New version of Lotus Symphony 3.0 - more functionality and stability
Six months ago, we wrote about an alternative free IBM office suite - Lotus Symphony 1.3. Discussion of this product has caused a lot of controversy and comments. In February of this year, the second beta version of the new Lotus Symphony 3 was released based on the source code of OpenOffice.org 3. This is a fairly large update of the program, where a large number of comments were taken into account and several new features were implemented. Now the office suite, despite the beta version, is very close in stability and functionality to its paid counterparts.
Lotus Symphony includes Symphony Documents (text editor), Symphony Presentations (creating presentations), and Symphony Spreadsheet (working with tables). Lotus Symphony supports Windows (XP, Vista, 7), Linux (Suse Enterprise, Red Hat, Ubuntu) and Mac OS X operating systems.
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The installation process is fast. After starting the program, a start page opens, allowing you to select the required module, create a file, enter the browser, or download updates and add-ons (including plug-ins that integrate the product with other IBM solutions).
The entire workspace is organized as a single window. Switching between documents is done by tabs at the top of the screen. In the new release, the developers have paid great attention to the issues of design and usability. The interface is intuitive and pleasantly surprises with its convenience. It will not cause difficulties for users of Microsoft Office or OpenOffice. Setting document properties is duplicated by the graphic menu on the right side of the screen. The functionality of editors is not inferior to competing products (do not forget that Symphony relies on OpenOffice 3.0), although recently the presence or absence of any highly specialized functions does not play a significant role in products designed for a wide range of consumers. It has long been known that the overwhelming majority of ordinary users (namely, the office suite is designed for them) do not use the lion's share of the functionality. The program for creating presentations Lotus Symphony Presentations is rich in functions and quite easy to learn. Those who regularly deal with similar programs for the preparation of presentations, will understand without problems.
Of particular interest was the content in the Internet browser package. In the previous version, he caused many unfounded censures (in particular, the lack of bookmarks, RSS feeds). If we consider that the browser is not used as an analogue of a full browser, but as an addition to the main product - download updates, templates or clipart, check links, find photos - then all questions and claims disappear immediately.
New Lotus Symphony 3.0 Features
- Support for VBA scripts.
- Support ODF 1.2 standard
- Support for Office 2007 OLE.
- New sidebar contains eight sections with different editors.
- Ability to create new business cards and stickers.
- Ability to insert OLE, audio and video files.
- Additional Notes installer.
- Tracking changes in the text.
In Symphony Documents:
- Support for master documents.
- Included support for nested tables.
- Multipage support is included.
In Symphony Spreadsheet:
- Maximum number of columns increased from 256 to 1024.
- Support zoom function.
- Support text conversion.
- Search function.
- Solving equations.
- The function "What if".
- More formulas.
In Symphony Presentations:
- Supports multi-monitor display.
- Animation effects.
- More page layouts.
- More graphic objects.
Improvements
- Improved graphical rendering of objects through improved smoothing.
- Improved design of the main menu and toolbar for more convenient use and consistency between editors.
- Ability to open a file by dragging it to a tab or in an empty field.
- Improved usability while dragging graphic objects.
- Enhanced support for export to PDF.
In Symphony Documents:
- Improvements in support of large field types in documents.
- Ability to select a rectangular text area in the editor.
- Ability to set markers and numbering in multiple cells simultaneously.
In Symphony Spreadsheet:
- Improved sorting and formulas.
- Lightweight drag and drop rows and columns through the headers.
- Ability to select multiple sheets.
In Symphony Presentations:
- Improved management and use of templates.
- Effects in a slide show through hardware accelerated graphics.
Summary
When using the program leaves a very pleasant impression. The package completely copes with its responsibilities in spite of the beta status and very harmoniously fits into the family of Lotus products. Symphony 3.0 will be of interest primarily to corporate customers who either switch to free and simple alternatives to paid office products or use IBM software solutions.
You can download IBM Lotus Symphony 3.0 Beta 2 for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X at this address.
Lotus Symphony includes Symphony Documents (text editor), Symphony Presentations (creating presentations), and Symphony Spreadsheet (working with tables). Lotus Symphony supports Windows (XP, Vista, 7), Linux (Suse Enterprise, Red Hat, Ubuntu) and Mac OS X operating systems.
')
The installation process is fast. After starting the program, a start page opens, allowing you to select the required module, create a file, enter the browser, or download updates and add-ons (including plug-ins that integrate the product with other IBM solutions).
The entire workspace is organized as a single window. Switching between documents is done by tabs at the top of the screen. In the new release, the developers have paid great attention to the issues of design and usability. The interface is intuitive and pleasantly surprises with its convenience. It will not cause difficulties for users of Microsoft Office or OpenOffice. Setting document properties is duplicated by the graphic menu on the right side of the screen. The functionality of editors is not inferior to competing products (do not forget that Symphony relies on OpenOffice 3.0), although recently the presence or absence of any highly specialized functions does not play a significant role in products designed for a wide range of consumers. It has long been known that the overwhelming majority of ordinary users (namely, the office suite is designed for them) do not use the lion's share of the functionality. The program for creating presentations Lotus Symphony Presentations is rich in functions and quite easy to learn. Those who regularly deal with similar programs for the preparation of presentations, will understand without problems.
Of particular interest was the content in the Internet browser package. In the previous version, he caused many unfounded censures (in particular, the lack of bookmarks, RSS feeds). If we consider that the browser is not used as an analogue of a full browser, but as an addition to the main product - download updates, templates or clipart, check links, find photos - then all questions and claims disappear immediately.
New Lotus Symphony 3.0 Features
- Support for VBA scripts.
- Support ODF 1.2 standard
- Support for Office 2007 OLE.
- New sidebar contains eight sections with different editors.
- Ability to create new business cards and stickers.
- Ability to insert OLE, audio and video files.
- Additional Notes installer.
- Tracking changes in the text.
In Symphony Documents:
- Support for master documents.
- Included support for nested tables.
- Multipage support is included.
In Symphony Spreadsheet:
- Maximum number of columns increased from 256 to 1024.
- Support zoom function.
- Support text conversion.
- Search function.
- Solving equations.
- The function "What if".
- More formulas.
In Symphony Presentations:
- Supports multi-monitor display.
- Animation effects.
- More page layouts.
- More graphic objects.
Improvements
- Improved graphical rendering of objects through improved smoothing.
- Improved design of the main menu and toolbar for more convenient use and consistency between editors.
- Ability to open a file by dragging it to a tab or in an empty field.
- Improved usability while dragging graphic objects.
- Enhanced support for export to PDF.
In Symphony Documents:
- Improvements in support of large field types in documents.
- Ability to select a rectangular text area in the editor.
- Ability to set markers and numbering in multiple cells simultaneously.
In Symphony Spreadsheet:
- Improved sorting and formulas.
- Lightweight drag and drop rows and columns through the headers.
- Ability to select multiple sheets.
In Symphony Presentations:
- Improved management and use of templates.
- Effects in a slide show through hardware accelerated graphics.
Summary
When using the program leaves a very pleasant impression. The package completely copes with its responsibilities in spite of the beta status and very harmoniously fits into the family of Lotus products. Symphony 3.0 will be of interest primarily to corporate customers who either switch to free and simple alternatives to paid office products or use IBM software solutions.
You can download IBM Lotus Symphony 3.0 Beta 2 for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X at this address.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/86972/
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