So, that was a rather awkward an unexpected layoff.

The good news is, though, that after a week of trying to get our Web host provider to figure out where they had put our lost database, the TOG Solutions site is back and fully functional.

And not a moment too soon. Due to our technical issues, we had to delay our Countdown to OpenOffice 3.2 temporarily, but we’ll be wrapping that up next Wednesday with all of the changes that will be featured with their Base program. And, as part of the public release, we will present a special Monday OpenOffice post on December 14th.

Our regular articles dedicated to digital media. online community management and career advice will also be back on track. And because it is Friday, we’ve got a Changing Your Game post on tap, so stay tuned!

For those of you who are regular visitors to the TOG Solutions site, we appreciate your patience and thank you for your continued support. It’s been a difficult year for all of us, no doubt. Hopefully, our technical difficulties serve as a signal that the worst is behind us, and good things are coming in the year ahead!

As always, we are here to help you with any of your needs, so feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Malcolm Pearson of the Tech4Law site, submitted this question via Twitter:

Why are the updates with OpenOffice such a mission? Is there tight integration with any legal software vendors?

Let’s start with the second question first. While OpenOffice was originally the released code of the old StarOffice by Sun Microsystems, integration with a vendor like, say, Microsoft, has been a slow road, most recently with MS Office 2007, which uses file formats that couldn’t be opened in OOo until Version 3.0.

As for the update process, like many other software packages, improving OpenOffice is an ongoing process. And like other software packages, developing updates are done in different groups.

So, for example, when the OpenOffice team considers updating, it’s broken down into, among other projects, security, word processing, spreadsheet and graphics, which each group having a project lead.

Despite so many people involved in OOo, updated versions have been made available on within 3-6 months, with the newest version, 3.2, projected to be ready for public consumption in November.

More to the point, the process in which the OOo team goes about updating has allowed the package to be as functional a suite as MS Office. So, it would appear that the ability for OpenOffice to be a viable alternative is the primary reason why the process of updating is so complex.

As computer users start looking more and more towards new ways to save money on applications, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft itself would have to acquiesce and join the crowd. And last week, they made the leap, announcing that Web-based editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote would be free to use.

But does this announcement mean the beginning of the end for OpenOffice? No.

Clearly, it looks as if the primary competitor Microsoft is going up against is Google, who launched their Apps productivity suite a couple of years ago and announced, a week before Microsoft’s Office 2010 announcement, that they would launch Chrome OS, a direct Windows competitor, in the latter half of 2010.

However, both Microsoft and Google have built their future endeavors on the concept of cloud computing, which is to say that software resources will kept online, as opposed to directly on a person’s computer.

OpenOffice, on the other hand, does not appear to have any immediate plans to move in that same direction. For the moment, it seems that the priority is to expand OOo’s capabilities to bring it even more in line with that of MS Office.

In effect, OpenOffice may turn out to be the big winner in this prospective battle. First, the offline full-scale edition of Office 2010 will most certainlynot be free, while the online edition will be supported by advertising. The prospect of cloud computer may also be a bit daunting for some users. Plus, there will need to be a hard sell for current Google Apps users.

Meanwhile, users looking for a powerful open-source alternative that can be housed on their computers. And once again, OpenOffice will be there.

So, don’t look for OpenOffice to disappear off the planet. If anything, with a few more upgrades, OOo could grab even more market share.

You’ve read all the articles before about how rough things have gotten in the U.S. educational system. Cutbacks, layoffs and public requests for tax increases that have frequently been denied.

The idea of finding new ways to save a buck aren’t new. It’s just that most people working in K-12 aren’t generally looking in the direction of their technology options, particularly their productivity software.

And why would some of them? Microsoft Office is the safe option. It’s the same package that most school employees use at home, so why would there be a need to change things up?

However, as companies, as well as public entities such as city and state government, are looking at open source software, particularly OpenOffice.org, as a cost-cutting measure, so, too, should school systems. And not just for its employees.

For years, we’ve been hearing about the idea of getting students access to computers, to the point where there have been calls to put give each student a laptop.

But with a Windows-based machine and proprietary software, is it financially feasible? Of course not.

Realistically, exposing schoolchildren to other technology such as open-source software like OOo could do more than save school systems money. It can provide a window that could be key to bridging the technological divide that currently exists in the U.S.

Browsing the blogosphere, there is a growing call from educators to make this change. Despite currently being outside of the K-12 realm, I also join in this call. With OOo updates that make the package increasingly comparable to MS Office, the time is approaching where the only difference between the two will be cost.

And I think we all know who wins that battle.

Every Wednesday, the TOG Blog presents a topic related to OpenOffice.org. If you’d like to hear about a particular issue or have a question you’d like answered in an upcoming article, feel free to e-mail OpenOfficeGuy@togsolutions.com or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OpenOfficeGuy.

As times get tighter, organizations are always looking for ways to save money. When it comes to software, more and more people are looking to open source for solutions.

When it comes to a rival to Microsoft Office, no package does better to duplicate all of Microsoft’s offerings than OpenOffice.org. And with the release of version 3.0.1 as a precursor to the much-anticipated 3.1 release, OpenOffice.org is becoming the increasing popular choice for companies who want to functionality of MS Office without the hefty price tag.

Of course, software conversions often come with a ton of questions, not the least of which being the question of similarlities and differences between the two packages.

That’s where we come in.

TOG Solutions has made it a mission to work with people to answer all of their OpenOffice questions, and, if they so choose, train with us. For now, though, we’re more than happy to help you out with the little stuff!

If you have an OpenOffice question that you’d like answered, you can always e-mail us at info@togsolutions.com. Or, you can catch us on Twitter, as we have created an account exclusively for OpenOffice questions, http://twitter.com/OpenOfficeGuy. We’ll get you the help you’re looking for!