Hi there. I am new with LinuxMint and desperately trying to install OpenOffice. When I download it and extract it, it just makes a whole bunch of deb packages. What can I do with that? I'd like to have a simple install that does the whole thing behind the scene and at the end launches the app, like in Windows.
I have also tried to install it through the application manager. There is always some error message at the end that I don't understand. The different portions are on the menu, but nothing happens when I click on them.
Then I've tried a third way. It create a single, executable 'setup' file. However, it keeps telling me that Java RE is not the directory. RMPS Code 4. Which directory do they mean? I've copied the installed java files into the same OpenOffice folder I had created for the setup.
It all came about when I uninstalled LibreOffice to install OpenOffice instead.
This is so frustrating.

cd to the directory containing the files and do
What error?
Why don't you use libreoffice?

Kind regards

It would help if you can actually paste here the error codes you are getting while trying to install OpenOffice

Also keep in mind Linux is not Windows, and even that Linux have come to be very user friendly, still a mindset change is required to understand the philosophy of the OS and they it works.

I would suggest you use the package manager that comes with your distro and paste here any error messages so we can actually see what's the error message instead of trying to guess it.

1. download the rpm version. If openoffice is giving you trouble, drop it, and use libre office instead. The developer guys split from the OO project & forked it which is libre office.

2. use rpm2targz if you can't handle rpms

3. Install them.

The nutty way is to clear gigabytes & compile from source like the blfs project. Are you a glutton for punishment?

Thanks, repo, Hammett and business kid. That gives me a lot to think and try.
I am trying to learn. It's a challenge if you have used Dos and Windows for 20 years.
I'll let you know.

Again, why don't you use LibreOffice?

Misunderstanding, I think. OpenOffice under Windows has different foreign dictionaries installed (which I use). They were not in LibreOffice when I first tried it out. And it's quite involved to install them. In OO 3.3 Windows, there are extensions for dictionaries. That option did not exist in LibreOffice. It seems like everything you have to install in Linux is a huge undertaking with commands, etc. You read explanations on forums, etc, and these people assume that you know all about using these commands. Maybe I'll figure it out.

To understand them, try this tutorial: http://linuxcommand.org/

Also, there often is a GUI solution to a problem, but there are many reasons that helpers in online forums use commands:

• It's far easier to type a command than to explain what to click.
• The command line is far more standardized and consistent than GUIs, which may vary depending on desktop environment/version of app.
• The command line works almost the same everywhere, and helpers don't have to be familiar will all different kinds of GUIs that do the same thing (see the above reason).
• It's very likely that helpers on online forums know a lot about Linux, and thus prefer the command line and are more familiar with it.

Thanks, MTK358. I'll go with looking at those Linux commands. So far the only thing easy I've found out was to install a driver for my printer through a tar file. And I also installed a different background, including a photoslide screensaver. I won't give up too quickly...

I've been there. Most have been there. Try, and tell us when you get stuck.

What I did is to reinstall LMint11 from scratch. Unpacking the .deb files didn't lead to anything. The last line at the extraction said 'processing menu triggers'. But nowhere was OpenOffice to be found. So I've got a fresh system, with LibreOffice running, and I got the extensions for the languages I needed. I'm set for now. Thanks.