[wplug] OpenOffice, StarOffice

[Robert Supansic]

Tim Lesher wrote:

>While I agree with you in principle, I've come to the conclusion that
>this is a Utopian dream.  The reason is this:  it's true that most
>people who use a word processor only use 20% (to pull a number out of
>a hat) of its features... the problem is that it's a different 20%.

What you are calling a "Utopian dream" was actually all that existed before galloping 
featureitis took over in the early 90s.  WordPerfect 4.2 for DOS was for several years the 
largest-selling word processor program around.  Take a look at its menus and then look at 
Word and tell me that something hasn't gone seriously wrong.

>For example, I just read an article in the past week (don't remember
>where, but it was linked from linuxtoday.com) about a company's
>attempted switch to OpenOffice.  The biggest complication for them was
>that OO's mail merge support isn't as good as that of Word.  I'm
>wondering, "What?!  Who ever uses that?"

In my experience, many fewer offices actually use mail merge than need it, even though it 
has been a feature of word processors since the mid-80s.  In my opinion, it has never been 
made as simple and easy to understand (and reliable) as is needed.

>But your idea of a "Firebird" version of OpenOffice is interesting.  I
>haven't looked at the OO source, so I don't know if the architecture
>lends itself to such a thing.

Bear in mind that I am talking about simplified core applications for each of the major parts 
of the OpenOffice suite.  More specialized features would be bundled separately -- a full 
graphics package, mathematical formulas, programmers support, specialized support for 
specific fields such as law, medicine, etc. -- and installable as modularlized components.  
As I undertand it, Firebird is simply a stripped-down Mozilla.  But your speculation may well 
be right on the mark: the existing architecture probably will not allow it.

>Not to denigrate your web browsing abilities, but what website did you
>go to? at openoffice.org, I found everything you mentioned except the
>last, all linked from the left-hand navigation list.

I did indeed go to openoffice.org.  I assume you are right as I have not gone back to check 
again.  But when I clicked on "Documentation" I couldn't tell whether I was I able to access 
user documents or registering to take part in their documentation project.  When I clicked on 
a "user" document listed there, I began to get a PDF page which I cancelled after a full 
megabyte.  A simple link to "User Documents" which points to a list of directly downloadable 
documents is the way it's usually done.  And that is really my point.

I pray that you do not take the tone of these remarks as deprecating your observations in 
any way.  Indeed, I greatly appreciate the time you took to make them.