Using docx files Puppy 4.xx series [Choice made, I think]

[Barkingmad]

Hello

My Mum's PC is running Puppy 4.1.1 and up to now the included Abiword 2.6.3 has been fine for document work but now a member of a carity committe she is on has started using Microsoft "docx" files so I have find a way to handle these.

I have found this thread by technosaurus with Abiword 2.8.2 but it looks as though it needs Puppy 4.2 or 4.3 to run.

It seems a bit drastic to start on a whole Puppy version upgrade just to handle a different document format so I wandered if there are any other options.

eg. I have thought

An update or add-on for Abiword 2.63

Any intermediate version that can run on Puppy 4.1.1 but handle docx

Any other sugestions


All ideas will by apriciated.

Will

[Makoto]

Actually, for .docx files, you might try OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice - but be aware that it's a big package, and may need a fair amount of RAM to run (you may also need to have the Java JDK installed for a few things), and I don't know how well any of them would run with 4.1.1. Most versions you'll find will also probably tend to be in .sfs form.

I don't know how complete Abiword's .docx support is... it's probably only partial. OpenOffice/LibreOffice isn't complete, either, as I recall, but it should be a lot better than Abiword's.

[cowboy]

@barkingmad,

The simplest way to handle these is to use Google Docs. You can upload .docx files to your Google Docs account, and either use them there, or download them as .odf or .doc files for use in Abiword, etc. If you have a Gmail account, you've a G-docs account. Simply great for format conversions.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... -docs.html

[murmelbahn]

Have a look at this thread. I am not aware whether SoftMaker 2008 will open .docx though, perhaps you need to invest into an upgrade to SoftMaker 2010 or use an "odf converter" in addition to SoftMaker 2008.

JR

[Barkingmad]

Thanks for the tips.

I think I'll try a few things out on a kind of trial install I have on my main box here and see what would be the easiest way to do the job.

I could try to perswade the rest of the committe to use rtf or pdf when they circulate documents!!

Thanks again
Will

[chrome307]

@ Barkingmad

The Microsoft Office is available to use online via the site 'Windows Live SkyDrive'
It provides you with 25GB of personal storage and allows you to create documents using Microsoft applications.

It's an online service, so it's useless for creating/editing work offline.

........ has started using Microsoft "docx" files

You can ask this person to change the default format for saving files to MS Office 2003 ie *.doc files. They can find the settings in the Preferences option in the application.

[Barkingmad]

Hello

>crome307

Useful tip about MS SkyDrive -- I didn't know about that service.

You can ask this person to change the default format for saving files to MS Office 2003 ie *.doc files

.. or *.rtf or teach them to use a pdf creator..... but I think it will be easier to fix this at my end

Abiword 2.8.2 opens the sample file I have OK, we're only talking simple documents here, so I think the next move will be to try a live CD of Puppy 4.3.1 on the target PC and take things from there. Any probs with a Puppy version upgrade should probably be a new thread.

Thanks all.
Will

[Peterm321]

I have found this thread by technosaurus with Abiword 2.8.2 but it looks as though it needs Puppy 4.2 or 4.3 to run.

I have Abiword 2.6.3 running on a older Kernel 2.6.25.16. The problem of running new software seems to relate most to incompatibilities with glibc/libc etc in the /lib directory. Unhapily programs compiled for newer puppies appear to be linked to newer versions of libc and complain if they don't have them.

My (older) version of Abiword will do a basic conversion of DOCX as will OO 3.0 but its a rather basic conversion.

WINE is a friend here. The compiles supplied by green_dome still work with my version of libc (libc.2.6.1). To read DOCX it is possible to use only the softmaker word viewer which is a smaller download than the full suite. I can confirm that Portable Libre Office also works with WINE but it is a hefty download. And would need to download WINE, also.

I haven't tried any Linux versions of LO, and perhaps someone who has can advise the miniumim libc required.

[sc0ttman]

You can also convert and view them with CLI tools such as docx2txt, antiword, and so on... They mostly re-produce readable, nicely-formatted output...