Tombuntu has done it again, with an excellent tutorial on getting the latest OpenOffice up and running on your Ubuntu Linux box. Tom guides you step-by-step as you install the new version of OOo alongside the old one. He even provides instructions for completely removing the old version, if you’d like.

Here’s a short list of new features/enhancements in the new OpenOffice 3.0 from DesktopLinux.Com:

* Writer (word processing):
o New slider control for zooming which allows multi-page display while editing
o Powerful new multilingual support
o Improved notes capabilities
o Ability to edit wiki documents for the web, in addition to conventional office documents
* Calc (spreadsheet):
o Increase in capacity of up to 1024 columns per sheet
o Powerful new equation solver
o New collaboration feature for multiple users
* Draw (graphics):
o Ability to cope with poster-size graphics - up to three square meters or 32.3 square feet.
* Impress (presentation):
o Fully featured table designer inside a presentation

OpenOffice 3.0 has also gotten a visual refresh, has better support for Microsoft file formats, and has better support for third-party extension, like Firefox (I love the Zotero extension for managing my research).

Full Story: Install OpenOffice 3.0 in Ubuntu 8.04 and 8.10
Full Story: OpenOffice 3.0 ships