[Solved] Registering OOo, really needed?

[Georgia Boy]

Hi guys and gals. It's been a while since I've been here. I have a question for you about registering when installing a new OpenOffice.org. I have a cousin that decided to download OpenOffice. She called me and I was trying to help her with some stuff. It has been so long since I got it I have forgotten a lot of it. She uses Vista, and got the latest. When it came to the register part I didn't know what to tell her. I can't remember if you register with Sun to get those letters that we get about the latest news or how we do it. I had gone to my Windows side of the computer and completely removed my 2.4.1 and installed the 3.01. Even removed all of the Gallery and Template extensions and readded them so I could write down the steps for her to follow to get them added to her system. But I got stuck about what to do with the registering part. I know we register for here but I just can't remember what I did when i first got the OpenOffice to get the news letters that I receive. I was going through what they show now and notice that they want email plus password? So, could someone please help this old dog to help his cousin?
I've talked her though what I could and it wasn't easy to do even that when I have XP and she has Vista. Damn good thing I wasn't trying to follow her in my mind using my Ubuntu. It would have really been fun.I think I have her straight on everything else. I sent her an email telling how to do the extensions, gave some good OpenOffice sites for help including this one. Told her that the forum was going to be her best friend in this. Told her about checking and if couldn't find then ask. That you guys and gals were the best at helping a person out when they were stumped. I think that she will be on the right track but the question of the registering was nagging the back of our minds. All help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tom

[Villeroy]

Nobody should ask for any password when installing OOo. Did you really download from http://openoffice.org ?
You can reject the registration. If I remember correctly there used to be a button "Register Later" which can be read as "Register Never". If you are lurking around on this site or any other OOo-related site, then you will certinaly never miss an upgrade.

[Hagar Delest]

Are you talking about that page: https://inventory.sun.com/inventory/? I got here with the Help>Register menu in OOo. But it's a redirection from an OOo web page. To get the registration screen, you've to reset your OOo user profile.

I remember having registered also few years ago. It was a survey in fact IIRC. There was no login required, it was just to tell OOo about some basic information. This page may have been redirected to that Sun page now. Just don't worry and don't register at all.

If you want the OOo 'newsletter', you should subscribe to the announcement mailing list. See the mailing lists page in the support section of the main OOo web site.

Thanks to add '[Solved]' at beginning of your first post title (edit button) if your issue has been fixed.

[Georgia Boy]

Thanks Villeroy and Hagar!!! Yes it was through the help that I went through. I can't rememeber exactly what was going on. I was talking to her over the phone and was trying to vision in my mind what she was talking about. Told her not to register at this time until I found out what was going on. I'll email her and let her know that she don't need to register at all. As Istated in my post, I did a complete removal and installation of everything on the OOo on my Windows side so that maybe I could see what she was talking about. Isn't there a register button at the bottom of the startup screen? Ithink that is where she tried from and then it went to the Sun site with all kinds stuff. Then she went to the Sun online account screen. That is where I went also to see where she was talking about. I also tried but it didn't like the information I put in. Said that it was sending a message to someone with a Yahoo account. So, I decided to get out of it until I talked with you guys to see what was going on. I went ahead and did a detailed step by step for her as how to get extensions for the gallery and templates for the resumes etc. She said that she loves OOo from what she has seen so far. She just hates Vista. I like the latest version, but since I'm on Ubuntu Hardy most of the time I just use what is on there. Will probably wait until the next LTS comes out. By then they'll probably have even a newer version of OOo on it. But I enjoy what I use very much. I mostly use Write, Draw and Impress. Haven't gotten into Calac yet. Any rate, I want to thank you guys for all of the help you've given me. I'll tell her forget about registering and to just check here for any updates that are coming out and any solutions for problems she might be having. This is a great forum and I enjoy coming over to read and learn.
Again, thanks guys!!!
Tom

[ccornell]

Registering allows the Marketing Project get a more accurate count of actual users... and provides other statistical info that they can use for things like press releases etc etc. Registering is optional... if you don't register, you're not missing out on anything. Some people never register, others see it as an easy way they can contribute to the OOo project.

[Hagar Delest]

But that new registration screen is rather threatening for an OOo user. There is no obvious link or reference to OOo and it looks like something much more oriented to Sun itself.

[ccornell]

It is Sun oriented... if it's intimidating or threatening to new users, then this should be raised to the Marketing Project... maybe something can be changed. I'm not a member in that project so I don't have insight into the reasoning or requirements for the current registration process. It would be nice to make it simpler... maybe more people would be inclined to do the registration.

[Georgia Boy]

That is why it's so confusing. I don't remember it being like that when I first downloaded OOo. When you click on the register either in help or elsewhere it don't even look like it has anything to do with OOo at all. It's all about Sun. That's what causes a person to get out of there. Were it to talk about the OOo, there might be more people to register. When you have a new person downloading something that they know as only OOo and they get caught up with a site talking only about Sun and how to help them then it's an automatic back out for most. When my cousin asked me about it I didn't know what to tell her. It didn't sound right.
It should be more clear than what it is. How would a person go about letting Marketing know about the confusing anyway?
Tom