New release doesn't open WordPerfect documents

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Superuserlaptop
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New release doesn't open WordPerfect documents

Post by Superuserlaptop »

:D New Releases - Why I hesitate Ugrading

This is not just true about OpenOffice. In fact I like OpenOffice better than LibreOffice and penalized Debian their financial support for switching out OpenOffice for LibreOffice which I uninstalled and reinstalled OpenOffice. I have been using OpenOffice since Red Hat v2.

But...
You have to help us too!
It is very important for me to be able to convert WordPerfect documents. This is a strong selling point that I mention to people for switching to OpenOffice.

You decided to pull the ability of opening WordPerfect. I did not see it mentioned anywhere that WordPerfect would be gone.

I have older versions of OpenOffice and I can reload one, maybe I have an old enough version of OpenOffice on an old Linux desktop. I use laptops now.

The point being, and this is true for all software, what are we going to lose with upgrades? For me I would prefer to be able to improve current software by plugs and other methods of upgrading.

Remember I said above Debian stole my OpenOffice and got fined? I like Debian; it's a great OS.
But... don't mess with my stuff!

Why not ask us the users about pulling things out. It has been mentioned that it is a licensing problem. Fine, how much does the license cost and can we raise the cash for the licensing?

It is hard to follow every little bit of information for all the software. Most of us have normal lives. But when such issues arise, ask for help or guidance, don't leave us in the lurch.

So … I ain't upgrading! I still support by word and deed, OpenOffice, but play nice. OK?

PS. This is the very first time I have ever gotten a smiley face to work on any forum! Small miracles do help.
Last edited by MrProgrammer on Sat Mar 09, 2024 7:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Edited topic's subject
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RoryOF
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by RoryOF »

Use an online site such as www.zamzar.com to convert from WP to OpenOffice. If you are consistently using WP or .doc files, or any specific format, better to keep a version of the correct program running on an older computer (if that is needed to run that application).
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 on Xubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
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Hagar Delest
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by Hagar Delest »

NB: we are users like you here. There are no developers. If you want to ask them, use their mailing list. Perhaps they will redo their import/export filter.
LibreOffice 7.6.2.1 on Xubuntu 23.10 and 7.6.4.1 portable on Windows 10
Superuserlaptop
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by Superuserlaptop »

:ucrazy: Maybe I did not say it clear enough, so will try it this way.

Let me first say that I appreciate your suggestions and take them as a sincere effort to help. This should be a place to talk about ideas and direction.

As I said, I did not hear anything about dropping WordPerfect. I did see that in v4 that OO will be dropping even some more formats. This was one of the key features touted as why OpenOffice should be used. It also means, I see no value for anyone switching to v4.

I have a strong history with OpenOffice. I defend it strongly in the market place. When I set up Linux computers for people, I uninstall LibreOffice and install OpenOffice. Because, I find OpenOffice a more complete package than LibreOffice, or did. If these features are being taken away and are not available as plug-ins for those who need them, where is the need for OpenOffice?

By skimming through the questions about lost features on the forums, it suggests that maybe OpenOffice is too much of a load for Apache and possibly an independent Foundation should be found for OpenOffice. I took a look at Abiword and find that even though it is primitive in someways, it is now more flexible than OpenOffice.

I have not stated these things to offend, only as things to think about. I am seeing degradation in OpenOffice that is disappointing and hampers the use of the software. I hope this philosophy will change.

If you agree, then leave a comment so that those working on OO will know there is disappointment with some of the decisions that have been made.

Be well; thank you for suggestions.
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lgusaas
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by lgusaas »

Superuserlaptop wrote:Maybe I did not say it clear enough, so will try it this way.

Let me first say that I appreciate your suggestions and take them as a sincere effort to help. This should be a place to talk about ideas and direction.
This is a forum to provide support to users. As was previously mentioned, the developers do not hang out here.
As I said, I did not hear anything about dropping WordPerfect. I did see that in v4 that OO will be dropping even some more formats. This was one of the key features touted as why OpenOffice should be used. It also means, I see no value for anyone switching to v4.
Support for WordPerfect was dropped in Apache OpenOffice 3.4 which was released in May 2012. The license for the translation code was not compatible with Apache's license. A search for WordPerfect would find many threads on this forum. It was discussed extensively on the developer's mailing list.
If you agree, then leave a comment so that those working on OO will know there is disappointment with some of the decisions that have been made.
Once again, the developers do not hang out here. Contact them on their mailing list. Or make feature requests and/or bug reports at https://issues.apache.org/ooo/
Larry I. Gusaas
Moose Jaw, SK Canada
Website: http://larry-gusaas.com
"An artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs." Edgard Varese
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.14 — MacBook Air (M1)—macOS Ver.13.5 Ventura
Superuserlaptop
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by Superuserlaptop »

I am sorry if you miss my reasoning behind posting here. If I send something to the developers by myself, it means nothing. If a group of us say that a decision made by developers is not agreeable to us, then we have people listening.

This should only be a first step, not a final one. Are there enough people who feel stripping down OO is a bad decision?

This is why it is appropriate to post here.

For me, I downloaded Abiword to handle such files for now, but they have a default standard of their own, which I changed on my copy.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: New Releases - Why I hesitate upgrading

Post by Hagar Delest »

The number doesn't really matter. There was even a discussion few months ago about resetting the vote counts of the bug reports...
If you want your voice to be heard, file a bug report and advertise it to get votes.
LibreOffice 7.6.2.1 on Xubuntu 23.10 and 7.6.4.1 portable on Windows 10
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