TechTarget Article: Using Customization Tools to Ease Migration Problems, and Just Make OpenOffice Easier to Use

I've written an article for TechTarget on the general theme of using the customization tools in OpenOffice.org to make life better for users. Whether they're just using OpenOffice (or StarOffice), or switching from Microsoft Office, you can customize toolbars, menus, and keyboard shortcuts to make life easier.

Here's how it starts--thanks to Louis for the story and to Scott for his pivotal role.

"One of my blog readers reports that, when he migrated his organization to OpenOffice.org, he didn't even tell the users that they were switching to a different office suite. He just said that there was going to be a big upgrade. Then, he and his migration cohorts modified the OpenOffice.org menus and toolbars to resemble the Microsoft Office layout and phrasing as much as possible (without violating copyright, of course) and gave that configured version to the users. He reports very few problems with the migration.

"I love that story. Is the biggest problem with change simply that it is change?"

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Comments

[Scott Brawner]

Way to go Louis! (and Solveig!) And if I remember correctly, I was the one that told you about the toolbars and menus idea. I told you how the SO/OOo group at Yahoo groups offered a downloadable menu and tollbar configuration for OOo 1.x and suggested that the same thing could be done for OOo 2.0. Not trying to steal your thunder. Just trying to humble you a little :P

[Solveig Haugland]

Whoops! Sorry, Scott--I am soooo humble right now. ;> So let me get this straight, Scott, you're the one who A) didn't tell users much about the transition and B) did the customization to make it look like MS? (Just wondering if I'm muddling two stories.)

Great idea, btw -- whoever does this configuring, it would be great if you decided to share the configuration files.

Solveig

[Scott]

Your getting it a bit confused. I worked with Louis. When he was first considering the transition I had told him about how I had found a configuration file on Yahoo Groups to change the OOo menus and toolbars to be almost identical to MS Office. He said "really?". That, I'd like to think, was the genesis for his idea to take things in the direction he did. I planted the seed, he grew the tree.

[Solveig Haugland]

Gotcha!
Thanks,
Solveig