The OpenOffice business productivity suite is now available as a native Mac application for the first time.

Version 3.0 of the free open-source software — which integrates word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, formula and database capabilities — is now available for download for Windows, Mac and Linux computers.

OpenOffice 3.0 features a number of improvements that should appeal to users of past suites, as well as anyone thinking about making the change from Microsoft Office. For example, the suite can now open files created with Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac OS X.

The new software suite also smooths the way for making better use of Visual Basic for Applications macros, and even supports Microsoft Access 2007 .accdb files. And it is fully compatible with the latest ISO document standard known as Open Document Format 1.2, which is being being mandated for use in a growing number of countries.