When you thought of word processors years ago, everyone thought of WordPerfect.  Now, everyone thinks of Microsoft Word.  Spreadsheets are the same way, Quattro Pro in years past, Excel in the present.  Well, I want to share with you an alternative to the current champion of the office software suite Microsoft Office.  This alternative is free, robust and powerful, runs on many different operating systems and can even read and write lots of files, including Microsoft Office.  You can even export your documents as a PDF file, now how cool is that.  The software I am talking about is called OpenOffice and it’s put together by the community, with a lot of help from big names in the industry like Sun Microsystems.  I have been using OpenOffice for years, and it has really come a long way, to the point that I prefer it over Microsoft Office.  Also, consider the price if you are on a budget and it’s even better.  There are some people out there who will argue my sentiment, and that’s fine, it’s a free country.   I bet though, if you check it out you will find you like it.  Enjoy!