Improving font display: OO 2.3.0 under Linux (Ubuntu 7.10)

[ed-forum]

Is there a way to improve the font rendering when editing a document in OOWriter?

Fonts that appear crisp in other applications, are jagged and with odd kerning in OO.

I am running OO 2.3.0 under Ubuntu 7.10. Attached is an example of a OO document next to its PDF export displayed with the AdobeReader.

Screenshot OOWriter X AdobeReader8

[Hagar Delest]

Have you installed the msttcorefonts package ?

[ed-forum]

Have you installed the msttcorefonts package ?

Yes, from an Ubuntu repository. They display nicely in the desktop and every other application.
Is my OpenOffice replacing these fonts with something else? The ugly letter spacing shows only on small sizes.

[TerryE]

Are you using the OOo obtained from Ubuntu or that obtained from OOo? They are subtly different in their display driver support etc,

[ed-forum]

Are you using the OOo obtained from Ubuntu or that obtained from OOo? They are subtly different in their display driver support etc,

I am using the Ubuntu version: openoffice.org 1:2.3.0-1ubuntu5.3.

Does your question imply that the problems in the attachment wouldn't show in OpenOffice.org version?

The puzzling thing is that some applications like Firefox, Acrobat display the same fonts beautifully, while OpenOffice shows them jagged with odd letter spacing.

[TerryE]

I am saying that when you build OOo you include in display driver support etc. I do my OOo development on an Ubuntu sandpit, so the first thing I do is to take off the std Ubuntu build, download the source and build my own:

Code: Select all   Expand viewCollapse view

./configure --disable-binfilter --disable-cairo --disable-crashdump \
  --disable-fontooo --disable-gstreamer --disable-gtk --disable-kde \
  --disable-qadevooo --disable-mathmldtd --disable-build-mozilla --disable-odk \
  --enable-atkbridge --enable-crypt-link --enable-libsn --enable-pam-link \
  --enable-pasf --enable-symbols --enable-xsltproc \
  --with-alloc=tcmalloc --with-build-version="Terry OOo 2.2.1" --with-distro=Ubuntu \
  --with-jdk-home=/usr/lib/jvm/java-gcj --with-lang=en-US --with-openldap \
  --with-system-curl --with-system-expat --with-system-freetype --with-system-gcc \
  --with-system-jpeg --with-system-libxml --with-system-nas --with-system-odbc-headers \
  --with-system-python --with-system-sane-header --with-system-sndfile --with-system-stdlibs \
  --with-system-xrender-headers --with-system-zlib --with-use-shell=bash \
  --without-agg --without-fonts --without-gpc --without-myspell-dicts \
  CC=gcc CFLAGS=-O2

The fonts look fine to me. I am NOT suggesting that you do this, but what you might try if you don't get anu other suggestions within a day or so, it to downlard the standard Linux install from OOo or one of its mirrors

[Hagar Delest]

The fonts look fine to me. I am NOT suggesting that you do this, but what you might try if you don't get anu other suggestions within a day or so, it to downlard the standard Linux install from OOo or one of its mirrors

+1.
Since OOo is available in .debs directly now, it's rather easy to switch to the official version, see here : install the official version of OOo : [Ubuntu] Installing OOo on Debian and Co.

[ed-forum]

Since OOo is available in .debs directly now, it's rather easy to switch to the official version, see here : install the official version of OOo : [Ubuntu] Installing OOo on Debian and Co.

I had to gather some courage and remove a couple packages with OO dependencies, but eventually I had OOo 2.3.1 running. The difference is night to day.

These are the before and after pictures (OO 2.3.0 from Ubuntu -> 2.3.1 from OOo):

OO 2.3.0 from Ubuntu

2.3.1 from OOo

Before I start bad mouthing Ubuntu for staining Open Office's reputation: The rendering improvements were introduced in 2.3.1 or was it the way the Ubuntu folk compiled OO 2.3.0?

Thanks to TerryE and Hagar de l'Est for the expert help.

By the way, I am switching to Ubuntu64 soon. Are these .deb going to work there too?

[Hagar Delest]

Before I start bad mouthing Ubuntu for staining Open Office's reputation: The rendering improvements were introduced in 2.3.1 or was it the way the Ubuntu folk compiled OO 2.3.0?

I fear it's the Ubuntu version that has troubles because I never experienced what you'd seen in the different official versions (that I use on my Dapper from more than a year) I still don't understand why there is not much care about the OOo integration in Ubuntu, both deserve it.

By the way, I am switching to Ubuntu64 soon. Are these .deb going to work there too?

I don't know.

[kingfisher]

I believe you can install on your 64 bit O.S. provided dependencies are satisfied. That would require installation of 32 bit libraries.