On a tangent:
While it's great to get answers like this, they don't help those who are not particularly familiar with software, the open source approach, etc. I go to the link for the "filter" and I get a page that talks in very unfriendly terms about this C++ "library" (what is a "library" anyway?) for which many filters have been written (e.g. including for OpenOffice). OK, I use computers a lot and I THINK I understand this. But my skills are WAY beyond virtually anyone else in my office. So I go to the download link (it's not at all clear that's what a user needs to do on this site to get what they want) and I find a list of download links, some for Red Hat, some for Fedora, some for Win32, a Mac OSX dmg, etc. I use Mac at home but Win XP at work. Which of the three or so Win32 files do I need? Now, once downloaded, what do I do with this file?
Now, before anyone tries to answer my questions, I'm not looking for answers. I can figure this out with a little work. My purpose in writing this is to point out a MAJOR barrier for wider acceptance of OO. While I think everyone should build their computer skills, OO will not be widely adopted until procedures are simple enough to point and click. Users need to be told explicitly what to do to resolve their issues. If a user need a Word Perfect import filter, they need a single link that downloads a file which, when placed inthe proper folder or executed, takes care of the problem.
What I see on this list - mostly - is a bunch of incredibly talented people working on a fantastic project trying to help a bunch of other people who would like to start using OO but are stumbling over relatively small technical issues. But the helpers are often talking to the helpees as if they are devoted followers and willing to struggle to adopt technology. Those of us (I include myself here) who are particularly determined will likely stick with OO, but a ton of others won't.
Please know that my comments here come from my sincere wish to see OO and other similar projects see widespread adoption. I've worked on some open source projects myself and am committed to the model.
Carl
David Teague wrote:
The cost is $0.00 == it is free. Download size is about 80 MB.
Takes only a few minutes at high speed, but a long time for dialup. I have done both successfully.
WordPerfect compatibility?From the Migration Guide:
************************************************************ What are the issues when migrating from
WordPerfect to Writer?
How do I install the WordPerfect filter?
The WordPerfect filter is not available in the standard OpenOffice.org installation. See
http://libwpd.sourceforge.net/ for more information about the WordPerfect filter.
What macros are available to make Writer work
more like WordPerfect?
Reveal codes
OpenOffice.org's Writer doesn't have underlying codes in the same way that WordPerfect
does. But a macro is being written that will allow you to work in a similar way to
WordPerfect's reveal codes. See the reveal code document available at
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hillview/OOo/ for more information.
Hanging indents
The hanging indent concept in Writer is quite different from the concept used in
WordPerfect. The best approach in OpenOffice.org is to use styles, but to ease the transition,
see either AltKeyHandler.sxw or Indents.sxw available from
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hillview/OOo/ for a macro that approximates WordPerfect's
way of implementing hanging indents.
Migration Guide 3
****************************************************
Others will also respond to this. I hope this helps.
David Teague, http://cs.wcu.edu/~dbt Advocating Free Software and Double Bass tuned in fifths
www.dennismasuzzo.com; www.silviodallatorre.com
www.joelquarrington.com/; For information on Red Mitchell, http://home.teleport.com/~mimuma/; www.larryholloway.com
----- Original Message ----- From: "Marwood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 11:10 AM
Subject: [users] A few questions
Hi, My son suggested I look at your OpenOffice suite. I've been using Corel Office7 on my Windows 98SE computer for years. I'm concerned about portability of my Paradox and Quattro Pro documents to XP or whatever follows it. I use a lot of macros. I'm particularly interested in your Calc spreadsheet and it's capabilities regarding macros, etc. I couldn't find this information on your web page. Is there a pdf file I can download with this type of information? Also, I couldn't determine the download file size or the cost. I hope to hear back from you at your convenience. Thanks, Jim Marwood Westerville, Ohio
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