Excel's "Data – Validation" is harder to use and has less features than
StarCalc's "Data – Validity. See below for analysis from Paul.Kuckein (Sun).

Excel's "Data - Validation"                                           
StarCalc's "Data - Validity"

Tab: Settings                                                                
Tab: Criteria
-------------                                                                
-------------
"Allow" pull-down list values                                         "Allow"
pull-down list values
    Any Value                                                                  
 Any Value
    Whole Number                                                            
Whole Numbers
    Decimal                                                                    
   Decimal
    List                                                                       
       (not available)
    Date                                                                       
     Date
    Time                                                                       
    Time
   Custom                                                                      
  (not available)

"Data" text box                                                             
"Data" text box

"Value" text box                                                            
"Value" text box

"Ignore blank" check box                                               "Allow
blanks" check box

"Apply these changes to all other cells with                      (not available)
the same settings" check box


Tab: Input Message                                                      Tab:
Input Help
--------------------                                                     
----------------
Excel's "Input Message" tab and StarCalc's "Input Help" tab are essentially
equivalent



Tab: Error Alert                                                          Tab:
Error Alert
----------------                                                         
-----------------
Excel's "Error Alert" tab and StarCalc's "Error Alert" tab are essentially
equivalent


Comments:
-----------
-- The principal difference between StarCalc's "Data - Validity" function with
Excel's "Data - Validation" function lies in the additonal items on the "Allow"
pull-down list on the first tab:

-- Excel has two additional items --  "List" and "Custom"

-- "List" allows the user to reference a range on the spreadsheet containing
specific values to be tested against.  In addition,  a check box appears,
allowing the useer to specify that the list values appear as an "In-cell
dropdown".  This makes the creation of dropdown lists for data entry in a cell
extremely easy, especially as compared with StarCalc.

-- "Custom"  allows the entry of a formula which checks the value entered into
the cell.  (The text box for the entry of the formula may reference a cell or
range on the spreadsheet.)

-- In addition, the "Apply these changes to all other cells with the same
settings" check box allows easy updates to the validation criteria.


I hope that this helps.  As the frequent questions regarding pulldown lists for
data entry in StarCalc indicate, the "List" function with the "In-cell dropdown"
is a much-neeeded enhancement for SatrCalc.   What Paolo wants to do would be
easy in Excel; it is much more difficult StarCalc.