Re: [libreoffice-design] A new User paradigm for LibreOffice.

Hello 52-midnight,

here is a slightly longer reply...

On 15 February 2012 02:47, 52midnight <info@52midnight.com> wrote:
> I've recently written a Perl script that converts many ODT files to PDF
> using the commandline. This resulted from an Inet search that failed to find
> anything useful for someone like myself - a Linux User for a dozen years who
> doesn't use M$ in any form, and is not interested in commercial offerings.
> The results can be found at:
>
> http://52midnight.com/home/ooo.html

I believe, with your script, you'd best go to the developer list at
[1] which is always quite enthusiastic about patches etc. As far as I
know there is quite some interest in automatic PDF conversion.
Also, maybe take a look at ODF-Toolkit [2] (now also at Apache) which
is designed to (AFAICS) to manipulate ODF programmatically.


> I can well understand that LO developers may not be interested in supporting
> its use as a backend for scripts

I am not entirely sure about that. While, yes, we are primarily a
consumer desktop application, there is certainly value in LibO as a
platform. In any case, I can't say too much about that, please try to
contact the dev list.


> What I'd like to see
> in addition is a selection page as described that loads quickly, and
> presents a series of simple tasks that can be accomplished without loading
> the whole shebang.

Right... the problem is that LibO is a very complicated network of
dependencies. For instance, there is no way to load Writer without
also loading most of the rest of LibO. In essence, the consensus seems
to be that the best solution is to make "the whole shebang" faster.
And about, the selection page, well there already is the "Start
Centre" that you described. Loading that before the rest of LibO would
seem to be only a small win, because, as I described most of the rest
must be loaded to do anything productive.


> If LO were to present a quick, simple interface
> of the type I've described as the default invocation, it could initiate a
> paradigm shift for Users, especially now that mobile interfaces are becoming
> so popular.

There are some ideas how to present LibO on e.g. Android [3], yet of
that there is nothing official and nothing that is implemented so far.
(So far, LibreOffice only builds on Android, but when it starts,
presents a rather less appropriate interface [4].
Any input on mobile interfaces [5] or even (Java/Android) coding is
certainly highly welcome.

Astron.
PS: Sorry for the long list of references, but there were many points
you wanted to discuss. :)

[1] libreoffice@lists.freedesktop.org
[2] http://odftoolkit.org
[3] http://clickortap.wordpress.com/frivl/
[4] Take a look at some FOSDEM slides here:
http://people.gnome.org/~michael/blog/2012-02-04.html
[5] Use our wiki: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Whiteboard
[6] http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice/2012-February/025377.html

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