[xubuntu-users] Abiword 3.0.2?

[Peter Flynn]

On 02/05/2017 12:35 PM, James Freer wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Feb 2017, Peter Flynn wrote:
> 
>> On 02/04/2017 09:52 PM, flocculant wrote:
>>> Abiword is no longer part of the default Xubuntu
> I liked Abiword as it was straightforward and FFP.
>> What a pity. It's much more stable than Libre Office.
> Very true. I have used it sometimes and it is fine. Then another day 
> Ooops - menus disappear or something else.

I only ever use it to open .docx files I get sent, and either print them
or Save As...LaTeX

> Iirc there was a problem with windows fonts as mstcorefonts came up
> with a window saying downloads problem (can't remember exactly now as
> I removed it -

The mscorefonts installer was broken (I think the unzip wrapper around
zipped fonts had been omitted) — there was a thread on here about it,
and AFAIK it's been fixed and all is working again.

> Liberation fonts are supposed to be a direct replacement 

Liberation looks completely different but is cunningly designed to have
exactly the same character widths as MS-supplied Times, Helvetica, etc.
so a document written for mscorefonts can substitute Liberation and
there will be no change to the layout.

> I don't feel Libreoffice writer has replaced Abiword but I think
> Abiword development is losing interest. 

Abiword has acquired some silly and unnecessary habits. I just opened it
and it opened a tiny window and an even tinier empty document (approx
2in high by 1in wide). Other times it will open full-screen. Fortunately
its ability to export rudimentary LaTeX is unaffected.

> For Linux users it seems Google Docs is the only option left.

Libre Office still works, except that it insists on using one an
alternativ way of encoding style names in OOXML, involving two extra
layers of indirection, instead of the more direct way Word uses, which
makes it harder to program for. And they still refuse to add a styles
editing pane, so it's unusable for professional styles editing. But
that's their funeral: they've been told often enough.

There is another option: WPS Office (www.wps.com) which is a free
equivalent for MS Office and runs on everything except Macs. I'm quite
impressed with it, but for some reason no-one has yet packaged it for
Linux distributions. Worth a look.

///Peter