KOffice was originally developed for Linux, but one of the primary goals for KOffice 2.0 is for it to run on all three major operating systems: Windows, Apple OSX, and Linux.

Like OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office, KOffice is a full office suite. KOffice is free software and offers a full suite of applications, including for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, image editing, slideshows, and more. Like OOo, KOffice uses the Open Document Format.

KOffice 2.0 is in alpha now, and TechWorld recently took a look at KOffice for Windows. As an alpha, this release is primarily for developers for debugging, but it is also a first look at the features of KOffice 2.0 and what it has in store for Windows users.

First look: KOffice 2.0 Alpha 8 | TechWorld (via /.)

Description from MCLE:

The Paperless Office
Presented by Sam Glover; moderated by Peter Berge

Friday, June 6, 2008, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
1.0 law office management credit
Tuition: $75

The “paperless office” concept has created a trendy buzz in law office management circles. With new, reasonably priced hardware and software, it can also be a reality for any size office. What the paperless office offers is a great key to efficiency. In this webcast, attorney Sam Glover will provide a practical discussion of how a law office can move toward a more paperless existence. Mr. Glover will provide an overview of the technology and procedures needed and practical tips on how to save money and increase efficiency.

Presented by Samuel J. Glover, Attorney at Law, Minneapolis; moderated by Peter H. Berge, Minnesota CLE, St. Paul.

Register Now for The Paperless Office

Mike Kavis switched to Linux to prove that people can be productive at work without using Microsoft products. One year later, he has proved the point.

I have been Microsoft free* for a couple of months now, as well, using Ubuntu GNU/Linux as my primary operating system, with OpenOffice.org as my office suite. I have not used Microsoft Office in almost a year.

Why do I prefer Ubuntu? Primarily, because it is lighter and faster, more reliable, and more configurable. It has encouraged me to focus on open standards and programs that work equally well on Windows and Mac OSX, so that I can move my data freely between all platforms. It also saves me money, especially on upgrades, although I do believe in contributing to the software projects from which I benefit.

I actually like Windows XP just fine, and always have. But my laptop has a 60GB hard drive, so Vista’s 20+GB install size was a dealbreaker for me. I think Microsoft really went the wrong direction with Vista, but I will not rule out a return to Windows if version 7 turns out to be lighter and faster, instead of bigger and slower.

*I do run Windows XP using VirtualBox (kind of like Parallels or VMWare Fusion for a Mac) so that I can use Adobe Acrobat, since there is still not a good Linux alternative. I also prefer the Windows-only scanner utility for my Fujitsu ScanSnap, since Fujitsu still refuses to support Linux.

Since Microsoft insists on ignoring the international open document format, here are the open document conversion add-ins for Microsoft Office.

I was poking around the Internet today and ran across a few useful pages on Microsoft’s website with guides for lawyers using Microsoft Office to track clients, time, etc. First, Microsoft has a list of “legal articles” with useful information for lawyers using Office. One of the most useful is a tutorial on setting up and using Outlook to track billable time using tasks. It looks like a pretty smooth method. At least as good as Time Matters, anyway. I will try it out for a couple of files and give a full report. It looks like you could easily use this method in other PIMs like Evolution, as well.

You can also find a list of useful templates.

As I mentioned, I had a short-notice brief writing project to do over the weekend. A new client called Wednesday and asked for a summary judgment motion that was due today. Since I have been dabbling in free and open-source software lately, I decided to use OpenOffice.org Writer to draft the brief.

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Brian Boyko over at [H] Consumer just posted “30 Days with Linux,” recounting his experience with going commercial-software free for a month. Read the article for yourself, but in the end, Brian decided to run Windows XP only as a backup for gaming and photo editing. Not bad. He did have some problems, and Matt Zimmerman, chair of the Ubuntu Technical Board, even posted a well-thought-out reply to the [H] Consumer forum.

Brian’s experience mirrors my own. Although Linux isn’t perfect, it seems that years of thoughtful input and development have shaped Linux into an operating system that is superior in important ways, even while its fallibility is hard-coded into the system. I have been using Ubuntu Linux for about two weeks myself. It is my “personal” OS, while I still use Windows for business. Office just has too many features that aren’t available in OpenOffice.org or Evolution and Kontact, both of which are great PIMs, but not on par with Outlook, mainly because they lack the ability to link one item to another.

I am also frustrated at the lack of a good indexing desktop search. Or at least, I haven’t tried one I like so far. Still, Ubuntu Linux is very good, and I have already integrated it into my system, and am considering going all-Linux in the near future. As soon as I can sort out a few remaining glitches, that is. And install CrossOver so I can keep using Office in Linux.

I recently downloaded the trial version of Office 2007 for a long-term test, and I wanted to share my thoughts and reactions after living with it for about two weeks. I primarily use Outlook and Word, and Excel only occasionally. My comments will obviously focus on those programs.

I’ll start with my conclusion: Based on Outlook and Word, Office 2007 is probably not worth the upgrade. If you were hoping to do amazing new things, or that you would save tons of time because of new streamlining, this is not the office suite you are looking for. What Office 2007 does is fine-tune the interface, which is nice, but not really worth $239-679.

But I am going to get Office 2007 anyway. It took me a few days to come to this conclusion, but the new software takes some time to get used to. When you learn where things have gone and how to manipulate the new interface, it really does make more sense, and it really is easier to use. Still, this is a minor upgrade for the user, whatever Microsoft’s marketing division may say. (My IT friends say MS did a number from a systems perspective, but that doesn’t mean much to me.)

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Mousing gives you carpal tunnel syndrome, anyway. Keyboard shortcuts are of the Path [Lifehacker]. Although the new Office 2007 toolbar looks like a shiny cartoon vomited on Outlook 2003, it seems Microsoft got keyboard shortcuts right. Hit Alt, and every keyboard shortcut shows up next to the function it triggers.

Forget stop > reach > point > click. Mash a couple of keys and be on your way.