X11

[sp0]

Hi folks

More X11 woes, unfortunately. Given all the problems this seems to cause, doesn't this need a rethink? It is hardly encouraging; nor what you hope for from what is supposed to be open source, after all. Here's what has happened so far.

Downloaded Open Office successfully - I believe - at the end of November onto this new macbook. Whatever, ended up with the following:

a white thing labeled open office.org
OpenOffice.org 2.3.app
OOo_2-1.3.0_MacOSXIntel_install_en_US.dmg
OOo_2.3.0_MacOSXIntel_install_en_US.dmg
OOo_2.2.0_MacOSXIntel_install_en_US.dmg.torrent
OOo_2.3.0_MacOSXIntel_install_en_US.dmg.torrent

Tried to open it but got the same thing as everybody else, and still am. A message that says it cannot be started because X11 is not installed.

Followed the advice on the OO site for installing X11 twice - to the letter - but it is not simply not correct in my case. Everything is exactly as described, but the programs are different. X11 is not on the disks as you claim. In fact the only program that is which had not been pre-installed was something called Tous Comptes Fait which turned out to be a bookkeeping program in French.

Am presuming this must be due to a recent change as only brought my mac in November, though it was the end of a line. Its model 2,1 if that helps any.

Finally discovered that X11 is downloadable at the Apple website. A suggestion is that you should tell folks this in the first place, as it is a lot less hassle than messing around with startup disks anyway.

So download X11Update2006 (49.7 MB) (version 1.1.3) which appears to be the latest, and thought I was finally home and dry. But on trying to instal it a message comes up which says:

ALERT this system does not need this update.


So what now please? Badly need to get OpenOffice going as my free trails have all expired am without a spreadsheet and down to the text editor for word processing. What is not clear to me is whether it needs the original 2003 version of X11 too - but didn't think so from the Apple website. Or whether X11 is preinstalled in Tiger so these things are not needed at all and the problem is that OO is not picking it up for some reason way beyond me.

Would really like to sort this out fast, and ideally without any more complex rigmaroles or hassle.

But most of all wish to avoid messing up my mac with a lot of junk software, software conflicts and problems of that type.

So if someone could let me know what is happening, why, what can be done, or whether it is better to forget the whole thing, would be very grateful. And which of the files above can be ditched (all except the .app ?) would be nice too.

Finally Apple have promised a free copy of Leopard which should be received fairly soon. When it is installed, what then? Should have said am currently run-ning the lastest version of Tiger version 10.4.11.

Many thanks for your help - and for what I still believe will be excellent software - in advance!
steve

[Hagar Delest]

I move this thread in the Mac forum. There are few threads about that also, you should check them.

[davidb]

Steve,

The X11 downloaded from the Apple site is for the previous version of Mac OS - 10.3 not for 10.4. It will not work under 10.4 as you found out. You must first install X11 from your Mac OS X Tiger DVD that came with the computer - run the installer and go to custom install - it is an option under custom install. Follow the instructions for a custom install in the "Mac OS X v 10.4 Tiger Installation and setup guide" booklet. After it is installed restart the computer and then run software update to get the latest version. From what I am reading there are issues with using OOo under Leopard - the current version works best with 10.4. I am sure the next versions will be more compatible with Leopard. A version of OOo that doesn't need X 11 is being developed.

David

[smsm1]

Hi folks

More X11 woes, unfortunately. Given all the problems this seems to cause, doesn't this need a rethink? It is hardly encouraging; nor what you hope for from
Tried to open it but got the same thing as everybody else, and still am. A message that says it cannot be started because X11 is not installed.

Followed the advice on the OO site for installing X11 twice - to the letter - but it is not simply not correct in my case. Everything is exactly as described, but the programs are different. X11 is not on the disks as you claim. In fact the only program that is which had not been pre-installed was something called Tous Comptes Fait which turned out to be a bookkeeping program in French.

Am presuming this must be due to a recent change as only brought my mac in November, though it was the end of a line. Its model 2,1 if that helps any.

I can only create documentation with the information that I have. I unfortunately cannot afford to buy every new mac that comes out just to make sure that the documentation is correct.

Finally discovered that X11 is downloadable at the Apple website. A suggestion is that you should tell folks this in the first place, as it is a lot less hassle than messing around with startup disks anyway.

So download X11Update2006 (49.7 MB) (version 1.1.3) which appears to be the latest, and thought I was finally home and dry. But on trying to instal it a message comes up which says:

You can install X11 for Mac OS X 10.3 from the Apple web site without the install disks. Any more recent version of Mac OS X requires you to install X11 from the install disks first. Thereafter you can update X11 from Apple's web site. I have heard a number of reports that X11 is installed by default on Leopard. I cannot confirm that this is true.