OpenOffice Feedback

[IDontWantAnAccountWU]

I have used OpenOffice for years and found it as good, if not better, than paid programs. But this opinion has faded, I find it a miserable experience now to use the software. I was using Writer with a table to sort information pertaining to measurements, prices, and other important information I was collecting. The first thing that happened was that after several hours of work, I got up to get something to drink and stretch, when I got back the program had crashed, saying that it would recover, which it didn't, so all work was lost, for what reason I don't know. This also happened again later on, but I was smart enough to keep a rolling save going with ctrl+s. And when this crashed happened, I wasn't even typing anything, I was using my web browser.
After learning to keep a rolling save I noticed that my precise measurements were being rounded up, which upset me, because I needed them to be precise. I did ctrl+z to undo the auto format, but as soon as I moved away, it did it again. I also noticed where it changed prices I had written for products, again, upset me a great deal. I go online looking how to stop this feature and I couldn't find a quick way to turn it off. I went and turned off auto format, didn't work. I went under the auto format options and turned all of them off, did nothing. Finally after looking 15-30min and getting the same advice over and over again, I was about to delete the software. But I finally right clicked on the table and see the option of turning off number recognition, which finally turned off all the rounding of my measurements and prices I had written. But of course as I was using it, it turned this feature back on and started to again mess up everything.
On top of all of this, I went to do some cut and pasting, hoping to get the option to paste without the formatting from the source, and instead use the document formatting. The right click didn't even show a paste, a common feature that is even in notepad. Of course I did the ctrl+v, but some people may not know this option. Not only that, under the Edit, the paste, paste special, and other options are not selectable, at all.
In closing I have to say that I truly dislike this software now. What ever happened to K.I.S.S.? This software is so bloated, over complicated, it isn't funny, at all. It shouldn't take 30+ min. to turn off a single feature and then struggle to keep it from messing up your work again. Because when you have to make a mental note to be sure to triple check the results, it slows you down. Sometimes to many bells and whistles is a very bad thing, and this is a prime example. Having multiple places to perhaps turn off a feature, maybe, is proof this software isn't being tended to properly. No one should have to dig into the program, do online research, and maybe find ways to undo something or turn it off. That is counter intuitive, counter productive, and will lead people to choose something else that simply... works, and is simple. Like the old notepad, notepad++, WordPad, etc.... that doesn't take software brain surgery to use the way you want to. I plan on deleting the software due to all theses issues and perhaps use Microsoft products again, which should be a huge insult to the developers.

[Hagar Delest]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Please note first that we are users like you in this forum, there are no developers at all. If you want to give the project your feedback, use their mailing list.

AOO is indeed a walking dead software. LibreOffice is the OOo successor, actively developed. However, it includes the same features, thus you may complain the same way (but for the crashes that should be much less frequent). Such word processors are powerful because they have advanced features, that can be deactivated sometimes but that are judged better on by default because it suits most users. Bad luck you are not one of them.

As you said, if you need something simple, then AOO/LO (or MS Word) are not your best bet. There must be plenty of alternatives (like Notepad++). You can remove the software, first the devs won't know and second, it is not the tool you need, thus no hard feeling. At least you'll be used to ctrl+S every few minutes, that's a major trick with any kind of software.