NeoOfficeJ 1.1 Beta released
Hi all! Just to let you know that NeoOfficeJ 1.1 Beta, the only OpenOffice.org derivative running natively on Mac OS X, has been released yesterday! Grab your copy and start enjoying the hard volunteer work that's been spent into making this office suite better integrated than ever with the Macintosh platform.
For those of you that don't know this already, it is a fully featured office suite that aims to replace Microsoft Office. Work is continuously being done to improve this software, and recently improvements have been happening at a furious pace! Although this is an open-source project, and I have no monetary gain to expect, I would still invite those who can to contribute so that further development can be financed.
For those of you that don't know this already, it is a fully featured office suite that aims to replace Microsoft Office. Work is continuously being done to improve this software, and recently improvements have been happening at a furious pace! Although this is an open-source project, and I have no monetary gain to expect, I would still invite those who can to contribute so that further development can be financed.
Comments
Originally posted by Boukman
Hi all! Just to let you know that NeoOfficeJ 1.1 Beta, the only OpenOffice.org derivative running natively on Mac OS X, has been released yesterday! Grab your copy and start enjoying the hard volunteer work that's been spent into making this office suite better integrated than ever with the Macintosh platform.
For those of you that don't know this already, it is a fully featured office suite that aims to replace Microsoft Office. Work is continuously being done to improve this software, and recently improvements have been happening at a furious pace! Although this is an open-source project, and I have no monetary gain to expect, I would still invite those who can to contribute so that further development can be financed.
Yes, spread the word! Forget about the X11 version of OpenOffice, with NeoOffice you get Aqua menus, native print dialog boxs, full integration with the Finder, etc. (This sounds too much like an ad!)
Anyway the software is great, I've been using NeoOffice/J since version 0.0 I think. It has come so far in the last year it's scary. And really scary considering there are only a couple of developers working on the project. They need help man! All the rest of us can do is file bug reports (which helps) but when it comes to the codeing you need people with skill (and I know there has to be a lot more than a couple of developers out there that write Java apps for OS X).
So all developers out there pitch in, lend a helping hand, soon we'll have a really alternative to M$ Office (and a free one at that!)
It has not been written from scratch, nor is it different from OpenOffice.org in any way aside from the eyecandy.
So lets give credit where its due, shall we?
Originally posted by Gene Clean
No, don't "forget" about OpenOffice.org because NeoOffice is OpenOffice with an Aqua feel to it.
It has not been written from scratch, nor is it different from OpenOffice.org in any way aside from the eyecandy.
So lets give credit where its due, shall we?
True enough, but the developers working on the X11 version are also working on Neo, and they also recommend switching!
And not that NeoOffice/J is just eyecandy, it is integrated, using a lot of native features, print dialogs, Aqua menus, with more to come. Neither of which the X11 version currently has. I've heard many people dismiss Ooo X11 just because of the lack of Aquification, not because it is a great app!
Originally posted by Gene Clean
No, don't "forget" about OpenOffice.org because NeoOffice is OpenOffice with an Aqua feel to it.
It has not been written from scratch, nor is it different from OpenOffice.org in any way aside from the eyecandy.
So lets give credit where its due, shall we?
Wow, you are very wrong. Have you used this application?
(adding on what Miggs said)
OpenOffice.org for Mac is effectively dead. What NeoOffice/J does, is wrap a huge monolithic C++ project around Java. Think Mozilla-style monolithic but magnitudes more. The problem they have had with snagging Mac developers is that native framework design isn't used. You can't just use Xcode and Interface Builder.
Truth be told less then 4MB of Java is used in this 300MB application, the rest being C++ (at least I assume it is all C++). Since Java is native you get all the advantages: worry-free copying and pasting, menu bar support, native printing and fonts, mouse scrolling, familiar shortcuts and not having to run it in its own environment (X11). More to come!
The interface still needs work, both in how it appears and how its designed. The former isn't difficult (aka, Aquafying) but designing a UI that both conforms with Apple standards and being based off an other wise disheveled project (OO.org) will be challenging.
At first I was put off with it being Java-based. But after using it on both my 1.3GHz Power Mac and a 600MHz G3 iBook I found it more then responsive. Much more then Exposé is on the iBook
OpenOffice.org 2.x barely compiles at this point, so without _massive_ assistance this is what we have. And its not bad either. All the main developers (give or take) from the Mac port of OO.org are working on NeoOffice/J.
We should give credit for Star Office (its original company) and mostly to Sun, which programmed the bulk of OO.org. It was a great start but the fit and polish that users of the Mac have come to expect is what NeoOffice/J will bring us. "Or so the Germans would have us believe."
(Yeah for random Simpsons' quotes!)
Originally posted by IonYz
Wow, you are very wrong. Have you used this application?
(adding on what Miggs said)
OpenOffice.org for Mac is effectively dead. What NeoOffice/J does, is wrap a huge monolithic C++ project around Java. Think Mozilla-style monolithic but magnitudes more. The problem they have had with snagging Mac developers is that native framework design isn't used. You can't just use Xcode and Interface Builder.
Truth be told less then 4MB of Java is used in this 300MB application, the rest being C++ (at least I assume it is all C++). Since Java is native you get all the advantages: worry-free copying and pasting, menu bar support, native printing and fonts, mouse scrolling, familiar shortcuts and not having to run it in its own environment (X11). More to come!
The interface still needs work, both in how it appears and how its designed. The former isn't difficult (aka, Aquafying) but designing a UI that both conforms with Apple standards and being based off an other wise disheveled project (OO.org) will be challenging.
At first I was put off with it being Java-based. But after using it on both my 1.3GHz Power Mac and a 600MHz G3 iBook I found it more then responsive. Much more then Exposé is on the iBook
OpenOffice.org 2.x barely compiles at this point, so without _massive_ assistance this is what we have. And its not bad either. All the main developers (give or take) from the Mac port of OO.org are working on NeoOffice/J.
We should give credit for Star Office (its original company) and mostly to Sun, which programmed the bulk of OO.org. It was a great start but the fit and polish that users of the Mac have come to expect is what NeoOffice/J will bring us. "Or so the Germans would have us believe."
(Yeah for random Simpsons' quotes!)
From From NeoOffice website
"Welcome!
12/21/04: NeoOffice/J Goes Beta! After months of testing, NeoOffice/J 1.1 has finally gone Beta. This Beta release features many user feature requests like native Aqua menus, scrollwheel support, bugfixes from OpenOffice.org 1.1.3, and many bug fixes. It's also available in over 40 different languages. Download your copy today!
Welcome to the online home of "Neolithic Office", or NeoOffice® for short. NeoOffice the main development project for making OpenOffice.org to run natively on MacOS X. It is a free software port of OpenOffice.org to the MacOS X platform.
Our primary development effort is NeoOffice/J. NeoOffice/J uses a combination of Carbon and Java to make a truly native open source office suite. It has all of the features of OpenOffice.org 1.1 X11 and more! NeoOffice/J features Aqua menus in our alpha release, with more native controls still to come. Stop fussing with X11 and get the real deal today."
Originally posted by Gene Clean
No, don't "forget" about OpenOffice.org because NeoOffice is OpenOffice with an Aqua feel to it.
It has not been written from scratch, nor is it different from OpenOffice.org in any way aside from the eyecandy.
So lets give credit where its due, shall we?
Mate, you're attacking a straw man. Nobody in this thread thinks NeoOffice/J has been "written from scratch".
I do, however, think you're missing the basic point about ease of use, and the enormous amount of effort it has taken, and is taking for two developers to provide a native interface to an absolutely enormous, monolithic block of code, on their spare time.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
From From NeoOffice website...
What are you trying to show with that quote?
Originally posted by Gene Clean
No, don't "forget" about OpenOffice.org because NeoOffice is OpenOffice with an Aqua feel to it.
It has not been written from scratch, nor is it different from OpenOffice.org in any way aside from the eyecandy.
So lets give credit where its due, shall we?
Seriously man, what point are you exactly trying to make. NeoOffice is OpenOffice (no one is disputing that), but unfortunately Sun doesn't employ any programmers to bring it to the Mac platform. So we all must give credit to the creators of NeoOffice, Patrick Luby and Edward H. Peterlin (Thanks a Million guys!) for creating a stable, integrated app.
And you seem to have missed the...
Originally posted by Gene Clene
and more!
...portion of your previous quote.
How exactly are Aqua menus 'eye candy'?
Originally posted by staphbaby
Mate, you're attacking a straw man. Nobody in this thread thinks NeoOffice/J has been "written from scratch".
I do, however, think you're missing the basic point about ease of use, and the enormous amount of effort it has taken, and is taking for two developers to provide a native interface to an absolutely enormous, monolithic block of code, on their spare time.
See, this is semantics. Ease of use and the enourmos amount of effort it has taken to make NeoOffice aqua-like does not mean that NeoOffice is not OpenOffice.org. See, when an app, is ported to a different platform, but with a different look, it still is that same old app.
I'm not saying that NeoOffice has not undergone bug fixes, UI changes, etc., but that still doesn't change the fact that that monolithic block of code is the code of OpenOffice.org
My remark was to a member that said "forget about OpenOffice!" or something to that extent, which seams a bit odd and unjust to me, as NeoOffice is OpenOffice [albeit, a little modified].
So, where's the problem?
Originally posted by Tuttle
What are you trying to show with that quote?
Do you need glasses or are you just being smart?
Originally posted by miggs97
[B]Seriously man, what point are you exactly trying to make. NeoOffice is OpenOffice (no one is disputing that), but unfortunately Sun doesn't employ any programmers to bring it to the Mac platform. So we all must give credit to the creators of NeoOffice, Patrick Luby and Edward H. Peterlin (Thanks a Million guys!) for creating a stable, integrated app.
It has been stated several times by me, but let me say it again in case you had some kind of a momentary lapse of reason.
I was talking to/refering to, the person that said "forget about OpenOffice!", and I was saying that we should not forget about OpenOffice because its where NeoOffice is based at. Its like saying "Forget about UNIX! Mac OS X rocks!". Do you see what I'm saying or should I state it again?
And you seem to have missed the...
Yes, yes. Bug fixes.
How exactly are Aqua menus 'eye candy'?
Have we ever heard of irony or are we just learning the basics of literature and semantics?
p.s. I use OpenOffice on my Debian and Ubuntu boxes extensively, and I felt that it was just appropriate to point the fact that under the Aqua-menus, there lies a suite created by volunteers and unpaid coders too. Just like you thank the porters of NeoOffice, I felt it was unjust to just give a kick in the ass to OpenOffice guys saying "forget about OpenOffice!". Sue me if I'm wrong.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
It has been stated several times by me, but let me say it again in case you had some kind of a momentary lapse of reason.
I was talking to/refering to, the person that said "forget about OpenOffice!", and I was saying that we should not forget about OpenOffice because its where NeoOffice is based at. Its like saying "Forget about UNIX! Mac OS X rocks!". Do you see what I'm saying or should I state it again?
Yes, yes. Bug fixes.
Have we ever heard of irony or are we just learning the basics of literature and semantics?
p.s. I use OpenOffice on my Debian and Ubuntu boxes extensively, and I felt that it was just appropriate to point the fact that under the Aqua-menus, there lies a suite created by volunteers and unpaid coders too. Just like you thank the porters of NeoOffice, I felt it was unjust to just give a kick in the ass to OpenOffice guys saying "forget about OpenOffice!". Sue me if I'm wrong.
Okay, maybe you misunderstood exactly what I was trying to get at. I never said "forget about OpenOffice". Forget about the OpenOffice X11 port, from an end user standpoint. Under the hood, yes they are the same programs, and X11 needs to be constantly developed as the base for Neo. But please Nobody has forgotten OpenOffice.
I guess I just wasn't clear...
Originally posted by Gene Clean
Have we ever heard of irony or are we just learning the basics of literature
Have we ever heard of courtesy or are we just learning the basics of ad hominem attacks?
I'm sorry, this argument is absurd. No more replies from me.
Miggs made the statement to forget about the OO.org port for X11. And at the current pace of things, he (assuming your male) is correct. According to the official porting site development of the official 2.0 branch has slowed and a dearth of competent Mac developers has only made the outlook worse.
AFAIK Mac users may have problems with:
- Using X11; if they have it installed, know what it is
- Not having Fonts and Printers, accessible to all other applications, not available
- Having copy and paste failing
- (add more)
As powerful as OO.org is, its native, X11 incarnation does not fit the Mac user experience.
If you want a current copy of OpenOffice.org, and you use a Mac, your only option is Neo Office/J. That is a fact. It's also a plus that its not only up-to-date (regarding its 1.x branch) but striving to remodel OO.org to conform with Mac OS.
I'll use it myself, but I avoid Word Processing in general, and the Word document format in particular, like the plague so I'd like to know enough to decide whether to recommend it to friends when it leaves beta.
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
Could someone start a new thread without the pointless bickering (or the over-hyped astroturfing)? Then maybe I can find out people's real, actual experiences of using this app, rather than people swooning at the feature list.
I'll use it myself, but I avoid Word Processing in general, and the Word document format in particular, like the plague so I'd like to know enough to decide whether to recommend it to friends when it leaves beta.
I don't use Office applications much, except for some papers and spreadsheets and it is stable and responsive. Suffers a bit from bloat exactly as MS Office does but uses open-formated. Plop your Writer document into Expander (they are zipped) and you will have XML files of your data and styles.
One of the main reasons I use it is for that feature. I'm hoping Apple will release a new version of AppleWorks next year with XML document support. Look at DocBook for examples.
Training can be a problem, one of _the_ biggest problems in the Education market when choosing OO.org over Microsoft. YMMV, yada yada.
Originally posted by staphbaby
Have we ever heard of courtesy or are we just learning the basics of ad hominem attacks?
I'm sorry, this argument is absurd. No more replies from me.
It seems to me, I didn't even talk to you to begin with, so, yes someone here is learning the basics of ad hominem attacks.
Its a matter of courtesy to not get yourself involved in something that doesn't affect you, mention you, or belong to you. You did, though I wasn't talking to you or about you, and now you claim that someone else actually did (me).
The moderators are kindly asked to delete all my posts that do not talk about the subject. I guess I made a mistake when I tried to point out that we should not forget about OpenOffice developers and their fine job of creating an open office suite. Dang.