| Tue Aug 5 17:11:05 EST 2003 |
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Title: OpenOffice.org 1.0 ClueSheets
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. Thats 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 is 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. Overall verdict: 8/10
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