I have the same problem as pctek except that I use Ubuntu 10.04 and Openoffice.
However I have found Leafpad - in the extras catalogue, if I remember - very useful and have installed it on my laptop and my n900, which makes transfers of text files easier: I send myself an email with a text file attachment!
I found downloading and installing Openoffice on my n900 fairly easy but it is very slow, so am using Leafpad whenever it's adequate. It's certainly quick!