Being free certainly doesn't hurt! While I do have MS Office as well, I write first drafts in Open Office and then copy it across.
It's not as big a resource hog as MS Office and for basic use it's excellent. Open Office reminds me of the old MS Office, with a similar layout and ease of use. I can plug it into any Windows computer and get to work immediately. The portable copy has proved a lifesaver when out and about. It loads quickly, can save in many different formats (more than MS Office) and is more adaptable. I've used it on numerous occasions to rescue and reformat corrupted files (particularly in its Word version), earning major kudos from students and clients in full panic mode that the CV or project they've put their heart into has been lost forever. Having to chose between OpenOffice and LibreOffice (both based on the original OpenOffice experience), there is very little to discuss: the second one is the only alternative you should consider. Also if a strong community is still existing, it has majorly moved to LibreOffice project, a suite which is the choice if you are looking for an (inexpensive) alternative to Microsoft. Its development has not been updated in the last years, if not for minor updates, and community support is falling down. Actually Apache is the owner of the project, and also if it is still free, I wouldn't recommend to spend a second on it.
But the situation changed in 2010 when concerns arose around the management of the project.
Its vast number of developers around the world made it easy to find solutions to your problems in any language, and to install flawlessly a wide number of plugins. It has been THE alternative to Microsoft Suite for many years, and at no cost. I have been a daily user of OpenOffice since its earliest versions. The lack of support and the creation of LibreOffice made it a deprecated solution, unless you are already a user who doesn't feel confortable with changes (but you would feel much happier with LibreOffice from minute 1). I've been really happy with it (some concerns with some specific version, but nothing that couldn't be resolved downgrading to the previous one.
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