the cells and set up relationships between them to conduct all kinds of calculations.

Calc supports over 350 different functions, including esoteric ones like number base conversion and complex numbers. The program follows the industry conventions for entering and manipulating numbers, which makes it very easy to use. The charting module is well engineered with a selection of colour schemes which can be applied with minimum effort. A basic chart can be constructed with just a couple of mouse clicks, once you've selected your target cells.

Draw: Of all the graphics modules in the major integrated suites, StarOffice Draw is far and away the most impressive. As well as being a useful addition to other modules, it can be opened as a separate application in its own right. The core tools for drawing lines, rectangles and ellipses are there as you'd expect, but more unusual are those for bezier curves, polygons, connectors, arrows and 3D objects. Draw is just as capable with photo images as it is at constructing drawings. Import an image and you can adjust its brightness, transparency and gamma level, as well as applying a range of different filters. While not as comprehensive as a dedicated graphics package, it's exceptionally well equipped for part of an integrated suite.

Impress and Adabas: Draw's functions are available in StarOffice Impress, the presentation graphics module, too. Although this means you can easily incorporate graphic elements in your slides, the program itself is comparatively basic. You're offered the key slide, outline, notes and handout views for putting together an electronic slide show, but the lacklustre designs and lack of co-ordinated colour schemes mean eye-catching presentations are harder to achieve.

The database section of StarOffice 6, Adabas, differs from the other modules in being integrated into several of them, rather than a standalone application. Pick Tools, Data Sources in Writer or Calc and you can import a data file, such as an address list, into the database module and get at it from the other modules. This is ideal for mail shots and makes viewing and manipulating addresses very easy, but with different data, it can be used for many other lists of information.

Overall, StarOffice 6 is a versatile, well-equipped integrated suite, a rival for the other main players but at an exceptionally attractive price.--Simon Williams.

With the StarOffice suite you get tools for word processing, developing spreadsheets, making presentations, creating graphics, editing photos, publishing to the Web, and using data from relational databases. All StarOffice applications are integrated, which means they share the same basic menu commands, toolbars, and function keys, so you can get your work done faster. In addition, StarOffice Draw, the included graphics application, lets you add diagrams and graphics to StarOffice documents with a wide variety of drawing tools and templates.

In this latest version StarOffice software improves on the best Microsoft Office import and export filters available today. StarOffice 6.0 supports editable Microsoft Office OLE objects, auto shapes, frames, charts, and form controls. The StarOffice 6.0 release also integrates e-mail, including Netscape Messenger and Address Book, to send documents as e-mails directly from StarOffice modules. It also offers new levels of encryption to password-protect text documents and spreadsheets.