desktop integration working now? Re: [tdf-announce] LibreOffice 4.1: a landmark for interoperability

users
#1

Hi :slight_smile:
Now that the 4.1.0 has been properly released you might find the proper release has all the desktop integration sorted out now.  it might be worth checking if you are keen and have the time
Good luck and regards from

Tom :slight_smile:

#2

Hi Tom

Thanks for the heads up. Aside from some minor issues regarding documentation and installation, it seems to work fine. Here's my experience on Mint 14, FWIW:

The Read-Me still states:

"The following commands will install LibreOffice and the desktop integration packages (you may just copy and paste them into the terminal screen rather than trying to type them):

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

cd desktop-integration

sudo dpkg -i *.deb"

Someone who is involved in doc management will have to update this. It would also be helpful for some instruction on how to use the installation script in the folder.

The language pack must be installed before the help pack - I can't recall having to do this in a given order before, but maybe I did for previous versions.

Other than these minor issues, LibO4.1 seems to work okay so far, so thanks again.

#3

Mint 14? MATE or Cinnamon desktop environment? I run Ubuntu 12.04LTS with MATE.

So the desktop-integration now works properly without the extra step.

Yes, the Language Pack before the Help Pack was something that I remember hearing about back in 3.4.x days.

Has anyone installed the RPM version of 4.1.0 and had any problems with the desktop-integration?

Yes, we need to mention the fact that there will not be the extra step to get the desktop menus to be "installed".

#4

Hello,
Not the rpm- but the deb-Version (32bit) on Debian-Wheezy-KDE 4.10.
IT STILL DOES NOT WORK!!!
Regards
Heinrich

#5

<snip>

Hey there

I'm running the Mate desktop (most Gnome 2.6-like!) on Mint 14 32-bit, and the desktop integration does appear to happen relatively seamlessly. Just an aside, if, like me, one has embedded a launcher for LibO in one's panel, this should be removed and updated via the Add to Panel dialog.

In the docs for *.deb systems, the reference to the second step in the installation process references: "cd desktop-integration" and "sudo dpkg -i *.deb" . These lines just need to be deleted. The rest of the text stands. But, as there are no separate docs for the enclosed installation script, could a section be added here in the readme to document the script?

Sorry, can't help re: RPMs.

#6

<snip>

Hello Heinrich

Seems like you have been experiencing difficulty with this version for quite some time, IIRC?

However, despite your frustration, can you say more precisely is not working.

Just to review typical sticking points however, although I'm sure you've gone through these already:

1. Have you deleted your current LibO installation before installing 4.1? If you haven't, this can be done via the synaptic GUI, filtering installed packages, and selecting appropriate files for complete removal and then applying.

2. Did you run the latest release candidate, because the new release build has a seamless desktop-integration installation routine, whereas previous attempts to install always gave install errors. So if you're not using the latest, then you may stand a better chance of success.

3. Have you checked your menu edit options? The updater may not have caught the version changes and therefore did not automatically update the menu with the correct launchers. You might want to double check that.

4. I found that invoking soffice didn't seem to work, but using this did: /usr/bin/X11/libreoffice4.1 %u This just may be a local quirk though.

Anyway, please expand on what is not working, and give the email a meaningful subject line so those who are knowledgeable about the system are more likely to see your request for help.

Good luck

#7

<snip>

Sorry about replying to own post, but have just seen the instruction on the download site: download and install in the following order ...

Doh!! Apologies for carelessness.

#8

I've just installed 4.1 on Squeeze and no problems, although this was using Gnome 2.* DE again.

Just a thought: if you have the space, time and patience, you could install the Gnome DE (unless it's already installed by default?) and see if you could install it through that DE. Or even Xfce4 ... it may be library conflict in KDE, such as a missing dependency?

#9

I keep the launcher for the main screen and Writer right next to "System" on the top panel. I run 64-bit, but have a few 32-bit systems. I do not use Mint, since for some reason it does not puck up my Canon MX6220 network printer, but will if I plug in the USB cable. But I have been using Ubuntu since at least 9.04.

What I do for installs, is un-archive the folder system to my main folder /timothy. Then rename it to "Lib" so I do not need to type long paths. Then I "cd" to the "DEBS" folder to do the "sudo" install. I do similar things with any help pack or language pack I may want.

The big problem is, I need to uninstall LO 4.0.3 first before I install 4.04. If I do not, then I get menu issues. Why, I do not know. I just get either error messages when installing the desktop-integration file[s] or when I use the menu it opens the previous version. I know I need to uninstall 4.0.4 if I want to install 4.1.0. I do not like to deal with dual installs at all. I had the same error when I tested Mint and went from the installed version to the newest version of the same line.

Yes, I run MATE since I loved the desktop environment of Ubuntu 10.04LTS. That GNOME desktop was what I wanted when I went to 12.04LTS. I tried using Unity on a laptop, but I went to MATE after a few weeks. Did not like Unity at all.

Hopefully, the people who are using RPM will get the desktop-integration working soon. I was told there were several different integration files to choose from depending on the version of Linux and the desktop. That may be wrong but it was what I was told a number of months ago.

Sometimes it would be nice if there was a script to run instead of you doing everything manually. But, that could be a security issue for some. Every printer driver install, except HP, uses one or two .deb files. HP runs an install script that will download and "make" the driver system for your setup, including downloading any needed packages that you may not have already installed on your system. Although it is a little slower, it seem to make the HP driver "system" match your system and not some generic one.

Maybe someone could make a Linux install script to make sure that the needed or optional packages could be installed through a question/answer script. Right now the fact that the Windows 64-bit systems need to have the 32-bit Java installed if you want to use Java for parts of LO, would be a good idea to make an install "script" to install the needed Java package along with LO. It use to be, you had to install Java first or you would get a "freeze" during the install process of LO. Once Java was installed, the LO install would not freeze up.

#10

Hi,
As a "first installment"...
- What goes wrong? Clicking on any of the icons for the various parts of LO
   doesn't cause anything to come up. Also, there is no "LibreOffice" icon for
   the complete package, only icons for the various parts...
- Yes, I DID delete LO befor trying to install 4.1 (apt-get purge libreoffice*)
- I know the aspect of the "desktop-integration" subdirectory existing in
   prior versions. What do you mean be "seamless ... installation routine"?
   I ran dpkg -i *deb in all of the three DEBS-directories in the correct sequence
   (but obviously no dpkg -i *deb within a desktop-integration subdirectory because
   it does not exist in LO 4.1). Is there anything in addition that I have to do?
- How do I check the "menu edit" options?
I have reverted back to 3.6.7 now, may uninstall that version completely and
try to install 4.1. But - honestly - it is MUCH to hot here at the moment to
do so and not to prefer going for a glass of beer... (smiley!)
Regards

#11

That is why we need to include a dependency "script" to help install everything that might be missing before you install LO. Not everyone might have all the dependencies installed. I have one Linux Distro that would tell me a list of the dependencies needed to install the package but would not do so and I had to scramble around to find and install them.

#12

Heinrich

Just taking a rough stab at this ...

I think that the way in which you are removing previous installations may be causing a problem. Just as a double check, open up the synaptic package manager GUI and go to "All". In the search box type "libreoffice" (no quotes) and it should filter out all non-LibO files. At the top of the index, click on the installed version to sort and then right click on the little green boxes that show the version installed. For each one that is a LibO file with any suffix (e.g. 3.* or 4.*) select mark for complete removal on the context menu. Then hit apply after approving the summary. Then close.

Then go back to your extracted folders and do the cd and the sudo dpkg -i *.deb routines as normal.

My experience after following those steps was that LibO4.1 installed, that I didn't have to take the additional step of cd to desktop-integration. Then I edited the panel to have the new launcher and was done.

By edit the menus I meant just that. Try under preferences or appearances or even just menu edit. Not using KDE I don't have a clue, sorry. But it will have the functionality. Then you just ensure that the proper menu icons are loaded/ enabled by ticking a selection box or something similar.

If, after installing 4.1 the icons still don't trigger the LibO suite, then try /usr/bin/X11/libreoffice4.1 at the terminal and see if anything happens.

A glass of beer sounds nice about now :slight_smile:

#13

Just a heads up - I didn't read the whole thread but I suspect this is the normal lack of desktop integration which others have brought up. This happens because of mixing the TDF package with the distro packages. You must completely purge your system of all libreoffice stuff if you are going from a distro build to a TDF build (the document foundation from libreoffice.org). If you install TDF package over distro package you hit snags. We are going to update release notes in the future to reflect this but in general I (and many others) recommend not upgrading until your distro packages LibreOffice into their repos OR from official PPA's as many don't now what completely purging means or know how to do it exactly and then run into these kind of problems.

Best,
Joel
QA Volunteer

#14

Sorry, but I had to "purge" 4.0.3 before I installed 4.0.4. I run Ubuntu 12.04LTS and I think it uses 3.5.7 as its default install of LO. I have had to do the removal of the old version of LO throughout the 3.6.x line and for every 4.0.x version I have installed as well. So it does not "completely" involve the original version that the distro installs. Or at least for me. I seem to remember having to do the same with Mint and another Debian-based distro I tested before.

Also, I do not install the PPA's for LO or most other package.

I just stick with downloading the installs from the LO download page[s]. I tend to download about 90 files each time for the NA-DVD when each new version comes out. There are 7 less since 4.1.0 does not support Mac OSX PPC systems.

#15

Hi Joel,

I don't remember EVER installing a distro package for LO but ALWAYS use
the TDF-download site. Again, before trying to install 4.1 I did
apt-get purge libreoffice* (as suggested somewhere on the www in order to
"clear" the slate!). Also - maybe being Central European? - I have really
settled on KDE. I have become accustomed to it, it performs quite well enough
for me at V4.10 and I love it.

There is the threat of having to migrate so much (such as PIM etc.) in case of
changing to any other desktop environment. As I mentioned before, I have settled
on using 3.6.7 for the time being. It works just fine for me. Even as an
old IBM systems engineer I find that even though I love doing so I anyway fiddle
quite enough with Linux.

However - from my professional days - I have unfortunately carried over to
retirement the infection called "versionitis". Obviously this causes this kind
of problems...

Regarding heat and beer: while I definitely acknoledge what you say about
that - maybe, if you should ever make it to Salzburg, I can introduce you
to the shady beergarden next to the monastery that has been brewing their
stuff for centuries and serve it in nice cool beer steins which you personally
cool with clean cold mountain water before "inserting" the stuff from the
wooden barrel. After working out in gym for an hour or so there is not much
that can equal the first gulp of fresh hops/malt at just the right temperature...
:wink:
Regards
Heinrich