Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

pemasu · Joined: 08 Jul 2009 Posts: 5485 Location: Finland

I have gotten now my SoftmakerSmall sfs to 33 Mb. So it is quite small for *. doc, *.rtf and *.docx compatible text editor and reader. And the app opening speed is spectacular.
Well I use it also because of finnish hyphenation. I dont have a clue howto install finnish hyphenation and spell checker to finnish linux openoffice. There even isnt any guide to do that. Only mention that it comes with distro from distro repo.

mikeslr

Hi again,

I was lucky enough to obtain a free copy of Softmaker Office 2008 for XP when it was being given away. I also obtained 2008 for Linux but can't recall where I downloaded it to. Since I dual-boot XP & Puppy, I decided to explore the XP version. One of the neat things about it is that once you've installed it to your computer you can run its built in app to install it to a USB Key where it will reside in a folder. The USB Key version is fully portable: its folder can be copied back to the hard drive or anywhere else and will run from there.
The portablized version will run under Wine in Puppy, and appears to be fully functional (except, perhaps, as noted below). By the way, although Softmaker does not include a database program, there is a module under its Textmaker program to create (and use) databases. I haven't done more than start it, so I don't know its capabilities.
Also included in the suite is a programming language module advertised as being VB-like. Since I don't know Virtual Basic, I am not able to test it under Wine.
Despite that its 2010 beta freebee will probably become inoperable on March 31st, I strongly recommend obtaining it. Doing so puts you on Softmaker's mailing list to receive notice of specials, future offerings and freebees.

mikesLr

jakfish · Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 766

Since in Puppy 4.31, I run both Softmaker 2008 Linux and XP/Wine, I find that I can only print wirelessly in SM Linux.

I don't know why (had the same problem with 2006), because I can print wirelessly in MS Word 97/Wine.

Jake

mikeslr

Thanks jakfish for pointing that out. I didn't check out printing. As my printer died, and I rarely used it anyway, on those rare occasions when printing is needed I transfer the files to my wife's setup > and she's stuck in the '90s using that other system.(' Laughing

')
So I don't know if the problem you experienced is related, but for the sake of completeness my understanding is that portable JAVA currently either doesn't work, or is almost impossible to set up. Ergo, JAVA functions --including, for example, Database under OpenOffice Portable-- are unavailable. If you run a portable under windows, it will access the installed Windows JAVA console. And, similarly, when running a Linux App it will access the Linux JAVA console. But a portable written for Windows running under Wine apparently can't use the Linux JAVA installation. If printing from a portable Windows app is dependent on JAVA, it apparently, currently can't be done.

mikesLr

jakfish · Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 766

mikesir,

That makes a great deal of sense, and would explain why I can print from antiquated MS Word 97, but not from more sophisticated Softmaker.

And since I run java 1.6 in Puppy, that may account for printing successfully in SM 2006/2008 Linux.

But I'm in no way certain. I know I printed wirelessly in Word 97 before ever installing java on Puppy.

Wine, however, allows for endless tinkering in menu font, etc, making SM much more attractive in a netbook screen. Weirdly, SM, for all its customizations, won't let you change anything in its actual GUI. (edit: in SM Linux)

That's the only reason why I even play with SM/Wine, and why I keep coming back to MS Word 97, which runs beautifully in Puppy and with great speed.

Jake

Gurglin · Joined: 13 Nov 2008 Posts: 65

I downloaded the trial version and WOW! Fast, nice, much better than any other Office programme I have tried so far (including MS 2003 and 2007, OO 3.x and of course KOffice and the mediocre Abiword)

Frank Cox · Joined: 01 Nov 2009 Posts: 381

You can download a key and the software for 2008 for free here :
http://www.softmaker.de/lh-down-en.htm

vmars316 · Posted: Mon 26 Nov 2012, 14:42 Post subject:

SoftMaker Office 2010 for Linux Public Beta Free

Actually, I am only interested in the TextMaker pgm.
I have 'SoftMaker Office 2010 for Windows', its great.
Its great for copy/paste from html in browser, then save as html,
and rtf and pdf.

None of the links here (that I checked out) work.

Anyone remember the link to "SoftMaker Office 2010 for Linux Public Beta Free"

Thanks...Vernon

vmars316

don570 · Joined: 10 Mar 2010 Posts: 5262 Location: Ontario

When I downloaded it I thought it is was available
for only for a couple of weeks.

..But apparently you can still download it....

see 'Testversion herunterladen' which means 'Download test version'

http://www.softmaker.de/ofldemo.htm

_______________________________________

vmars316 · Posted: Mon 26 Nov 2012, 17:52 Post subject:

vmars316 · Posted: Mon 26 Nov 2012, 17:54 Post subject:

Pelo

SoftMaker Office 2010 for Linux Public Beta Free is the better office suite in my opinion. I run that suite in Windows 7, when gnumeric or Abiword are not enough.

slavvo67 · Joined: 12 Oct 2012 Posts: 1593 Location: The other Mr. 305

It's ok. Reminds me of MS Word 1995 or somewhere around that time period. Libre feels more complete but the Softmaker is decent.

Pelo

Libre Office seems the preferred Office kit in Puppy Linux forum. personally i use Windows 7 for big applications as Office suite, because... I never use them ( i am retired from Office, now at home for amusement with Puppy, only)
However, i have fatslacko 5.3.3 running now. With Libre office included. There are so many bugs, only in data entering (garbled dates). Softmaker is not so bad quality.