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The release candidate 2 of OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now ready for testing. This test release is made available to allow a broad user base to test and evaluate the next major version of OpenOffice.org, but is not recommended for production use at this stage.

OpenOffice is a great free alternative for opening and creating office documents. OpenOffice 3 series is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 documents. OpenOffice 3 will open Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents, allow you to edit them, and also save them back in Microsoft’s format, where other users of the Microsoft Office suites can open them.

OpenOffice.org 3.0.0 RC2 Release Notes

Download OpenOffice.org 3.0.0 RC2

OpenOffice.org 2.3 incorporates an extensive array of new features and enhancements to all its core components, and protects users from newly discovered security vulnerabilities. It is a major release and all users should download it.

Plus: It is only with 2.3 that users can make full use of the growing extensions library.

OpenOffice.org 2.3.0 Release Notes

Download OpenOffice.org 2.3.0

OpenOffice.org 2.2.1 is a bugfix release. Release notes can be found here.

OpenOffice.org 2.2 release notes can be found here.

Why OpenOffice.org?

OpenOffice.org is synonymous with quality
* the roots of OpenOffice.org go back twenty years, creating a mature and powerful product
* hundreds of thousands of users participated in the beta testing of version 2
* independent reviewers around the world have recommended the product
* with a fully open development process, OpenOffice.org has nothing to hide - the product stands or falls on its reputation

OpenOffice.org is easy to use
* the software looks and feels familiar and is instantly usable by anyone who has used a competitive product
* it’s easy to change to OpenOffice.org - the software reads all major competitors’ files
* few language barriers - if it’s not yet available in your language, the chances are it will be soon
* OpenOffice.org is supported by a global community of friendly volunteers, only too happy to provide assistance to newcomers and advanced users alike

OpenOffice.org is free software
* you may download OpenOffice.org completely free of any licence fees
* install it on as many PCs as you like
* use it for any purpose - private, educational, government and public administration, commercial…
* pass on copies free of charge to family, friends, students, employees, etc.

Security experts have warned that password recovery tools for OpenOffice, the open-source application suite, are vulnerable to abuse.

The release of version 1.0.4 of Intelore’s OpenOffice Password Recovery software on Thursday allows IT managers and systems administrators to recover OpenOffice passwords and discard formatting and editing restrictions–for example, locked cell protection and permissions. The software allows password recovery through brute force and dictionary-based attacks, or a combination of both.

“Even if you have lost passwords for all your OpenOffice programs and documents, Intelore’s solution can help you quicker than any similar program–OpenOffice Password Recovery supports simultaneous processing of several recovery projects with different attack profiles,” said Dmitry Rozenbaum, chief executive officer of Intelore.

Although password recovery tools for Microsoft applications have been available for at least six years, OpenOffice Password Recovery is one of the first commercially available tools for open-source products. But security experts have warned that such tools could be open to abuse.

“These kinds of tools can be used for both good and bad,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security vendor Sophos. “It’s a grey area in software. Cottage industries for such tools are mushrooming. These applications can help people, but in the wrong hands they’re a bit of a security concern.” Cluley added that IT managers could set policies about who could have access to such tools on a business network.