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I'm behind on the issue of the demise of Open Office and the emergence of Libreoffice.
Will the installation of Libreoffice recognize all my OpenOfffice files.
Will utalizing Libreoffice end up with both OpenOffice and Libreoffice being installed on my computer. I don't want both systems so should I uninstall or remove OpenOffice?
What will happen to the OpenOffice custom templates I how have? Also the dictionary I have added many words too?
Will anyone continue to support the free version of OpenOffice?
Yes.
I had a bunch of Oo files, my Linux distribution switched to LO, nothing was visualy changed.
Just upgrade following the normal path...
One of the differences between LO and OOo, is that LO is slowly moving away from Java for internal use.
As for OOo templates, I have not found any templates that worked with OOo 3.x to not work with LO 3.3.x and 3.4.x. As for the added words to your local dictionary, some one here must know where they are stored and will be able to tell you how you can move it over to LO from OOo. I know that all of the .oxt dictionaries for OOo seems to work for LO, except for one or two exceptions that I know of and fixed one of these myself.
OOo is not dead, but in a state of flux with it being given to Apache and currently not on their main track of products being worked on. While on the other hand, LO is being actively being improved. If you check published articles, when LO's original 3.3.0 came out, it was better than OOo's 3.3.0 version. LO seems to have been better than OOo in every article since its first release.
So, there are ways for Lo and OOo to be on the same computer, but it is better to choose just one. I have chosen LO over OOo since it came out.
Hi 
LibreOffice can read/write all the same files as OpenOffice. It's the
same program just a different name and has been developed a lot lately.
It is best to back-up your entire config folder before un-installing or installing different versions of LibreOffice / OpenOffice. Just make a copy of it.
This guide might help
http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=12426
For example on Vista the path is usually
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user\
But it might be better to open up OpenOffice and click on
Tools - Options - General/OpenOffice - Paths
to check to see where your galleries and things really are.
Hopefully when you install LibreOffice it will straight away just use the same templates and galleries and stuff. All those things are stored in your config folder. If LibreOffice does not spot them then you can copy&paste your
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user\
to
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\LibreOffice\3\user\
Then when you re-open LibreOffice it will use those old settings. Actually i think i would be tempted to create that new folder-name first and then install LibreOffice.
Unfortunately it is difficult to have both OpenOffice and LibreOffice on the same machine as they tend to have conflicts if both are open at the same time. Usually that can be solved by switching off the QuickLauncher in OpenOffice. If you do want to have both on your system for a while just so that you can get used to LibreOffice but still have access to OpenOffice then this guide might help
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Installing_in_parallel
It is really made to help people have a fwe different releases of LibreOffice installed at the same time but can be used as inspiration for how to get LibreOffice alongside OpenOffice.
Regards from
Tom
Hi again
Sorry for the double posting! LibreOffice is the free version of OpenOffice. OpenOffice may or may not remain free or split into 2 parts so that there is a trial version and a 'full' version that might cost.
Oracle have started a process of giving OpenOffice to the Apache Foundation. If Apache do run OpenOffice then it will probably continue to be free and will probably develop faster than it did under Sun or Oracle. It's still very unclear what is happening with it or where it will be in 2 years time. By contrast LibreOffice is firmly established.
Regards from
Tom
Yes, it has had many releases since Oracle stopped developing OOo.
Now Lo has two lines. 3.3.x for the most-stable versions, and 3.4.x the more "cutting-edge version.
Actually 3.4.x line will soon be ready for business use, and seems to have better read/write abilities for files like .docx and .xltx. Soon the last 3.3.x version will be out and the new 3.5.x line will be started as the new "cutting-edge" line and 3.4.x will be the most-stable versions. This way, there will be one line for ready for business users and one line for those who want to try the most "cutting-edge" version of all the newest features.
Right now, the release schedule is listed with dates of each release through the end of 2012. I doubt that OOo has/had anything like that. These dates were so far correct, within a day or two depending on problems that delayed them in the past. No other software package I have used has been able to keep to such a schedule with their products and still keep producing the best possible products within these time constraints. Sometimes there are issues with some features on some systems, but for the most part, they are always better that the last release.
Owen,
I'm behind on the issue of the demise of Open Office and the emergence
of Libreoffice.
Will the installation of Libreoffice recognize all my OpenOfffice files.
Will utalizing Libreoffice end up with both OpenOffice and
Libreoffice being installed on my computer. I don't want both systems so
should I uninstall or remove OpenOffice?
What will happen to the OpenOffice custom templates I how have? Also
the dictionary I have added many words too?
Will anyone continue to support the free version of OpenOffice?
LO will read all the OOo files and use the templates because both use
the Open Document Format. LO is a fork of OOo and maintaining
compatibility is one of the project goals. People have reported problems
with having both installed so the recommendation for most users is
uninstall OOo and install LO. Make sure you save all your templates, and
dictionary, and extensions. LO is able to use all your templates and all
the OOo extensions I have tried work in LO.
OOo is still free and will remain free as one of the Apache foundation's
projects.
Please advise your OS so we can better advise you on the proper steps to
"install" your templates and dictionary.
I keep multiple versions running in order to provide QA and
interoperability testing.
These are all on Windows, but I notice that I have OO.o 2.4.1,
OOo-dev 3.4, and LibreOffice 3.4.3 all installed on the same
Virtual PC running Windows XP. That is not where I do all of
my work (I am still on LibreOffice 3.3.2 for a serious writing
deliverable right now), so I may simply have not seen the problems.
The one annoying limitation is that (1) I can only have one
default application that launches when I double-click on a file,
and it is the OO.o 2.4.1 that was installed first in the 3-install
case (which is fine), and (2) I can't add the other versions to
the context menu for alternate ways to open the files because the
programs all have the same file name. So to use documents in the
other two versions, I must open the version first, then open the
documents from within the version I am running. (This is
apparently a Windows limitation.)
There may be other "conflicts" but, in my forensic work, this is
what I notice most.
- Dennis
Oops, I lied.
It is OO.o 2.4.1, OOo-dev 3.4, and LibreOffice 3.3.3 all
running side-by-side in a single configuration of Windows
XP. (Microsoft Office 2003 and the ODF Converters are
also running there.)
LibreOffice 3.4.3 is running on a Vista configuration [;<).
- Dennis
Oops, I lied.
It is OO.o 2.4.1, OOo-dev 3.4, and LibreOffice 3.3.3 all
running side-by-side in a single configuration of Windows
XP. (Microsoft Office 2003 and the ODF Converters are
also running there.)LibreOffice 3.4.3 is running on a Vista configuration [;<).
- Dennis
I would not recommend doing that on Windows (fine in linux if you change
bootstraprc to point to different profiles) as you'll experience
registry issues. I highly recommend that you install using the parallel
installation method:
<http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Installing_in_parallel>
particularly for comparison testing to avoid the registry issues. I have
to admit that I sometimes do this as well (non-parallel install method),
but expect the registry conflicts, and ensure that each version is not
using the same profile.
From: Dennis E. Hamilton [mailto:dennis.hamilton@acm.org]
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:51
To: users@global.libreoffice.org
Subject: RE: [libreoffice-users] Dead End or Evolution?I keep multiple versions running in order to provide QA and
interoperability testing.These are all on Windows, but I notice that I have OO.o 2.4.1,
OOo-dev 3.4, and LibreOffice 3.4.3 all installed on the same
Virtual PC running Windows XP. That is not where I do all of
my work (I am still on LibreOffice 3.3.2 for a serious writing
deliverable right now), so I may simply have not seen the problems.The one annoying limitation is that (1) I can only have one
default application that launches when I double-click on a file,
and it is the OO.o 2.4.1 that was installed first in the 3-install
case (which is fine), and (2) I can't add the other versions to
the context menu for alternate ways to open the files because the
programs all have the same file name. So to use documents in the
other two versions, I must open the version first, then open the
documents from within the version I am running. (This is
apparently a Windows limitation.)There may be other "conflicts" but, in my forensic work, this is
what I notice most.- Dennis
...
I suppose it is prudent to delete one app before installing the other,
just to be safe in the case of production operation.
It appears because of version differences, there is no conflict of
profiles. And I keep the unpack locations separated on a shared server.
Also, LibreOffice uses locations separate from any OO.o version I have
on the same machine, including for user profiles and other application
data, so I think I got lucky. OOo-dev gets its own setup, by design
I think, so it will not conflict with a production OpenOffice.org
install.
The shell information on launching from the document is limited, as I
already mentioned. That seems to be the only registry information
problem that I have encountered. There may be more, but they don't
seem to be a problem. (Well, I see strange file-locked-by-another-app
messages, but if I close and attempt to open the file again, it always
works just fine.)
I'm willing to believe I have just been lucky. And in my case, these
shared configurations in Virtual Machines are all disposable. My
production system never has more than the one copy of LibreOffice
and no OpenOffice.org or Symphony, or any other native ODF app.
- Dennis
I use GNU Linux Debian and LO is the same code & many developers as the
previous OO that was released with this distro.
That said , the LO devs are doing a lot of work on the code, cleanups, their
words, and I have noticed some 'enhancements' in LO 3.4.3.
LO ver 3.3.4 looks & acts the same as my previous ver, OO 3.2.1, for my use.
The enhancement to how Tables line styles is configured has changed, and it
is not rendering double lines the same as ver 3.3.4 and previous OO
versions.. If your documents, the archived ones, have tables, they won't be
readable with LO ver 3.4.3. There are bug(s) filed against this issue,
something like #38542.
I would say LO ver 3.3.4 is a replacement for all previous versions of OO
and in time LO version 3.4.x will be even better. No need to run multiple
versions.
I use GNU Linux Debian and LO is the same code & many developers as the
previous OO that was released with this distro.That said , the LO devs are doing a lot of work on the code, cleanups, their
words, and I have noticed some 'enhancements' in LO 3.4.3.LO ver 3.3.4 looks & acts the same as my previous ver, OO 3.2.1, for my use.
The enhancement to how Tables line styles is configured has changed, and it
is not rendering double lines the same as ver 3.3.4 and previous OO
versions.. If your documents, the archived ones, have tables, they won't be
readable with LO ver 3.4.3. There are bug(s) filed against this issue,
something like #38542.I would say LO ver 3.3.4 is a replacement for all previous versions of OO
and in time LO version 3.4.x will be even better. No need to run multiple
versions.
I think the idea is to have on version a little more bleeding edge and
one version that is stable. The stable version is for those who can not
tolerate a slightly quirky version of LO, particularly in business.
Hi
Yes, but another advantage is longer term support. Corporate organisations and people who don't have unilmited broadband don't have time to download test and install a new version every few weeks. Many would like something that lasts a year or few even if that means not having the latest new features (which may or may not work as intended even after QA). Longer term support would have to include bug-fixes and a forum or mailing list for answers.
Regards from
Tom