Mac fans will soon have access to Mac-native versions of OpenOffice.org and StarOffice, two free alternatives to Microsoft Office. Both are based on the same code base, though StarOffice isn't licensed as open source.

Both StarOffice 9 and OpenOffice.org 3 will offer an office suite of tools compatible with Microsoft Latest Microsoft Office. Both are based on the same code base, and both will be native on the Mac, no longer requiring X11. Sun's Louis Suarez-Potts explained the key differences to TMO and what the customer should know before selecting one or the other.

The first thing we should know, according to Suarez-Potts, the Community Manager for OpenOffice.org at Sun Microsystems, is that both products are based on the same code base, slight differences are close to zero, and one can use each product on the Mac interchangeably. The key differences are in the branding, packaging and support.