Sun posts StarOffice 9 beta for Mac
updated 12:25 pm EDT, Mon August 4, 2008
StarOffice 9 beta released
Sun Microsystems has released a beta version of StarOffice 9, the first edition of its office suite to natively support the Mac. StarOffice includes presentation, spreadsheet and word processing software, as well as programs for drawing, databases and HTML editing. The v9 upgrade includes better Microsoft Office filters, support for OOXML files, and a new PDF import option with improved export options to match.
Sun has further included a calendar extension for Thunderbird called Lightning, and a number of other new components, including blog and wiki tools, a presentation console for Impress, and a report builder for databases.
The Mac version of StarOffice runs on Mac OS X 10.4 or later, and requires 500MB of hard drive space along with a 1024x768 display. The download is free, but the beta is currently set to expire on August 17th. The final version of v9 is due to be available in the fall.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2001
13 Days?!
Why even bother offering a beta of a productivity suite that is going to expire in 13 days? By the time some people hear about it there will only be a few days left.
On a side note, why have the devs working on StarOffice & OpenOffice been dragging their feet for years on a well made OS X native version? Thousands of us hate MS Office, but it seems no one is willing to take them on with something better.