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As a new Ubuntu user, I have installed a few apps through the Terminal.

I have tried to follow several, albeit outdated, threads that explain how to install OpenOffice, but I cannot get it to work. It would be really helpful if someone would provide me with the necessary commands for it to work.

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  • 16
    I believe OpenOffice has largely been superseded by LibreOffice.
    – fkraiem
    Oct 24, 2016 at 9:20
  • 8
    To add to that : OpenOffice is not secure nowaday. There is not enough developer to do the most basic security update anymore : they almost all moved to LibreOffice. Don't install OpenOffice.
    – Pierre.Sassoulas
    Oct 24, 2016 at 12:07
  • Oracle is using the Apache and Eclipse foundations as mausoleums for their abandoned open source software.
    – Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen
    Oct 24, 2016 at 19:09
  • 3
    OpenOffice is called LibreOffice now. It's preinstalled in Ubuntu.
    – jobukkit
    Oct 24, 2016 at 21:18
  • @fkraiem - Can you expand this and make that an answer because I think it's probably the right one...
    – mcottle
    Oct 25, 2016 at 3:53

4 Answers 4

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  • We use Libreoffice. It basically is OpenOffice but with a license that is suited. OpenOffice has a license that is too restrictive for Ubuntu to be of use (see below).
  • Besides that: Ubuntu is not about using the latest version but the most stable version at the release of the OS. Security wise it is better to stick with the versions Ubuntu supplies. Security related fixes are provided when those are found and fixed.

Nevertheless ...

  • You need to remove LibreOffice 1st and since there is no personal archive for Openoffice you need to download it from their website (pick 64-bit DEB). Software is provided by a DEB so you can download it and use our Software Center to install it by doubleclicking the finished download; or you can pick the tar.gz download and it will have installation instructions inside the installer on how to install it (see the readme regarding installation inside the package).

But why go through this trouble? Since there is a licensing issue I would always opt for LibreOffice.

This isn’t an accident. OpenOffice’s sidebar code was copied and incorporated into LibreOffice. The Apache OpenOffice project uses the Apache License, while the LibreOffice uses a dual LGPLv3 / MPL license. The practical result is LibreOffice can take OpenOffice’s code and incorporate it into LibreOffice — the licenses are compatible.

On the other hand, LibreOffice has some features — like font embedding — that don’t appear in OpenOffice. This is because the two different licenses only allow a one-way transfer of code. LibreOffice can incorporate OpenOffice’s code, but OpenOffice can’t incorporate LibreOffice’s code. This is the result of the different licenses the projects chose.

Basically: LibeOffice will always have more features than OpenOffice.

Regarding LibeOffice

  • LibreOffice provides a native Debian installer so you can use Software Center to install it. And there is also a personal archive for the really bleeding edge ... 

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa
sudo apt update

    You can also install specific versions newer than what Ubuntu provides by replacing the 1st command with ...

    sudo apt-add-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-4-2

and replacing the 4-2 by the version you want.

By the way: you do NOT need to remove LibreOffice or OpenOffice if you want to install a newer version of Libreoffice or of OpenOffice. You do need to remove the other one if you want to switch between them or need to remove a version that as higher than the one you want to install (and disable the newer version when installing the older version).

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  • 1
    If you want to have both OpenOffice and Libreoffice, you can install LibreOffice via snap: sudo snap install libreoffice
    – Piotrek M.
    Oct 24, 2016 at 10:16
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    LibreOffice is as much OpenOffice as OSX is BSD. The code has considerably improved (a massive code cleanup was done), they're much better at features updates and bug fixes (including security fixes - see lwn.net/Articles/699755 for a mess that happened this year with OOo).
    – muru
    Oct 24, 2016 at 10:44
  • I don't know anything about the split, but in your answer you say "OOo has a license that is too restrictive" but then quote from a source that paints LibreOffice as having more restrictive licensing (since it only permits one-way reuse). I promise I'm not trying to start a holy war :), but I found the presence of those two statements a little confusing. (I'm guessing the "OOo is too restrictive" has something to do with patents, or something?)
    – apsillers
    Oct 24, 2016 at 14:28
  • No it has to do with the license, not patents. @muru I did not mean that comparison for the internal differences. From the users POV they still look mostly identical :)
    – Rinzwind
    Oct 24, 2016 at 14:38
  • Although this answer is correct based on the question asked, I don't think it answers the question the user meant to ask. I think the user (because of the mention of outdated threads and being a new user) doesn't know about the Open Office / Libre Office split and is using "Open Office" as a generic term for office suite. The questioner can confirm, but that's my guess.
    – mcottle
    Oct 25, 2016 at 3:52
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  1. You have to remove the installed versions of either libreOffice or openoffice:

    sudo apt-get remove libreoffice* openoffice*
sudo apt-get autoremove

    (or)

    Open the Ubuntu Software Center and type libreoffice . click on uninstall to uninstall.

  2. Download OpenOffice from its official website.The download file will be in *.tar.gz format.

    For 32 bit Ubuntu, Debian:

    wget sourceforge.net/projects/openofficeorg.mirror/files/4.1.1/binaries/en-GB/Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-GB.tar.gz

    For 64 bit**

    wget sourceforge.net/projects/openofficeorg.mirror/files/4.1.1/binaries/en-GB/Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.1_Linux_x86-64_install-deb_en-GB.tar.gz

  3. Click on “Extract here”

    For 32 bit:

    tar -xzvf Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-GB.tar.gz

    For 64 bit:

    tar -xzvf Apache_OpenOffice_4.1.1_Linux_x86-64_install-deb_en-GB.tar.gz

  4. Now open the Terminal and change the directory to the location where your Extracted Open Office file is present.Just type “cd” followed by drag and dropping the “DEBS” folder or manually do it.

    cd en-GB/DEBS

  5. Type the following commands to install OpenOffice package files.

    sudo dpkg -i *.deb    
cd desktop-integration    
sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Try sudo apt-get purge libreoffice* if you face any errors when installing open office

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  • 3
    The offer debs on the site so why go the hard way?
    – Rinzwind
    Oct 24, 2016 at 17:17
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    Indeed: openoffice.org/download However there are many deb files to install so dpkg -i *.deb is much easier... unless i missed a general install helper?
    – John
    Nov 13, 2017 at 13:48
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Download openoffice https://www.openoffice.org/es/descargar/

uncompress. In terminal

cd en/DEBS
sudo dpkg -i *.deb

execute

cd /opt/openoffice4/program
./soffice
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you should use Libreoffice in Linux.since there is no open office in Ubuntu repositories you should download it from official site. Download correct package from here http://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html

Extract the downloaded archive. Since it is an archive, you need to extract it. You can do that using your package program, or you can do it using this terminal command:

tar -xzvf Apache_OpenOffice_3.4.1_Linux_x86-64_install-deb_ar.tar.gz

You may need to change the name in the text above to fit your package.

type the following command into the terminal:

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

You will be required to provide an administrative password to run this command.

The executable file is located here: /opt/openoffice.org3/program/soffice

now create luancher for this excutable file from this site.

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