OpenOffice.org has released the latest edition of its open source productivity suite, with refinements to further close the gap on Microsoft and enable migration from MS Office.

The OpenOffice.org 2.4 database, Base, now supports MS-Access 2007, while capabilities for MySQL, Oracle JDBC and native HSQL databases have been improved.

PDF handling has been improved with five export options, and Writer has been rounded out with improved "find and replace", new keyboard short cuts, and the ability to set options for printing hidden or place-holder text and for following hyperlinks.

There are also improvements to Chart and Draw feature, and the Impress presentation package includes 3D transition effects.

Version 2.4 sets the stage for the 3.0 release in September. This will add the ability to import PDFs as well as support for Microsoft Office 2007 file formats and Open Document Format (ODF) 1.2.®

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