Q. I'm getting a Windows XP netbook (a PC that is smaller and less full-featured than a laptop) to check my e-mail and browse the Web when I'm traveling. But I may also want to do some basic writing and editing. What software can I use that doesn't need a lot of processing power? (The netbook has an Atom processor that's slower than ones used by PCs.) Can I use OpenOffice or StarOffice?
A. Both programs are recommended by netbook makers whose machines use the Atom processor. So your machine should be able to run either StarOffice ($35 to download) or OpenOffice (free but with fewer features than StarOffice). Both are alternatives to Microsoft Office ($150 to $680).
The other issue is whether your netbook has enough random access memory (RAM). Netbooks usually come with at least 1 gigabyte of RAM, which should be more than enough for office-related applications.
People are also reading…
For details on OpenOffice, see laptopmag.com/review/software/open-office-3.aspx.
For StarOffice try sun.com/software/staroffice/index.jsp.