From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jun 7 16:35:02 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9C4F81065678 for ; Mon, 7 Jun 2010 16:35:02 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from sterling@camdensoftware.com) Received: from wh2.interactivevillages.com (wh2.interactivevillages.com [75.125.250.34]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 664318FC1D for ; Mon, 7 Jun 2010 16:35:02 +0000 (UTC) Received: from 174-21-99-21.tukw.qwest.net ([174.21.99.21] helo=_HOSTNAME_) by wh2.interactivevillages.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OLfAk-0004tf-Je for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:27:35 -0700 Received: by _HOSTNAME_ (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:34:56 -0700 Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 09:34:56 -0700 From: Chip Camden To: FreeBSD Questions Message-ID: <20100607163456.GB2102@libertas.local.camdensoftware.com> Mail-Followup-To: FreeBSD Questions References: <20100606203416.GF46089@libertas.local.camdensoftware.com> <20100607035650.GA29350@guilt.hydra> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20100607035650.GA29350@guilt.hydra> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i Company: Camden Software Consulting URL: http://camdensoftware.com X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - wh2.interactivevillages.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - freebsd.org X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - camdensoftware.com Subject: Re: office apps X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:35:02 -0000 On Jun 06 2010 21:56, Chad Perrin wrote: > On Sun, Jun 06, 2010 at 01:34:16PM -0700, Chip Camden wrote: > > > > Does anyone have a recommendation for a lighter-weight office suite? > > OOo is such a pig. It takes a good minute to start it up and open a > > spreadsheet. > > > > Short of the full suite, how about just a spreadsheet program that supports > > complex formulas and charting? If it could also be used without X11 when > > charting isn't needed, that would make my day. > > It may be a little late to ask -- but I notice nobody else addressed the > matter: > > Does your OO.o replacement have to be somewhat compatible with MS Office? > > If so . . . does it have to be two-way compatible? > > There are options for one-way compatibility (e.g., catdoc for turning MS > Word files into plain text), but for being able to interoperate to > roughly arbitrary degrees with users of MS Office I'm not aware of > anything other than OO.o, KOffice, and whatever GNOME's using, that would > work for the purposes you described. Maybe someone else can comment on > the suitability of recent versions of Abiword and Gnumeric (for > instance). > > Ever since it essentially stopped being possible to install OO.o from a > binary package on FreeBSD for me (at least without also installing Java), > I've dreaded the day I will no longer have the venerable OO.o install > from way back when and some jackass expects me to talk back and forth via > MS Excel. I loathe "applications" written in VBA, to put it mildly, and > only my loathing for MS Windows and MS Office has kept that ancient OO.o > install on one of my computers for so long. > > -- > Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ] That's a very good point. For most of what I need to do, it's not an issue. But I do have clients who send me Word docs, and one who requires that I send them specs in Word format. For that, I guess I'm stuck using some behemoth office tool, if only for converting from a different format. I'm currently doing that work on a Windows workstation, but I'd like to limit my involvement with Windows to only developing for it when I must. -- Sterling (Chip) Camden | camdensoftware.com | chipstips.com | chipsquips.com