blogs.zdnet.com: Since I’m testing the viability of running Ubuntu on a number of platforms, and paving the way to shift from Internet Explorer to Firefox 3.0, I might as well take a look at the viability of abandoning Microsoft Office and making the leap to OpenOffice.org.

• Review: OpenOffice.org Beta Fails the Office 2007 Test

• OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta shrugs off X11
• Having different layout and page numbering within a document
• Test Drive OpenOffice 3 Beta in Ubuntu
• OpenOffice.org, Now Home to Attractive Release Notes

arstechnica.com: It has been almost three years since the release of OpenOffice.org 2.0. During that time we've seen community fragmentation and frustration resulting from Sun's heavy involvement with the office suite's development, and even a third-party online version that provides editing and collaboration features. Now, the open source office suite is back with a new 3.0 beta release.

openoffice.org: The OpenOffice.org Community is pleased to announce that the public beta release of OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now available. This beta release is made available to allow a broad user base to test and evaluate the next major version of OpenOffice.org.

bytebot.net/blog: In an interesting twist (interesting for Microsoft and their OOXML apologists), about a month ago, MAMPU, decided that they were going to go OpenOffice.org and go ODF, and dump Microsoft Office by year-end 2008. Now, you can hold them to their word.

fanaticattack.com: This is another article in my series that shows the similarities between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office. Using a new product requires some re-learning. But you rarely have to learn an entirely new set of skills. This article is to emphasize the similarities.

linuxjournal.com: As the name suggests, Writer's Tools is a collection of various utilities that might be useful for writers. It's a little rough in places, being only at version 0.9.27, and possibly a little idiosyncratic, but like Emacs, Writer's Tools is so varied that it undoubtedly has something for everyone, regardless of their writing habits.

computerworlduk.com/blogs: Some people get sniffy about OpenOffice.org, calling it mickey mouse in comparison to the “serious” and “grown-up” Microsoft Office. That may have been a vaguely plausible jibe for version 1, but I've found version 2 to be incredibly fast and powerful – it really does everything I need in an office suite, and it does it well. And yet OpenOffice.org rarely gets the respect it deserves.

linux.com: With OpenOffice.org 2.4 just released, OpenOffice.org 3.0 (OOo3) has already passed its feature freeze, and is scheduled for release in September. Based on recent development builds, what can you expect?

news.zdnet.co.uk: OpenOffice may support Microsoft's Office Open XML standard in future, but the organisation behind the open source productivity suite anticipates that everyone including Microsoft will have "difficulty" in making the format work.

Also: Microsoft's ISO win may worsen its antitrust woes

linuxjournal.com: Extensions have long been written for OpenOffice.org Writer. However, the fact that attention is finally being paid to other applications seems a sign that OpenOffice.org is finally starting to develop an active extension-writing community. A case in point is the recent availability of extensions for Impress.

The multiplatform, multilingual office suite OpenOffice.org announces the official release of version 2.4 with 9 new chart features, 5 PDF export enhancements, text to columns in Calc, rectangular selection in Writer, bug fixes, performance improvements, improvements supporting the growing library of extensions such as 3D OpenGL transitions in Impress, and much more. Downloads are available either direct or P2P. In September, OpenOffice.org 3.0 will add PDF import, Microsoft Office 2007 file format support, and ODF 1.2.

openoffice.org: The OpenOffice.org Community is pleased to announce the release of OpenOffice.org 2.4. 2.4 includes many new features, enhancements, and bug fixes to all its core components. The Website team has designed and implemented a clean new style that we believe will make it easier to find OpenOffice.org, download, and learn about it.

liquidat.wordpress: OpenOffice will see a new release today: version 2.4. Among the new features are improved multi language management and 3D eyecandy for Impress. While it is only a minor release it does come along with some nice additions:

techworld.com: Microsoft’s Office suite could have plausible challenger on the desktop for the first time since Lotus gave up trying to take on Redmond a decade ago.