OpenOffice 3.1 now available to download

BANGALORE, INDIA: The OpenOffice.org community on Thursday announced the availability of  OpenOffice 3.1, what according to it is a significant upgrade to the world's leading open-source office productivity suite.

The updated version is released in more than 90 languages and available as a free download on all major computing platforms, said a press release.

OpenOffice.org now uses a technique called anti-aliasing to improve the way it draws on screen and also has improved 'graphic geometry'.

Some of the new features include, outline levels within paragraphs for complex documentsCalc, hot hints for formulae, with new and improved formulae available, improved sorting, SQL syntax highlighting, easier deployment of macro applications etc.

Behind the scenes, OpenOffice.org also now has a more capable file locking mechanism, enabling users to share files safely in a multi-user, multi-platform environment, said the release.

"OpenOffice.org 3.1 demonstrates that we are listening to our users, and thanks to the long-term commitment from our sponsors, we can invest the time and effort to make significant changes to the software," said John McCreesh, OpenOffice.org marketing project lead.

"OpenOffice.org has all the features users want, it's easy to use and free. We urge everyone to download and try it today," he added.