StarOffice
| Company type | Proprietary software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Office software |
| Predecessor | StarWriter |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Marco Börries |
| Fate | Discontinued in 2011; source code contributed to open-source projects |
| Successor | Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Oracle Open Office |
| Headquarters | Lüneburg , Germany |
| Products | Office productivity suite (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math) |
StarOffice was a proprietary office productivity suite that has since been discontinued. Its underlying source code continues to serve as the foundation for open-source office suites such as Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice. The suite provided compatibility with the OpenOffice.org XML format and adhered to the OpenDocument standard, while also offering export options to PDF and Flash. Included features encompassed templates, a macro recording tool, and a software development kit (SDK).
Initially launched in 1985 under the name StarWriter by Star Division, the suite gained significant traction primarily within European markets. In 1999, Sun Microsystems purchased StarOffice and subsequently released its source code in 2000 as the free and open-source OpenOffice.org. Later editions of StarOffice were developed atop this open-source base, incorporating proprietary enhancements. Following Sun’s acquisition by Oracle Corporation in 2010, the product was briefly rebranded as Oracle Open Office before being discontinued in 2011. Oracle then handed over OpenOffice.org to the community to be maintained as a fully community-driven initiative.
History
The first version of StarWriter was created by Marco Börries in 1985 for the Zilog Z80 processor. The following year, Börries established Star Division in Lüneburg. The software was subsequently adapted for the Amstrad CPC, marketed in Germany by Schneider, running under CP/M, and later ported to the 8086-based Amstrad PC-1512 with MS-DOS 3.2. As development advanced, Star Division combined individual applications into a cohesive office suite compatible with DOS, IBM’s OS/2 Warp, and Microsoft Windows, branding it as "StarOffice."
Up until version 4.2, StarOffice utilized the cross-platform C++ class library known as StarView. In 1998, Star Division began distributing StarOffice free of charge.
In 1999, Sun Microsystems acquired Star Division along with the rights to StarOffice’s copyright and trademark. This acquisition reportedly cost less than what would have been required to license 42,000 copies of Microsoft Office for Sun’s workforce.
By March 2009, StarOffice accounted for merely a 3% share of the corporate office productivity market.
Naming
The variant named StarSuite was tailored for Asian markets, featuring localized support for languages including Japanese, Korean, as well as both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. This edition incorporated additional East Asian fonts, which resulted in a somewhat larger installation footprint but otherwise retained all functionalities found in StarOffice.
This distinct branding arose because the "StarOffice" trademark was owned by another entity in certain Asian countries. Presently, NEC develops unrelated collaborative software under the StarOffice name in Japan. Following the acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle in 2010, both StarOffice and StarSuite were renamed "Oracle Open Office."
Sun ONE Webtop
In 2001, Sun Microsystems introduced Sun ONE Webtop, previously known as project StarPortal—a limited release platform built using components derived from StarOffice.
Components
- Writer – A word processor (known as StarWriter in version 5.x and integrated into StarOffice from version 6.x), supporting , file formats
- Calc – A spreadsheet application (StarCalc 5.x; included from version 6.x), compatible with , files
- Impress – A tool for creating presentation programs (StarImpress 5.x; part of version 6.x), handling , files
- Draw – A vector graphics editor (StarDraw 5.x; incorporated into version 6.x), working with , files
- Base – A database management system (StarBase 5.x), supporting file formats
- Math – A formula editor (StarMath 5.x; available from version 6.x), handling files with
Discontinued legacy components
- StarSchedule – a personal organizer managing .sds files
- StarMail – an email application
- StarDiscussion – a newsreader client
- StarImage – an image manipulation tool
- Web browsing software
- HTML authoring tool
Proprietary elements
- Multiple Unicode TrueType fonts compatible with font metrics, featuring bitmap support for improved clarity at small sizes
- A collection of twelve Western fonts (such as Andalé Sans, Arial Narrow, Arial Black, Broadway, Garamond) alongside seven Asian fonts supporting the Hong Kong Supplementary character set
- Integration with Adabas D database system
- Exclusive StarOffice templates and example documents
- A comprehensive clip-art library
- Sorting algorithms optimized for Asian language scripts
- Import filters for older word-processing formats (including EBCDIC, DisplayWrite, MultiMate, PFS Write, WordStar variants, XyWrite) licensed from MasterSoft
- A proprietary spell checker and thesaurus distinct from those in OpenOffice.org
- StarOffice Configuration Manager utility
- Macro Converter facilitating transition from Microsoft Office VBA to StarOffice Basic
Exclusive to StarOffice Enterprise Edition:
- Advanced Analysis Wizard tool
- Wizard for generating Microsoft Windows Installer Transformation (.mst) files
Additional distinctions
StarOffice sets itself apart from OpenOffice.org through its documentation, training resources, support services, and subtle interface differences such as icon designs. It offers support for 12 languages compared to OpenOffice.org’s availability in over 110 languages.
Version history
| Version | Release date | OOo version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1985 | Star-Writer for CP/M | |
| I 3.0 | 1986 | Star-Writer for CP/M | |
| I 3.1 | 1986 | Star-Writer for CP/M | |
| 1.0 | 1986 | StarWriter for DOS version 3.2. | |
| 1.0 | 1988 | StarWriter for Atari ST | |
| 2.0 | 1994 | StarWriter, StarCalc, StarBase available on Windows 3.1. | |
| 3.0 | 1995 | Included StarWriter, StarCalc, StarDraw, StarImage, and StarChart on DOS, Windows 3.1, OS/2, Solaris SPARC, and Power Macintosh beta. | |
| 3.1 | 1996-07 | Introduced Linux support; compatible platforms were Windows 3.1/95, OS/2 (16-bit), Linux i386, Solaris SPARC/x86, Mac OS 7.5–8.0. | |
| 4.0 | 1997 | ||
| 5.0 | 1998-11 | ||
| 5.1 | 1999-05-20 | ||
| 5.2 | 2000-06-20 | First release under Sun Microsystems. | |
| 6.0 | 2002-05 | 1.0 | |
| 7.0 | 2003-11-14 | 1.1–2.4 | |
| 8.0 | 2005-09-27 | 2.0–2.4 | |
| 9.0 | 2008-11-17 | 3.0–3.2 | |
| Oracle Open Office 3.3 | 2010-12-15 | 3.3 beta | Final version released. |
StarOffice 2.0
After the initial StarWriter release, StarOffice 2.0 expanded the suite by adding StarWriter Compact, StarBase 1.0, and StarDraw 1.0 with support for the DOS platform.
StarOffice 3
The third major release incorporated StarWriter 3.0, StarCalc 3.0, StarDraw 3.0, along with StarImage and StarChart across multiple operating systems such as DOS, Windows 3.1, OS/2, Solaris on SPARC architecture, and introduced beta availability for Power Macintosh in 1996.
Version 3.1
This update extended compatibility to include Windows 95, OS/2 (16-bit), Linux i386 architectures, Solaris SPARC/x86 variants, and Mac OS versions ranging from 7.5 to 8.0.
Caldera, Inc. invested roughly 800,000 DM to facilitate the Linux port of StarOffice 3.1 coinciding with their launch of the OpenLinux distribution in 1997—an important strategic effort to enter the expanding Linux market segment.
StarOffice 4.0
This version was compatible with Windows 3.1 and 95, OS/2, Linux i386, Solaris Sparc and x86 architectures, as well as a beta release for classic Mac OS.
StarOffice 5
Launched in November 1998, StarOffice 5.0 supported operating systems including Windows 95 and NT 3.51, OS/2, Linux i386, and Solaris Sparc/x86.
5.1
Version 5.1, released in May 1999, maintained support for Windows 95, OS/2, Linux i386, and Solaris Sparc/x86 platforms.
5.2
Released in June 2000, StarOffice 5.2 became available as a free personal-use download. At this time, Sun Microsystems made the majority of its source code available under an open source license, which led to the creation of the OpenOffice.org project developed by Sun and the community. Subsequently, Sun incorporated proprietary and third-party components into commercial StarOffice editions.
This iteration was the final one to include legacy discontinued features and support multiple virtual desktops.
Supported operating systems included Windows 95/98/NT/2000, Linux i386, and Solaris Sparc/x86.
StarOffice 6
A beta version based on OpenOffice.org revision 638c was introduced in October 2001, with the official release following in May 2002 based on OpenOffice.org 1.0.
This edition introduced compatibility with the OpenOffice.org XML file format.
Supported environments encompassed Windows 95, Linux i386, and Solaris Sparc/x86; meanwhile, OpenOffice.org editions also supported Windows ME/2000 for Asian/CJK variants and generic Linux distributions running glibc2 version 2.1.3 or higher, as well as Solaris 7 SPARC (Solaris 8 for Asian versions).
StarOffice 7
Debuting on 14 November 2003 and built upon OpenOffice.org 1.1, StarOffice 7 supported Windows 98, Linux i386, and Solaris 8 Sparc/x86 platforms. The corresponding OpenOffice.org release extended support to generic Linux with Glibc version 2.2.0 and Mac OS X 10.2 (PowerPC) using X11 in OpenOffice.org version 1.1.2.
Product Update 5 added compatibility with Windows NT 4.0 and introduced support for the OpenDocument file format. Subsequent updates (6 through 8), aligned with OpenOffice.org version 2.1, brought Mac OS X support for versions 10.3 (PowerPC) and later for 10.4 (x86). Updates numbered 9 to 11, based on OpenOffice.org 2.2, enhanced integration with Windows Vista and enabled PDF export functionality.
Product Update 12, derived from OpenOffice.org version 2.4, broadened platform compatibility to include Linux x86-64, MIPS architecture, S390 mainframes, and Mac OS X x86/PowerPC running versions above 10.4. This update also refined Calc’s data entry and sorting capabilities; improved text document block annotations; enhanced import filtering mechanisms; strengthened security features; enabled WebDAV access via HTTPS; and upgraded PDF export options tailored for long-term archival purposes.
StarOffice 8
Sun Microsystems launched StarOffice 8 on September 27, 2005. This release was based on OpenOffice.org version 2.0 and incorporated full support for the OpenDocument standard alongside various improvements.
Supported operating systems included Windows versions from 98 through to 2000 (with Service Pack 2 or higher), Linux i386 distributions, and Solaris versions supporting Sparc/x86 architectures.
Product Updates ranging from versions 2 to 5 were aligned with OpenOffice.org version 2.1. Updates numbered 6 and 7 corresponded to OpenOffice.org version 2.2 and introduced better integration with Windows Vista as well as PDF export enhancements. Updates between versions 8 and 9 (based on OpenOffice.org version 2.3) added capabilities such as PDF bookmarks and MediaWiki export within Writer documents. The final updates (10–11), developed from OpenOffice.org version 2.4, further improved Calc’s input handling and sorting functions; enhanced text block marking; refined import filters; boosted security measures; expanded WebDAV access over HTTPS; and optimized PDF export features suited for archival use.
StarOffice 9
Released on 17 November 2008, StarOffice 9 introduced compatibility with OpenDocument 1.2 and Microsoft Office 2007 file formats, along with several other improvements. It was developed based on OpenOffice.org version 3.0.
The software supported various operating systems, including Windows 2000 (SP2 or later), Mac OS X 10.4 on Intel processors, Linux 2.4 for i386 architectures with glibc2 2.3.2 or newer and GTK 2.2+, as well as Solaris 10 for Sparc and x86 platforms. Updates aligned closely with OpenOffice.org releases: Update 1 (3.0.1) enhanced extension handling; followed by Update 2 (3.1.0), Update 3 (3.1.1), and Update 4 (3.2).
Oracle Open Office
Following Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems in January 2010, the StarOffice brand was renamed Oracle Open Office.
On 15 December 2010, Oracle launched Oracle Open Office version 3.3, which was built upon the OpenOffice.org 3.3 beta codebase, alongside a cloud-based offering named Oracle Cloud Office. This suite was marketed in two paid editions priced at €39 and €49.95 respectively.
Pricing and licensing
Historically, StarOffice was priced around $70; however, in 2004 Sun announced plans to introduce subscription licenses in Japan at approximately ¥1,980 (roughly $17) per year, with intentions to expand this model internationally. By January 2009, the price had been reduced to $34.95.
Licenses were issued per individual user and permitted installation on up to five separate computers, a feature advantageous for small enterprises or users operating across multiple platforms.
By 2010, StarOffice 9 ceased to be freely available for educational institutions, although StarOffice 8 continued to be offered at no cost, and OpenOffice.org version 3.0 provided comparable functionality free of charge. Sun also delivered complimentary web-based training resources and discounted support services tailored for educators.
Between August 2007 and November 2008, Google included StarOffice 8 as part of its free Google Pack software bundle.
Derivatives
As an open-source project, OpenOffice.org gave rise to numerous derivatives and successor initiatives stemming from StarOffice’s foundation. As of 2024, actively maintained projects include Collabora Online and LibreOffice. Conversely, Apache OpenOffice has experienced minimal development activity, with no significant releases in over ten years. NeoOffice represented another offshoot but discontinued updates in early 2024.