The latest version of OpenOffice.org 3.1, the open-source office suite to rival Microsoft Office, is available for download. I use OpenOffice on my laptop and Microsoft Office on my desktop and at work.

Both have their uses, with OpenOffice's being it is free and mostly compatible with Microsoft Office, though some formatting might not translate between some programmes. The improvements in the new version include improved screen appearance, easier 'dragging' easier with graphics, and improved file locking protection.

The Writer software features improved highlighting, comments, grammar checking and outlining. Calc, a version of the Excel spreadsheet, has improved renaming, a zoom slider, sorting and formulae changes. Other updates affect Chart (charting), Base (database manager), Impress (a slide presentation programme like PowerPoint) and Base (database manager). It can be downloaded at www.openoffice.org

Open source programmes are a growing business in the corporate world. IDC research shows that chief information officers allocated up to 24 percent of their budgets to open-source software in 2008, up from 10 percent in 2007. In this context, in case you are confused about how free open source programmes can have a cost, many companies offer 'boxed' versions of the open source software, which they have developed for corporate networks. For example, Red Hat offers a version of Lynux, used for many networks and servers.

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What to make of this Microsoft statement, or hint? Bill Veghte, senior vice-president for the Windows business, said during his keynote address at the annual TechEd Conference that Windows 7 should be the platform for users planning a client operating system migration.

However he also added that users that are already deploying Windows Vista, which first shipped in November 2006, should continue with those efforts. Your investment will be protected, he said.

"If you're deploying Windows Vista, and you're taking advantage of the security and manageability and productivity advances that we've got there, we're going to work, we are going to protect that investment for you, and you can utilise that. If you're just starting your testing of Vista, with the release candidate and the quality of that offering, I would switch over and do your testing on the release candidate, and use that going forward."

Some have interpreted this statement to mean there will be some upgrade programme to ease the cost of then converting to Windows 7. Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are on track to be released later this year for the "holiday" shopping season, he added. Microsoft has said it will continue selling Vista until at least January 2011. Vista has not fared well, used by only nine percent of businesses according to Forrester Research. By advising those testing Vista on their systems to do it on the release version of Windows 7 Microsoft is essentially abandoning the former, one might say.

The release candidate has been tested by about 10,000 commercial companies, both hardware and software, he said.

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You have heard of blogs, Facebook and Twitter, but now a bunch of entrepreneurs want to turn your cellphone into an audio-blogger. They have created a new mobile phone application, Audioboo, which is designed to record an interview, thoughts, or a reaction to an event. Audioboo will be available via the Apple store if it is accepted and is made by London-based Bestbeforemedia.

Apparently the application will make it easier to upload all those thoughts to a dedicated website.

The entrepreneurs hope users will be able to design sites around the software.

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