I'm running Lenny and I'd like to update to OpenOffice 3. So, I downloaded the group of .deb fron openoffice official site.

Installation seems to be straight, dpkg -i *. deb... But I wonder how it would be updating in the future when a new release is launched. I will have to remove every *.deb ?

Is there a way to "import" those new deb into apt or sinaptic?

Note: At home -where I'd like to do this update- I don't have a broadband internet access, so I download the packages at work.

Thanks in advance
Matías

I think the official packages will store the entire package in /usr/local/, so they won't interfere when the real package makes it to your release.

On the other hand, you could get the .debs from Experimental. That way, the installation will store the various files where Debian expects to find them when the package makes it to your preferred release. You will need a few libraries from Sid, but not so many you can't deal with it over a modem connection. I prefer to run a mixed Testing/Unstable system for that very reason. It's only rarely that you need anything from Sid (not to mention Experimental), but it's very convenient to have them at hand. I did this with my Lenny system ... no issues.

Thanks for your response Rick. I'll take a look at you how-to.

Regards,
Matías

Once a .deb is installed (from any source), it can be uninstalled by synaptic (etc) if that's what you're asking.

Quakeboy,

Thanks! That's what I was asking.
If .deb are included in apt or synaptic base it might be easy to remove once a new version is released.

Regards

I successfully installed oo.org by apt pinning. Include experimental repository in /etc/apt/sources as:

#Experimental
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental main non-free contrib
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental main non-free contrib


Do an aptitude update and then:

aptitude install openoffice.org/experimental This worked like a charm.

-pb

Thanks for the tips folks.
The last method suggested by "Basement" seems straight, but as still don't have broadband access at home I installed using the debs provided by openoffice (OOo_3.0.0_LinuxIntel_install_es_deb.tar.gz).

At work where I have a box running Lenny with lxde desktop I used the same approach and it worked like a charm.
At home (where I use Lenny with kde) I had a little issue with a link to libjvm.so but it was just pointing to the right version and it worked.

Regards,
Matías

Whoops! I forgot that you don't have internet access.

Sorry,

pb

Hmm, package pinning and running a mixed testing/unstable/experimental Debian system is a bad idea when what you're really after is simply being able to run OOo-3-x.

Install using the OOo-3.x debs provided on the official OOo site instead.

ok I tried that... I had to convert all the rpm's to deb's using alien ...and it didn't work out so well... I keep getting a problem with libuno.. it seems the installation fails at some point in time because nothing was created in my /opt/openoffice(.)org folder only openoffice(.)org3 which there is a symbolic link point to openoffice(.)org from openoffice(.)org3 in the program directory... it no workie

Uh, why download rpms in the first place?

http://download.openoffice.org/other.html#en-US

..you'll see a column, "Linux DEB", there.

The backports.org now has openoffice.org for lenny-backports, so it's real easy to install. Better too, since Debian versions are based upon go-oo.org with its extra features.

Follow the instructions at backports.org for adding to /etc/apt/sources.list and installing debian-backports-keyring and install away:

aptitude install -t lenny-backports openoffice.org
aptitude install -t lenny-backports openoffice.org-emailmerge openoffice.org-filter-mobiledev openoffice.org-help-en-us openoffice.org-report-builder-bin rsyslog ttf-opensymbol
aptitude install openclipart

I also install the sun template packs 1 and 2 by downloading them from openoffice.org's extensions website and installing them from the Tools dropdown, extension manager.

Depending upon whether you already have sun java installed, aptitude may remove the gcj java stuff when installing the meta-package openoffice.org. I think 3.0 likes either sun java or openJDK java (still sun but fully free software, but I prefer sun-java myself) so I'd install one of those first. The normal Debian Lenny repos have either (sun-java in non-free).

I also did the /etc/apt/preferences pinning to 200 so the packages will update with a normal aptitude full-upgrade. It's all on that backports.org page, but I do:

kdesu kate /etc/apt/preferences and put the lines in there. Use gksu gedit if you're in Gnome.

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Thanks Dahveed3! Your reply worked perfectly on my elive system.