The Document Foundation has come up with a good news today i.e. the second micro release of Libreoffice 3.3 is out now. This is primarily a bug-fix release which is all set to improve the stability & usability of the software and sets the platform for the next release viz Libreoffice 3.4, due in mid May. If you already have LibreOffice 3.3.2 RC2, then you dont need to remove it and reinstall it all over. Just wait for the update to hit the Update Manager.

For those who cant wait, the post is as follows

Download

LibreOffice 3.3.2  -  32-Bit.deb &  64-Bit.deb

I – PPA Install

One of the easiest method of installing Packages in Ubuntu. Just type in the following commands & rest will be done automatically. (No need to download anything from the above link)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libreoffice libreoffice-gnome

Note: This PPA might take some time to get updated to the newest version but we think it would have been done already.

II – Deb Package Install

Download the above listed file and follow the instructions for installing LibO 3.3.2 ->

sudo apt-get remove openoffice*.* libreoffice*.*
cd ~/Downloads
tar xvzf LibO_3.3.2_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz
cd LibO_3.3.2rc2_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US/DEBS
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
cd desktop-integration
sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Access Libre from Applications>Office>Libreoffice suite.

Updates & Bugfixes

• Fixed incorrect cursor navigation.
• The GCJ Java variant has known issues with LibreOffice, we advise to e.g. use OpenJDK instead.?
• Fix to prefer gcc __sync functions over pthread on arm.
• Work-around IM problems with KDE4 integration.
• This release contains all the security fixes from OpenOffice.org in 3.3.0, and perhaps more as a side-effect of the code clean-ups.
• Dictionary and Translation updates.

For details, see Release Notes.

Take a look :->

For details regarding libreoffice or any queries regarding Linux/Ubuntu, feel free to ask here.

Njoy !

So this idea struck up in my mind when I saw a recent post about what actually is the original market share of Linux.The post gives great insights into how the market share is being computed and frankly IMHO there are significant amount of discrepancies in calculating that for couple of reasons, major one of them being that many people pay for it & many get paid .

We use open source softwares daily in our life the fact is we just don’t know about it. Most of the people using Android on there smart-phones out their don’t even know its open source. People tend to buy sh!+ (sorry had to put this) for few bucks rather then trying FOSS(Free open source software) just cause it hurts their standards & corporate world has taught them that nothing comes for free.

Not going deep into that never ending debate, the question arises, well we are some way or another attached to FOSS then what actually is the real value of FOSS we are using. Another reason for this post was that I was really wanted to figure out what if all these OSS were paid.

For starters

• Java (Programming Language)
• Apache (Web-Server used in more than 50% Websites Worldwide)
• Mozilla Firefox (Most popular Browser Worldwide)
• Almost all Linux OS ( including Ubuntu)
• Bittorrent (File Sharing Technology)
• And an unending list for softwares

are all open source and yes I’m not kidding..!!!

We are taking as a reference model our own Ubuntu Desktop OS and will calculate the total net-worth of all the softwares being used by people not to mention for free.Remember I’m taking worst case scenario here taking into consideration the least possible value of each software that comes bundled with Ubuntu.Please bear with me if you find that the estimated worth of software is very low.

OS : Ubuntu
Estimated Worth : Priceless
License : Full & Unlimited + Server Too
Upgrade : Free

Office Suite : OpenOffice.org
Estimated Worth :  $50-200
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Graphics : GIMP
Estimated Worth :  $100-250
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Management : Inbuilt/Ubuntu-Tweak/Ailurus
Estimated Worth :  $25-50
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Desktop Enhancement : Compiz
Estimated Worth  : Priceless (An innovation  of its own kind)
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Virtualization : KVM/VirtualBox
Estimated Worth : $100-200
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Backup Tool : BackInTime
Estimated Worth : $50-100
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

CD/DVD Burning : K3B/Bresaro
Estimated Worth : $50-100
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Desktop Publishing : Scribus
Estimated Worth : $200
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Compression Software : Inbuilt
License : Full & Unlimited
Upgrade : Free

Here are other few things you always wanted to know about Ubuntu :

• Much lesser hardware requirements compared to any other OS (saving much on processor and memory requirements)
• Highly customizable and far superior to any other OS in terms of features ( +Regular release schedule helps in fixing bugs and security holes properly)
• Comes free with no Starter Edition , Home Premium, Home Basic, Pro , Enterprise, Ultimate License (Just download it,use it live or install it & distribute it the way you like)
• Ubuntu provides free upgrade to later versions so need to pay everytime a new version comes up
• No Antivirus Required (Linux System Has Least Amount of Virus Infections adding another few bucks to your savings)
• Ubuntu comes with a 2Gb storage on the cloud via UbuntuOne (Just a Cheery on The Top)
• Ext4 Filesystem provides you with a defragment-free environment ( saving another couple of bucks on Registry Cleaners)
• Supports all major browser like Opera,Mozilla Firefox & Google Chrome.
• Comes Inbuilt With Thousand of other Softwares that are paid for other OS.
• Comes with Inbuilt Support for almost all drivers (no need to search for them everytime)

Those who still insist on the fact that Linux are buggy I’ll rather say that you give it another try let me assure you that mentioned above are all quality software used by millions around the world and plus even if you face any problem communities like Ubuntu are soo(stressing ) helpful. Don’t let yourself fall for paid alternatives cause “Everything that glitters isn’t Gold”.

Still have questions about Ubuntu then do fire them up…!!!

Enjoy

OpenOffice.org (OO.o or OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is an open source software application suite available for a number of different computer operating systems. OpenOffice.org 3 is the result of over twenty years’ software engineering. Started as a single piece of software, it has a constantly evolved. A completely open development process means that anyone can report bugs, request new features, or enhance the software. As a result, OpenOffice does everything you want, the way you want it to. And all this for Free.

Download OpenOffice.org 3.2:

The Open Office Suite in Ubuntu is just the perfect blend you need for all your Office needs.As Wiki says OpenOffice.org (OO.o or OOo), commonly known simply as OpenOffice, is an office application suite available for a number of different computer operating systems. It is written using the GTK and supports plugins like Firefox which provides it additional functionality.

Comparing with MS-Office or WordPerfect,this pack just fulfils all the needs of a Rookie like me  that too for free.Now that’s something really satisfying since I don’t have to payout a hefty amount just for my small needs.Though online options too are available but they haven’t developed that much yet.

OOo has been divided into 6 components few of which are available by default in Ubuntu

Those six components are

• Writer (Available By Default)
• Calc (Available By Default)
• Impress (Available By Default)
• Base
• Draw (Available By Default)
• Math (Available By Default)

Note : To install rest components you may use Applications >Add & Remove and search for “OpenOffice”

To Access OOo go to Applications>Office and select the desired component.We’ll take  here the 3 basic components of it which are used most

Now lets take a quick look at these 3 components

OOo WRITER aka OOo Word Processor

Writer does all the basic stuff of word processing and is similar to MS Word and is can save files in PDF format (not available in earlier versions of MS Office).It can also save documents in multiple formats including DOC, ODF and many more.

OOo Calc aka OOo Spreadsheet

Calc is similar to MS Excel & is rather better than it in many fields. It provides a number of features not present in Excel, including a system which automatically defines series for graphing, based on the layout of the user’s data . Also it has functionality to have customised plugins according to your needs which can be downloaded from OpenOffice.Org Site.

OOo Impress aka OOo Presentation

Impress similar to Apple Keynote or MS PowerPoint and  is used for presentations.Its supports plugins like rest its counterparts and also allows exporting the files to swf format(Adobe Flash) that is generally present in our browsers these days .It also has presentation wizard that guides you through the presentation customization on go.

Unlike Windows, when you install Ubuntu (& many other Linux distributions), a lot of Office and other Basic applications also get installed. You don’t have to spend time installing applications after you’ve installed the OS (that’s another reason why Linux is preferred for Live Distributions).

Here is some info about the applications which you’ll be using:

1. OpenOffice.org: It is a free and complete Office Suite. It contains the following applications as a part of it:
   • Writer - a word processing software
   • Calc - a spreadsheet software
   • Impress – a presentation software
   • Base – a database management program
   • Draw – a vector graphics editor
   • Math – a tool for creating and editing mathematical formulae

You’ll really be surprise to see that OpenOffice.org has almost everything inspite of being free which it’s counterpart Microsoft Office 2003 had. We’ll not compare the Microsoft Office 2007 with OpenOffice.org 3.0 because of a different interface.

Most OO.o applications can be accessed in the Application —> Office menu

2. GIMP: GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is almost as powerful as Photoshop, but Photoshop users might find it’s interface a bit awkward.

GIMP can be accessed in the Application —> Graphics menu.

3. Brasero Disc Burner: As the name suggests, it’s a complete and simple Disc Burning software.

Brasero can be accessed in the Application —> Sound & Video menu.

4. Transmission: Transmission is a BitTorrent client which can be used to download torrents.

Transmission can be accessed in the Application —> Internet menu.

But but but, we’ll highly recommend installing Deluge as we feel, it is better than Transmission and gives you a ‘uTorrent-ish’feel.

Deluge can be installed by the following command: sudo apt-get install deluge-torrent or alternatively from the Synaptic Application Manager.

5. Pidgin: Pidgin is an All-in-one Instant Messaging client. It supports, Gmail/Jabber, Yahoo, MSN/Live, AIM, ICQ, IRC and everything right under one free program.

Pidgin can be accessed in the Application —> Internet menu.

6. Ekiga: Ekiga Softphone is a free VoIP and video conferencing client for GNOME and Windows.

Ekiga can be accessed in the Application —> Internet menu.