Reviews
Note: ClueSheets for StarOffice and OpenOffice.org are nealry identical due to the basic similarities between the applications.
OpenOffice.org ClueSheets
This review was kindly provided by OpenOffice.org website product reviewer Colin Charles.
Overall verdict: 8/10
Pros: Great for beginners, definitely reaches its target audience and
more.
Cons: More advanced usage isn't covered; ...current to version 1.1 of
the software.
Defined as the 2-page, easy-to-use cards, they really are easy to use
and are distributed as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, so you can
read it on just about any platform that Adobe makes a viewer for, even
on Palm Pilots!
The review unit that I got was current with version 1.0.1, and by the
time this is out, 1.1 Release Candidate 2 is out, with 1.1 Final looming
around the corner. However, the basics within the package hasn't gone
through changes that are significant, so even with 1.1, I think the ClueSheets
will still be of use to new users. [ClueSheets for StarOffice 8 are and for Cluesheets for OpenOffice.org 2.0.x are available NOW. ]
That's whom the ClueSheets are targeted at. New users of the OpenOffice.org
package; or users that have come from other familiar office packages,
and have made the switch to OpenOffice.org. However, being filled with
an abundance of screen-shots, and the snippets of information organized
in a very handy format, the ClueSheets from Publishing Power are something
that many users would like to keep handy beside their desks.
A typical ClueSheet starts of with an overall screen-shot of the application
and some explanations as to what is significant within the application.
It then goes on to creating a document within the application, adding
and formatting content, organizing the document, and for each application,
its specifics of use. The overview (Software Basics) ClueSheet goes on
about customizing the package, and introduces the template function, and
how the Navigator within the package works.
If you were doing network installs or deploying OpenOffice.org in an environment,
the software basics are nice to be mastered as it sets the working environment
for all users. Within the ClueSheets, there's a large amount of tips and
tricks that users will generally find useful things that others spend
time learning.
A point to note is that the ClueSheets aren't operating system centric
(and neither is OpenOffice.org). If you run Windows, Linux, Mac OS X,
or Solaris, the options are all the same. There is no active use of keyboard
shortcuts that are architecture specific. This is truly an advantage from
the start as it sets it out to be OS-independent.
The ClueSheets are a quick way of getting up to speed on the basics, and
will serve as good training material, and will come in handy for the first
few moments of OpenOffice.org usage. By using the package and its applications
on a daily basis, the ClueSheets will slowly fade away as a reference
guide.
Reprinted by permission of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Copyright © 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. StarOffice is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.