|
Related YoLinux Tutorials:
°Systems Administration
°Network configuration
°Dual Monitors
°Internet Security
°Firefox configuration
°Burn CD's
°Using DOS Floppies
°Integrate Linux into MS/Windows environment
°YoLinux Tutorials Index
|
| Office suites available for Linux: |
- OpenOffice.org/Sun StarOffice - [StarOffice User Portal]
StarOffice 5.2 (StarOffice/OpenOffice is the only product able to import MS/Power Point ppt files.)
- Applix Office -
Vistasource (commercial product) - Best at importing MS/Word documents
but this is currently a discontinued product. Vistasource currently
only supports their web based "websheet" spreadsheet product and not
their native desktop office suite.
- Corel - Word Perfect Suite for the Linux desktop (commercial product)
- Maxwell Word processor
- Gnome Office - AbiWord etc
- AbiSource - Open Source desktop productivity applications (AbiWord)
- GWP - Gnome word processor known as XWord
- Gnumeric
- [downloads]
- Gnome spreadsheet (reads Excel)
- KDE Office - KWord, KSpread, KIllustrator, KChart, KFormula, Kivio and Kpresenter
- Andrew Office suite - available for all Unixes
- ANGOSS SmartWare2000
- Siag Office - spreadsheet SIAG, the word processor Pathetic Writer and the animation program Egon Animator.
- HanCom Office - Office suite - Word processor, Spreadsheet, DB, diagram, HTML editing and personal information manager.
- Gobe Productive - graphics, image editing, word processing, spreadsheets, drawing and illustration.
- Business Logic: Xess Spreadsheet
Word processors:
Importing MS/Word documents:
-
| Item |
OpenOffice 1.0 |
Applix 5.0 |
Star Office 5.2 |
WP 8.0 |
AbiWord |
| Tables |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Embedded Images |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (but NOT 100%) |
No (JPEG) |
No |
| Mixed Portrait and Landscape |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
No |
| Maintain pagination |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
- |
No |
Comments:
- OpenOffice 1.0.2 (RH 9.0):
Features:
- Uses compressed XML as the native document file format.
- Prints to PDF (doesn't actually work. Print to Postscript and convert
to PDF using the
ps2pdf13 command.) or Postscript files or actually to a printer.
- Stores files in Microsoft Office Format (Word 6.0, 95, 97/2000/XP),
StarWriter 3/4/5, HTML, Rich Text Format (RTF) and Plain Text
formats.
- Imports the above formats plus many more including image formats,
database and spread sheet data files.
- Applixware 5.0/4.4.1:
This product has the best MS/Word import filters.
The Applixware version 4.4.1 layout of interface is different
than Word and takes a while to get use to it. Version 5.0 is mainstream.
In version 4.4.1 I could not figure out how to
do embedded bullets. Version 5.0 fixes my complaint.
This suite integrated best with Netscape to view e-mails
containing MS/Word attachments. (See YoLinux tutorial on Netscape configuration)
Exporting files to MS/Word is done using RTF and not the MS/doc format.
This method failed when exporting an RTF file using a Euro A4 page size.
The RTF file was generated but MS/Word could not read it.
Applix words is fast. In a side by side comparison I took a large document with
graphics and scrolled from top to bottom.
This is a very fast and responsive operation in Applixare.
In WP 8.0 and 2000 it is painfully slow.
(Even in WP 8.0, which is written for X-windows.)
On my most complex MS/Word documents, all graphics imported well and the page
layout was maintained.
Applixware has the best MS/Word import filters and is also my favorite.
When I upgraded to Red Hat 7.1, it introduced some GTK library incompatibilities
which reduced the stability of Applixware 5.0. Save often!
It was 100% stable on Red Hat 6.2. Applying all
current patches did not help.
Update: I now use Red Hat 7.2 with all the updates (02/01/02) and I am happy to report
that the reliability has returned. I suspect that the gtk libraries were
improved substantially.
Applixware takes from 190Mb to 270Mb of space on your hard drive.
April 2006: Applixware is now out with version 6 written with Motif GUI
libraries and thus launches much faster than OpenOffice but looks more primative.
Many of it's key bindings are uniquely Applix.
It uses FontTastic (font manager licensed from Gallium Software) and its
configuration file: /opt/applixware/axdata/fontmetrics/gallium/fs/config.
RedHat printing should work but for Debian systems,
create a link to /etc/printcap
in order for Applixware to detect printers installed on a CUPS infrastructure,
(ln -s /var/run/cups/printcap /etc/printcap)
Applixware can be downloaded for free home and non-commercial use.
Applixware Import Support:
- Word processor Files: Text, DCA, Frame MIF 2.0 4.0 5.x, HTML, MS/Word DOS 2.0 6.0-2000, Office Writer, RTF, Word Perfect 4.2-8.0
- Graphic Files: CGM, DXF, EMF, EPSI, FAX 3 4, GEM, GIF,
HPGL, ILBM, JPEG, MacPaint, BMP, PBM, PGM, PPM, PCX, PICT, PICT2, PNG,
PPT (Does NOT import Power Point documents), RAW, SGI, Sun Raster, TGA,
TIFF, WMF, WPG, XBitmap, XPM, XWD
- Star Office 5.2:
The applications all run within the same window.
(not preferred) Printing in version 5 was a big problem and the support group
just gave me the same answer over and over. (It was probably in the database).
I never got printing to work. The problem was trying to use US paper
sizes with this German written software.
Version 5.2 update: Printing works flawlessly!! The importation of graphics
also works well. Version 5.0 had problems with maintaining the correct page
size and format especially when graphic objects were used.
This is now better but still broken. Page size and layout are still problems
for Star Office 5.2. Some pages will incorrectly spill over onto the next page.
On one complex document I ran, it actually lost the bottom of a page in my
table of contents as it ran too long. It did not run over onto a new page
as it did on many of the other pages. This loss of data is not acceptable.
Corporate logo graphics which were placed in the margin were lost.
The sizing of tables also formated incorrectly.
Dispite all these weaknesses, it ranks second to Applixware.
Star Office 5.2 was the only word processor able to generate a quality
MS/Word ".doc" file. All the other word processors cheat by generating an RTF
file for exporting to MS/Word.
- Word Perfect:
This Word processor had pitiful MS/Word import filters
in version 8.0 and slightly improved capabilities in 2000.
Version 8.0 often could not even import a document if it was complex or
contained graphics.
WP8.0 would freak out when using text imported from the Unix clip board even
though it uses it for cut and paste. It crashed too often.
I was writing a large document and it eventually corrupted it so badly that
I can only view it and if I try to change it then WP crashes!!.
WP has more features than any of the others and if used on small documents it
is actually my favorite.
All the tests were repeated for Corel Office 2000 and while it looked
completely different, it seemed bug for bug compatible.
WP 8.0 is written in native X while the WP 2000 suite uses the Wine interface.
The configuration and installation of Wine is handled by the WP installation
program and is seamless.
WP 2000 is very slow to launch because of this.
The presentation and display is improved especially the rendering of fonts.
This brings me to another gripe.
I created a large document in WP 8.0 and then imported it into WP 2000.
The font support was not compatible so a default font was chosen by WP and
the entire document got rearranged due to the difference in font spacing.
Corel should have continued to support the font set from WP 8.0 in the newer
product to be upwardly compatible. Specifically, font support for Helvetica
was dropped in WP 2000 but supported in WP 8.0
This was the only product able to format for a booklet like "Cliff Notes" where
an 8 1/2 x 11 inch page in landscape mode is folded to make the booklet.
It then prints on the first sheet side 1: page N, 1 then side 2: page 2, N-1.
The next sheet side 1: page N-2, 3 then side 2: page 4, N-3, etc... For this
WP 8.0/2000 is recommended. The Word Perfect version 8.1 included on the
Corel LinuxOS Deluxe, is viewed as the best version of WordPerfect for Linux.
- AbiWord:
This Word processor is not in the same league as the
commercial applications listed above. Graphics from MS/Word documents did not
translate at all. The page format and page breaks did not translate either.
It is ok for simple pure text documents.
It is also ok for generating RTF documents. It can not generate MS/Word ".doc"
files.
It is a quick download of a single RPM and a simple installation. It is the
simplest of them all.
Despite the fact that is did not import complex MS/Word documents, it was a
full featured and impressive word processor.
Note: Abiword uses wv internally for conversion from the MS/Word format to
a useful form.
WV Home Page: http://www.abisource.com/
Download: http://www.abisource.com/dl_linux_intel.phtml
RPM: Abiword GTK RPM
RTF test:
This test imported an RTF file (with hyperlinks) and wrote it out again as an RTF document.
This RTF document was then read in by MS/Word 2000.
-
| Test |
Applixware 5.0 |
Star Office 5.2 |
WP 8.0 |
AbiWord |
| Read RTF file with hyperlinks |
Hyperlinks not read properly |
Excellent |
Hyperlink and data lost |
Hyperlinks not read properly |
| Exported RTF read by MS/Word 2000 |
Excellent |
Hyperlink and data lost |
Hyperlink and data lost |
Hyperlink and data lost |
Spreadsheets:
-
| Test |
Applix 4 |
Star Office 5 |
GNumeric |
| Import MS xls |
Yes |
Yes |
yes |
| Export MS xls file |
Yes |
yes |
yes |
| Import GNumeric xls export file |
No |
yes |
yes |
| Excel import xls export file |
yes |
yes |
yes |
Applixware can import the following spread sheets: ASCI, CSV, DIF, XDIF, SYLK, WKS, WK1, WK3, WK4, MS/XLS 3.0-5.0
- Change OpenOffice ruler from Centimeter to inches:
(Default is Centimeter.)
- From the tool bar select: "Tools"
- Select "Options ..."
- From the tree browser on the LHS select "Text Document" (+ to
expand)
- Select "General"
- Under the Settings menu change "Centimeter" to "Inch".
- Click "OK"
| OpenOffice and the Dual Monitor Pitfall: |
Users of OpenOffice on
dual monitor systems (i.e. users of the NVidia Quadro video card) will
notice that OpenOffice documents will be stretched.
Compare the two:
Solution: The "DisplaySize" entry in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf
(or for older systems: /etc/X11/XF86Config) file
under the "Monitor" section can be tweaked to fix this problem.
-
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
...
..
DisplaySize 1000 400
..
|
Also see the YoLinux Dual Monitor TUTORIAL
| Conversion and Viewing of MS/Word documents using WV: |
The WV set of tools work well on simple text only MS/Word (.doc) documents.
I have not had any luck on complex documents with graphics or embedded objects.
The image files which it output were unviewable.
WV is useful as a CGI program which can take MS/Word documents on a file
server and make them available for viewing via a browser and the web.
For a commercial conversion product check out Verity.
WV home page: http://www.wvware.com/
Download:
Check for dependent and necessary rpm's: rpm -q ImageMagick libpng zlib wv libwmf
RH 7.1 powertools: wv libwmf
Base RH 7.1 distro: ImageMagick libpng zlib
Example:
/usr/bin/wvWare -x /usr/lib/wv/wvHtml.xml file.doc > temp.html
Man pages:
- wvWare: Program to convert msword documents
- wvConvert: Program which converts msword documents
- wvText: Symbolic link to wvConvert.
- wvSummary: Program to view word document's summary info
- wvVersion: Program to view word document's version number
- wvAbw: Shell script to convert word to Abiword format.
- wvCleanLatex:
Shell script to convert to 'cleaner' LaTeX containing less visual
mark-up, more suitable for further use and LyX import. Work in progress
wvWare -x ${libdir}/wv/wvCleanLaTeX.xml "${1}" > "${2}"
- wvHtml: Shell script to convert your Word document into HTML4.0
wvWare -x ${libdir}/wv/wvHtml.xml "${1}" > "${2}"
- wvDVI: Shell script to convert word to DVI. Requires 'latex'
- wvLatex: Shell script to convert your Word document into visually (pretty) correct LaTeX
- wvMime:
Shell script which can be plugged as a MIME helper application into
your browser/mail client; presents the document on-screen inside
GhostView (Never worked for me!)
- wvPDF: Shell script which converts word to Adobe PDF. Requires 'distill' from Adobe.
- wvPS: Shell script which converts word to PostScript. Requires 'dvips'
- wvWml: Shell script which converts word to WML for viewing on portable devices like WebPhones and Palm Pilots.
wvWare -x ${libdir}/wv/wvWml.xml "${1}" > "${2}"
Usefull Links:
KDE fax program:
-
Prerequisites include:
- Working Modem
- RPM's: kdebase (kdeprintfax), kdeutils (kab)
Usage:
- Generate a file to fax. The KDE fax program can handle TIFF and
Postscript (.ps)
files well. (i.e. print browser page to a postscript file, then fax)
The fax program will convert it to a "little-endian" TIFF image before
sending. The TIFF file will be generated in the same directory as the
file to be sent.
- Enter the company and fax number as an entry in the "KDE Addressbook".
Program: /usr/bin/kab
Menu tree: KDE Menus + Utilities + Address Book
- Send fax with KDE fax sending utility:
Program: /usr/bin/kdeprintfax
Menu tree: KDE Menus + Utilities + Send a Fax
- Choose a file to fax: Select the "Add file" icon and choose a file to send.
- Choose a fax number: Select the "Address Book" icon and choose an entry.
- Select the "Send Fax" icon to send the fax. Note that
there is not much feedback other than it will let you know that it is
sending the fax. The message "Sending fax..." and "Processing..." will
appear at the bottom of the application window. When complete it will
display the message "Idle". Be patient, it is not an instant process.
- After processing select the "View Log" icon to read of your success.
The last entry in the log file will be "done, returning 0 (success)".
Most of the following products use a dynamic web technology
known as AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). This web technique
uses XML/HTML http requests to exchange data with the web server and
dynamically insert it into a loaded web page in an IFRAME.
The result is a seemingly dynamic application running within your web
browser.
- Full office suite:
- Word Processor:
- Spread Sheets:
- Presentation Software:
- Note Taking Software:
- Calendar:
Related web applications:
 Books: |
-
 |
"OpenOffice.org for Dummies"
by Gurdy Leete, Ellen Finkelstein, Mary Leete
ISBN # 0764542222, For Dummies
|
|
 |
"OpenOffice.org Writer"
by Jean Hollis Weber
ISBN # 0596008260, O'Reilly
|
|
 |
"OpenOffice.org 1.0 Resource Kit"
by Solveig Haugland, Floyd Jones
ISBN # 0131407457, Prentice Hall PTR
|
|
 |
"WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux: The Official Guide"
by Philip Rackus,Katherine Wrightson,Joseph Merlino,Phillip Rackus,Jason Grenier
ISBN # 0072122382, McGraw-Hill Professional Books
|
|
 |
"Sams Teach Yourself WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux in 24 Hours"
by Alan S. Golub,Judith Samson
ISBN # 067231911X, Sams
|
|
|
