I’ve had more than a couple of people e-mail to ask how they can open these .docx files. The .docx format was introduced by Microsoft beginning with Office version 2007 (that’s the version with the ribbon, rather than the toolbar; more info here).

So, the .docx files don’t open easily in versions of Microsoft Office prior to 2007. Here’s one fix: Microsoft has released an update that converts the .docx (and .pptx and .xlsx) files for use on earlier software.

There is another fix, however. I am a proponent of free open source software (FOSS).  The OpenOffice.org suite is a free office suite that includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings. OpenOffice.org will open, edit and save the .docx (along with .pptx and .xlsx) files without even blinking. Read more about OpenOffice here.

OpenOffice.org is a free and very capable office software suite. Included in the OpenOffice suite is a word processor, spreadsheet app, presentation software and drawing tools.

OpenOffice has been free software for the past several years. I used OpenOffice to work through my master’s degree and no one ever noticed a difference.

It’s quite capable in its own right and does nearly everything that Microsoft Office does. The only major component missing from OpenOffice is a comprehensive e-mail suite.

I think e-mail software is a dying breed, due to the growing capabilities of web applications like GMail. If you absolutely must use a local e-mail application, Mozilla’s Thunderbird is an excellent solution.