The LibreOffice community organises a 6 day Test Marathon to help preparing the new 4.0 version of LibreOffice
Berlin, December 7 2012 – The Document Foundation announces the LibreOffice 4.0 Test Marathon. During 6 days, from December 14 to 19, users and supporters around the world will be testing the first beta of the upcoming LibreOffice 4.0.
The final version of LibreOffice 4.0 will be released in February 2013. By organising this big Test Marathon early, the developers will be able to fix many bugs before the release candidates and the final version are made available.
The LibreOffice community has organised various bug hunt sessions before, with many people joining, bugs found and tests done. This has contributed considerably to the overall quality of the product.
Also participants were enthusiastic. Thanks to helping in the QA work, they learned a lot about powerful functions of LibreOffice and tricks how to use the office suite.
Participating is easy and fun. Since the event is lasting a week, everyone may choose the moments that suit them best.
Details are available on the wiki of The Document Foundation: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/Test_Marathon_LibreOffice_4.0. There’s also an overview of LibreOffice 4.0 new and improved features: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/4.0.
All participants need is a PC with Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, and a LibreOffice 4.0 test version (which is available from http://www.libreoffice.org/pre-releases), plus a lot of enthusiasm.
Filing bugs will be extremely easy, thanks to the help of experienced people who will be around those days to help users and supporters with tips, on the QA mailing list (libreoffice-qa@freedesktop.org) and on the IRC channel (irc://chat.freenode.net/libreoffice-qa).
when can we have the applications packaged as an individual one on Mac? Currently the one whole big package for all apps are not good for Mac users.
The single modules are tightly interconnected, and this makes it impossible to release separated application packages. The concept behind LibreOffice is completely different from the one behind MS Office or iWorks (where you have a different icon for each application, while with LibreOffice you have a single launch icon for the entire suite).
Why so short time? Launch time is after 2 months – it would be better to give e.g. one month for that.
Couple of things I expect:
* cloud-based LibreOffice – similar to Google Docs, SkyDrive but I guess own storage offering would be complicated – so offering compatibility to use existing cloud storages would be appreciated – Dropbox, Ubuntu One and why not also Google Drive – also opening directly from cloud or saving to there would be appreciated
* does the font embedding into PDF work? When I tried with 3.6 early versions – it didn’t. Also these fonts should be embedded, what I’ve added into system.
* also I can’t choose come PDF parameters like compression density, which PDF version I choose and to which Acrobat Reader it corresponds to. Similar PDF making engine like Scribus have.
* extended CMYK support would be very appreciated, also color wheel to choose all tones and possibility also enter these ones using different codes (RGB, RGBA, CMYK, hex, HTML etc)
* watermark when exporting to PDF is quite poor – it cannot be configured and it looks quite ugly… Certainly – it’s better than nothing. Also adding image as watermark would be appreciated with all opportunities to configure it, e.g. change transparency, gamma, etc like with regular images. Also adding text as watermark should have all opportunities to manipulate with it – even adding decorative text (so-called “word art”)
* gallery and so-called “word art” needs some real improvements – currently the content of gallery is quite poor and also decorative text looks quite ugly and takes too much resources from computer
* adding end-notes needs some revamping – currently there is not possible to add end-notes page into table of contents and output is quite hard to configure
* creating visit cards and other labels – this engine needs some real extra revamping – it is almost impossible to use it – it is very unlogical and need very patient user to achieve something useful
* creating math formulas needs also some revamping – it’s quite hard to find something and compared with MS Word Equation Editor it isn’t so comfortable to use – e.g. pressing TAB would jump to next empty field. Also more functions would be appreciated- whole math up to doctoral level.
* adding some extra commands like dt and press F3 would be appreciated and this needs also be documented in Help. Also I would add myself such short commands and configure them and also I would like to configure already built-in commands, e.g. change that dummy text. E.g. creating QR-code from entered text, numbers etc would be nice feature.
* long-waited more Impress backgrounds would be very appreciated – current choice is quite poor
* adding/changing page numbers easier way would be appreciated – these field functions should remain – this is very good but most of beginners don’t figure it out how to add page numbers
* functionality preparing document for press printing would be very appreciated
* one very wanted feature – when images are added to Writer or any else LibreOffice program – some of them are copied, some are inserted (Insert->Image->File). Then some of images are residing inside .odt and some are links to the internet and/or local network. So – there should be the function, that I can make all images non-dependent on network – so: one button, choice somewhere with text: please, download all images in this document so I can show whole document without network at all and all images will physically located inside .odt or whatever else OpenDocument file. There would be also attribute close to each image – include this image also into that “download all images” functon or not. Because sometimes there is needed, that some images should be refreshed every time from internet but some of then not. So I would add flag to each image whether should it be downloaded from internet or not and default action when adding image should be configurable from options.So – if I choose e.g. always insert image physically,then I don’t need to press that button – download all. But with specific image I can say, that don’t download – link to internet or locally.
* ability to export, do backup from all custom content (custom commands like dt+F3, words database etc) and even better would be have ability to sync all configuration between different computers like web browsers are offering already quite long time. For that I should have to opportunity to use same cloud storage like opening/saving files described previously. I guess offering storage space at own server would be seemingly overkill for Document Foundation and there is no point to do it due to fact, that we have already good cloud storages like Dropbox, Ubuntu One, SkyDrive etc.
* table drag and drop in Writer would be appreciated
* by default there should be the Galaxy icon set and small icons
* LibreOffice dialogs should be more functional – currently I don’t see mounted USB-disks
* when adding background to page – there should be possibility to add it into whole page area, not only text area. Also there should be easily find buttons to configure background image.
Hi everyone,
Nice to see a new major release coming soon!! But…
The GUI looks more and more old style, old fashion, nearly deprecated style, sadly nothing new there. Still old-styled menus, still no ability to use recent Windows functionality such as adding chosen shortcut icons in the titlebar (see many apps that use rubber-styled menus and even Firefox with “Personal Titlebar” addon). I know, nothing like that can be used with Mac OS X and Linux…
Still no use of tabs to organize open documents… Still MS Office-like, in fact – btw, there is a free downlodable extension (search for Office Tab) to enable tab-browsing in MS Office 2003 to 2010 (Word + Excel + PowerPoint; paid versions extend support to MSO 2013 and other MSO apps). Tabbed Windows Extension project for OOo is dead (support up to OOo 2.x) and nothing does exist for LO. It is a real lack when you hard use LO (more that only 2 ou 3 docs opend at a time). And when you use many other apps in the same time (web browser, image editor, mail browser and/or anything else, the current use of a personal computer), Alt-Tab become fully NOT user-friendly!! A simple tab bar at the top of the GUI like web browsers have since many years now would be really appreciated! And if you let user choose between tabbed-browsing and window-browsing (old native style), I would applause… But I know there are always dogmatic discussions around tab browsing, between those who want it and others who find more or less valid excuses to refuse (like it was the case for GIMP, for example: the choice between multiple or single window GUI, finally solved with GIMP 2.8)..
And what about the update process with Windows? Still the need to download the FULL 180~200MB package + 10MB Help package every minor or security update? Still no light update packages? Or do you plan to make easy downlodable minor or security updates?
So why is this release named “4.0” instead of only “3.7”? What are the real visible improvements? “Functionalities” you will answer! OK, I can understand, Adobe and Apple do the same (and I don’t speak about Firefox and Chrome!!!)… But it would have been the time to rebuild the GUI and to set it a little more “sexy” (but not like MS Office 2013 flat “two-colors-and-a-half” style!!). I hope that we could download some other themes or at least some more icon packs… Imho Firefox personas aren’t a real GUI improvement: a re-colored old fashion style stays an old fashion style.
Regards,
Johan
> Still old-styled menus …
Bitte BITTE belasst die Menüs wie sie sind!
> to set it a little more “sexy”
Ein Textverarbeitungsprogramm, eine Tabellenkalkulation, ein Web-Editor, ein Präsentationserstellungsprogramm, ein Graphik-Bearbeitungs-Programm: All das hat nicht “sexy” auszusehen, sondern es soll robust, schnell und funktional sein! Animierte Scrollbalken nützen niemandem, wenn die Angabe falsch ist (wie z. B. Zeitablauf bis zum Ende einer Kopier- oder Scan-Funktion).
LibreOffice ist keine App! Sondern ein hochkomplexer und sehr gut administrierter Werkzeugkasten für Arbeit, nicht für Gaming und Klick-Junkies!
“Ribbon bar”: Massive Platzverschwendung, die auf kleinen Laptops das Arbeiten unmöglich macht und auf großen Monitoren einfach nur nervt. Die “Logik”, welche Funktion wohin angeordnet wurde, ist schlicht keine. Um etwas zu tun, muss man zuerst per Menü die Button-Auswahl sichtbar machen, dann den zugehörigen Button suchen … und die wirklich wichtigen Funktionen sind eh nur über Menüs und Kontextmenüs zu erreichen, und oft auch nur, nachdem man diese manuell rekonfiguriert hat.
Dafür wir haufenweise Platz verschwendet für “Vorlagen” für Schriften und Tabellen – nur sind diese Vorlagen nicht zum Arbeiten, sondern für Spielkinder oder für “Präsentatoren”: Bunt soll über fehlenden Inhalt hinwegtäuschen! Im Büro müssen wir MS-Office 2010 nutzen; dank eines “Old-Fashion-Menü-AddOns” kann man das auch innerhalb nützlicher Zeit tun!
Menüs kann man leicht erweitern; ihre Logik ist klar, ihre Strukturierung ebenfalls. Und für Menschen, die am Computer arbeiten, ist nicht wichtig, dass jede Funktion in der neuen Programmversion ein neues, flippiges, buntiges, animiertes, hüpfendes oder sonst wie kindisches Symbol bekommt, sondern, dass man den Symbolen ihre Funktion anerkennt. Und dass sie nach Möglichkeit bleiben, wie sie sind!
Gegen eine Tab-basierte Anzeige der Dokumente spricht zwar nichts – aber auch nur wenig dafür: In der Fensterleiste findet man die Dokumente auch leicht. Und wer sinnvoll arbeitet, hat nicht ein Duzend Tabs offen, weder im Browser noch im Textverarbeitungsprogramm.
Daher meine Bitte an die Programmierer: Wiederholt bitte nicht den Ribbon-Bar-Fehler aus Windows oder den Gnome-Unfug aus Linux! LibreOffice richtet sich in erster Linie an Anwender, nicht an “Boh-eh-ist-das-bunt-das-muss-toll-sein!”-Klickerchen.
Grüße,
Sebastian
@Sebastian > I made an effort to speak English so that everyone can understand, so you could do the same! J’aurais très bien pu le faire moi aussi dans ma langue natale, en français, à ceci près que personne n’aurait compris. Dann sprach in Englisch bitte! I’m sure that nobody did understant what you said. Me I don’t. Ich spreche kein Deutsch and translators are a just jokes. A bit of respect for all of us, please.
Also these fonts should be embedded, what I’ve added into system.http://www.hqew.net