There are signs of hope, of course, and on all fronts. For example, there is a genuine chance we will effect a critical political change this November, although the polls continue to show a country (two countries, really) divided almost equally between starkly contrasting alternatives. The popularity of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 suggests that (True)Blue America may yet generate enough positive energy to defeat Bush (again), once and for all. If that does happen, we would expect movement toward greater progress and openness in every aspect of American life. Meanwhile, with Red(neck) America still in charge, we have to make do with existing resources.

On the technology front, that increasingly means Microsoft. The Republican-brokered antitrust "settlement" has left Gates & Co. as powerful as ever, and the company continues to settle its pesky remaining lawsuits at a brisk pace. For a while it seemed as though Europe might help brake Microsoft's rapacious drive forward, but the company is deft at manipulating the courts (and the court of public opinion) in every Western country; we don't think Europe will be much of an impediment to Redmond world dominion.

There is one potential roadblock for Microsoft, though: the open source movement. Linux, OpenOffice and other open source software initiatives have scored some noticeable wins over Microsoft lately, particularly among government agencies and educational institutions. This has happened not just in Europe, but throughout Asia and Latin America (and, to a lesser extent, even here). Cost efficiency is one logical explanation, but not the only one: progressive entities everywhere realize that some system of checks and balances is as necessary in technology as it is in politics, and are casting their votes accordingly. We urge you to join them.

(Not to be too simplistic about this—we'll grant that Microsoft may actually produce a few decent products, just as a few "Heartland" conservatives may actually be decent people. But you'll notice the Bush re-election site runs on Windows and IIS, while Kerry's site uses Linux and Apache.)

All of this is by way of introducing the latest version of OpenOffice, which we have belatedly installed on OS X/X11 (a native Aqua version is under development). OpenOffice 1.1.2 builds on the strengths of the previous version, adding speed and a smoother interface, along with the ability to export files to PDF and SWF formats. It is very nice, functional software. It really works. It looks good, and is pleasant to use. And it provides 90%+ compatibility with current MS Office formats.

We've been running StarOffice 6 (the basis for OpenOffice 1.0) on Windows for some time, and have been quite impressed. Likewise with OpenOffice 1.0 on RedHat Linux. Now that we've installed the newest version on the Mac, we plan to upgrade it on our other platforms as well. Although we do admit to having MS Office installed on Windows (and also on the Mac), we try to use the open source alternative whenever possible, unless MS Office is absolutely necessary for client compatibility. Most of the time, it's not.

If enough of us choose OpenOffice/StarOffice, over time its market share will increase. At that point, MS compatibility will become less of an issue and freedom (from onerous licensing and pricing) will become more of a priority for everyone. That's the goal, but the reality is, you do need Microsoft compatibility to function at present (just as you need to interact with elected officials who may not represent your best interests). OpenOffice delivers what you need, and beyond that it delivers the implicit promise and hope of progressive change. Try it. Use it. Cast your vote early, and enjoy your Independence Day weekend.

(Reviewed July 2, 2004)