In the last “Tech Notes” I described the open source software movement and explained how open source software offers an alternative to the costly proprietary products we would otherwise all have to use to maximize the value of our computers.

For those of us who write, an essential piece of software is a word processor: a program for entering and formatting text. Although many of us still use WordPerfect, most computer users now have become accustomed to using Microsoft Word, which is a component of the costly Microsoft Office package. As Microsoft has been updating that package, it has gradually been building in restrictions on its use. Some of these restrictions tie the latest versions to specific versions of Windows, forcing those who want to be able to open files from recent versions to upgrade not only their Office package but also their version of Windows and possibly even to buy a whole new computer. In addition, Microsoft has begun to require registration of each installation of the operating system and Office package. This means that use on multiple computers now (or soon will) require the purchase of multiple version of the software.

Partly in response to these changes in the marketing of Word, the open source community has created a monumental software package that can replace Microsoft Office called Open Office. Open Office, which is completely free, contains replacements for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Paint. Open Office has most of the useful features of Microsoft Office and reads and writes Word-compatible files. You can download and try the entire Open Office package at no charge at

“TechNotes” runs in each issue of TAP, with the aim of educating us about aspects of technology and communications relevant to our work.