OpenOffice Needs Some Changes

Doing some maintenance on my computers today, I was thinking of how much I miss the Google Pack. Oh, I know there is something that masquerades as the Google Pack, but it’s not like the one of just a few years ago. I refer to the Google Pack that used to include, at various times, OpenOffice and Sun Office as part of the download, and, what I was thinking of today, the updates for those programs.

I really don’t like the idea of working on things that are not local, as I get annoyed working on a column for which I have to use an online editor. I am hardly a fast typist, having more of an advanced hunt and peck style, and I get very worked up waiting when i get ahead of the screen refreshes, due to vagaries with the internet connection, and the problems with the remote server. I can’t imagine how maddening… how much of a pain it would be if I typed quickly.

So it is no wonder I don’t like the idea of working on Google Apps, no matter how great they might be. I like the days of having OpenOffice, or Sun Office, on the machine, and Google Updater taking care of the amendments and fixes to the programs included.

Now, I run OpenOffice, or Oxygen Office Professional (when they eventually get it out – it always follows OpenOffice by a large amount), which generally works well, with few problems, until the time comes for a new revision to be installed. Unfortunately, there is no way to update the OpenOffice programs, as the installer for the newer version forcefully instructs the removal of the older version, before a newer one can be installed. If there is a way of doing this in a non-piecemeal way , that is, bypassing the installer, I don’t know of it – besides, if it is done in a piecemeal fashion, all of the removals, and additions, to the registry would need to be done in the same piecemeal manner. What a chore that would be!

The people who use OpenOffice on other platforms don’t have this problem, as they have no registry to cope with. It is a cross that Windows users must alone bear – Thanks, Mr. Bill!

OpenOffice has become a great, free, alternative to the high priced spread, and I am thankful, every time i use it. Not because I am cheap, but because I don’t like the resource and space hog that Office has become.  If it must be, that I have to remove and re-install each time i want a major update, I will do it, but I wonder how many people stay with an older version, because of the trouble of doing the remove and re-install.

Though not a security problem yet, it might one day become one, and making updates as easily accomplished as possible means that more users will be tempted to use the programs, after using stay with them, and continue to keep them updated, which will lead to more people using, recommending, and adopting these programs. Also, since all of this funnels through SourceForge, I am certain they might like to cut down unnecessary traffic, as delta downloads would be significantly less than the full ones used currently.  (As a note to anyone who reads this, and has anything to do with the OpenOffice platforms, making the Java download completely separate would be a great idea, as not enough people will look to find the Office download without Java, making for that much more unnecessary downloading.)

Maybe the OpenOffice people can once again get in touch with the nice people at Google. After all, they supply Firefox alongside Chrome, why not supply a choice of OpenOffice, or Sun Office, along with Google Apps?

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