OpenOffice is a free and open-source office suite that runs on a variety of platforms. The Java and C++ programming languages are used to create this application software. This office suite comes in a whopping 121 different languages. It was first released for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Solaris before being ported to additional platforms. The OpenOffice suite contained several apps to do various activities, including the OpenOffice Writer package for word processing, the Calc package for spreadsheet chores, impress for presentations, Draw for drawing, Math for math, and Base for database management. If you’re seeking an alternative to Microsoft Office, Apache OpenOffice is your best bet. OpenOffice includes its own file formats, as well as the ability to read and write Microsoft Office file formats. In this guide, we will walk through together on how to install Apache open office on any Debian distro, especially Ubuntu. Other guides can be found here: How to install and configure Tripwire on Ubuntu/, How to install Node.js on Ubuntu/, How to Install and Configure Nagios on Ubuntu/, How to install Apache Tomcat on Ubuntu/, and How to implement SAMBA (SMB) file shares for Servers and Clients
Features of Apache OpenOffice: You get the following office suite programs when you install Apache OpenOffice.
1. Writer is a word processor that may be used to write everything from a simple note to a full-fledged book.
2. Calc is a robust spreadsheet that includes all the tools you'll need to calculate, analyze, and show your data in numerical reports or eye-catching graphics.
3.Impress is the quickest and most effective way to create impressive PowerPoint presentation.
4.Draw You can create everywhere from simple diagrams to spectacular 3D graphics
5.Base allows you to easily manipulate databases. From within Apache OpenOffice, you may create
and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports.
6. Math allows you to write mathematical equations using a graphical user interface or by inputting formulas straight into the equation editor.
STEP 1: Install Java on Ubuntu
Install Java in your Debian/Ubuntu computer:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install default-jdkDepending on your computer this might take time and also make your computer to freeze
Run the following command to get the Java version: java -version
$ java -versionStep 2: Download Apache OpenOffice Debian Package
On the official website, you can obtain Apache OpenOffice Debian packages. You can download the newest Debian packages from the download page, or you can use the command below to download files to your system.
wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/openofficeorg.mirror/files/4.1.7/binaries/en-US/Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.7_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz 
extract the Debian packages on your machine
tar xzf Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.7_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz This will create an installation directory called en-US under the current directory, which will contain all of the Debian packages.
root@ubuntu:~# tar xvf Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.11_Linux_x86-64_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz
en-US/
en-US/DEBS/
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-calc_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core01_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-writer_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-math_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/desktop-integration/
en-US/DEBS/desktop-integration/openoffice4.1-debian-menus_4.1.11-9808_all.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-base_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-impress_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-impress_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-pyuno_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-res_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-en-us_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-calc_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-impress_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-draw_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core07_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-calc_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-draw_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-writer_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core05_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-ooofonts_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-javafilter_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-gnome-integration_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-onlineupdate_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core04_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core02_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-math_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-math_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-ogltrans_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-graphicfilter_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-help_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-ooolinguistic_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-brand-base_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core03_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-xsltfilter_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-base_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-images_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-ure_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-core06_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-writer_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/DEBS/openoffice-en-us-draw_4.1.11-1_amd64.deb
en-US/licenses/
en-US/licenses/LICENSE
en-US/licenses/NOTICE
en-US/readmes/
en-US/readmes/README_en-US.html
en-US/readmes/README_en-US
Step 3 – Install Apache OpenOffice on Ubuntu
Make sure you don’t already have OpenOffice installed on your machine before proceeding. If you have, use the command below to uninstall it.
sudo apt remove -–purge openoffice* Go to the extracted packages directory for Apache OpenOffice and the DEBS folder. A list of Debian packages will appear there. Using the following command, install all packages.
cd en-US/DEBS/
sudo dpkg -i *.deb 
The desktop integration features must then be installed. Install the necessary package from the desktop-integration directory.
cd desktop-integration/
sudo dpkg -i openoffice4.1-debian-menus*.deb You have successfully installed Apache OpenOffice on your Workstation after successfully installing all of the packages in the preceding steps. Now type: to start the OpenOffice suite from the command line: to start the OpenOffice suite from the command line: to start the OpenOffice suite
Step 4 – Launch Apache OpenOffice
we can launch open office by typing open in the app search bar of our Linux environment and it will show just as in the screenshot below
As we can see we successfully installed open office
Summary
open office is an excellent alternative to Microsoft office, and it is free of license because it is open source, it is maintained by Apache foundation, and in this article, we have looked numerous benefits that open office offer. We have also looked at 4 simple steps that we can follow so as to install open office on any Debian distro.
