FAQ for OO.oX11 2.0

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This is a FAQ (frequently Asked Questions) for OpenOffice.org X11 2.0RC3 (OO.oX11 2.0RC3). The official site for this program is: http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/2.0.0rc3.html

A living online version of this document can be found here: http://

THIS PROGRAM IS STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT

This is still beta software. RC in the title stands for 'release candidate'. That means that this software is not yet the full, polished version, but a stable, testable version. To help with testing, report issues you have with this program to dev@porting.openoffice.org.

If you need stable, there are two versions of OpenOffice.org that you can use. OpenOffice.org X11 1.1.2 (http://openoffice.org) and NeoOffice/j 1.1 (http://neooffice.org) are both based on OpenOffice.org 1.1, and are stable and ready for everyday use.

Contents

X11 IS REQUIRED TO RUN THIS PROGRAM

What is X11?

X11 is a windowing system for Unix or Linux based systems. Basically it provides the means to display a GUI rather than just simple command line information. Mac OS X does not use this for its GUI, but has the ability to run X11. More information can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X11 and here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/x11/

Where do I get it?

X11 can be found on both of the 10.3 "Panther" and 10.4 "Tiger" install disks. The program is about 40 megs in size and will install in your Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. If you are running 10.3 "Panther, you may also download and install X11 from here: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/x11formacosx.html

What do I do with it?

X11 doesn’t do much by itself. What it does do is let you run programs (Linux or Unix based, mostly) that do not use the native OS X system. OpenOffice.org is an example of this, which runs on the Mac using X11. There are others, such as GIMP (a photoshop-esque program) and Scribus (a Quark-like program) which use this as well.

How to Install OpenOffice.org X11 2.0 RC3

Installation with version 2.0 is simpler now. Download the file from OpenOffice.org (http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/2.0.0rc3.html). Mount the .dmg file (by double clicking on it) and inside will be a .app file. Simply drag this to your Applications folder and OpenOffice.org is installed.

I Double Clicked the .app file, it bounced in the dock a few times and went away

This happens when X11 does not start. This can happen for two reasons. You do not have X11 installed, or the .app file is not functioning correctly.

X11 installed?

To check to see if X11 is installed, look in the Utilities folder inside of your Applications folder. If there is a program called X11, run it to make sure it works. You should see a window called Xterm pop up. If it is not there, you will need to install it (instructions for this found elsewhere in this FAQ).

Yes, X11 is installed.

X11 is installed, but still, only bouncing in the dock. This is not the intended behavior, and should be reported to dev@porting.openoffice.org. To get the program to run anyway, try starting X11 first, then double clicking the .app file. Also you can try the following command in the Xterm window (this command assumes you have installed the .app file into your Applications folder):

/Applications/OpenOffice.org\ 2.0.app/contents/openoffice.org/program/soffice

Ok, still nothing

If X11 is installed and the program does not run, please report this to dev@porting.openoffice.org. You should report your OS X version (10.3.6, for example), mention that you confirmed X11 installation (by running it and seeing the Xterm). They may ask for more information.

Why did my .app file get so big after I ran it for the first time?

Fonts. See, as an X11 program, OpenOffice.org does not have access to all of your system fonts. There is a program called Fondu which will translate those fonts into a form that can be used by X11. This program is built into the .app bundle that OpenOffice.org X11 2.0RC3 comes in. When you run this application, it will translate fonts via Fondu for you and store them in the .app bundle. If you have a lot of fonts, this will slow down boot up time for OpenOffice.org as well as make the bundle very large.

When I open the program, it is just a blank gray window

OpenOffice.org opens into just the program. To start a new document, click on the 'new' icon and select which type of document.

I liked "Start OpenOffice.org" how do I use that with this .app thing?

This answer from the NeoWiki, (http://neowiki.sixthcrusade.com/index.php/OpenOffice.org_Mac_OS_X_%28X11%29)

Unfortunately, the late Terry Teague's Start OpenOffice.org application does not include built-in support for the new OpenOffice.org 2.0. However, it is not too difficult to configure Start OpenOffice.org to launch the new version, but it may require a tiny bit of Terminal usage.

Opening the .sversionrc file

  • Open the hidden .sversionrc file at the root of your home directory (this file will only exist if you've previously used OpenOffice.org 1.x.x)

1. Open Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities) 2. At the prompt, type open -a TextEdit .sversionrc and hit return.

  • If you've not previously used OpenOffice.org 1.x.x

1. Open TextEdit and create a new document 2. Choose Make Plain Text from the Format menu 3. Save the (empty) file; navigate to your home folder, uncheck "Hide Extension", enter .sversionrc as the filename, and click Save. When the dialogue warns you about saving a "dot" file, choose the Use “.” button.

Edit the .sversionrc file and save

  • Your file should look like this (the entry for OpenOffice.org 1.1.2 is not necessary if you do not have 1.1.2 installed):
[Versions]
OpenOffice.org 1.1.2=file:///Applications/OpenOffice.org1.1.2/
OpenOffice.org 2.0=file:///Applications/OpenOffice.org 2.0.app/Contents/openoffice.org/
  • Save the file (there should be no warnings this time)

Launch and Configure Start OpenOffice.org

  • Launch Start OpenOffice.org

o If you've not run Start OpenOffice.org before, it may ask you to locate X11 (in /Applications/Utilities) o If you have already used Start OpenOffice.org with 1.1.2, it will launch X11 and 1.1.2 * In the Start OpenOffice.org Preferences, make sure "OpenOffice.org 2.0RC3" is selected as your preferred version and click OK.

  • Quit Start OpenOffice.org

o When restarting Start OpenOffice.org, it will now launch OpenOffice.org 2.0 o You can drag and drop documents onto its icon to open them o You will need to manually assign Start OpenOffice.org to the new OpenDocument filetypes (see Setting the Default Application) in order to be able to open them via double-clicking

How do I back-up my preferences?

Preferences are stored in a hidden file in your user directory. To back them up, open up a terminal and type:

cd cp -R .openoffice.org2 openoffice.org2.backup

How do I uninstall this program?

Move the OpenOffice2.app to the trash can. Empty the trash can. This deletes the application but does not delete the user's preferences. To do this type in:

cd rm -rf .openoffice.org2

This must be done for each user that setup OpenOffice 2.

Finding Help

For using the program: http://ooodocs.org is a good place to find general information about using OpenOffice.org programs.

Tips and Tricks to using OpenOffice.org on the Mac can be found on the NeoWiki, http://neowiki.sixthcrusade.com

A team of volunteers works at http://trinity.neooffice.org - however none of the developers of the X11 version do. See "How To report Bugs or software issues"

How to report bugs or software issues

Bugs and software issues should be reported to dev@porting.openoffice.org. This email list is where the developers and porters of the X11 version of OpenOffice.org live. Your input can help improve the work they do.

What does all those parts of the name of OpenOffice.org X11 2.0RC3 mean?

The main program is called OpenOffice.org. This refers to the suite of programs that include writer, calc and presentation. X11 refers to the platform. OpenOffice.org X11 is the version of OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X. It uses X11 to run. The end, 2.0RC3 is the version number. This is the third (3) release candidate (RC) of the 2.0 version of OpenOffice.org for X11.

Copyright

This document written by Jacob Daniel Haddon, and copywrited under a Creative Commons liscense. Portions pulled from the NeoWiki, http://neowiki.sixthcrusade.com as well as the Trinity forums. Please read here for more details: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

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