openoffice update- should I bother?

Hi.
Well, I never updated my openoffice, but now everytime I open it, it opens the internet too, because it wants me to update. So it takes 20 minutes to open a page instead of 10. Anyone know what's so great about the update? Or is there a way to stop it from messing with my computer when I start it? Or if I get on my hands & knees & beg will you give me Word software for free??

 

I'm not an OpenOffice user, but I do use an offshoot of it, LibreOffice. Lotus Symphony, current version, is also an offshoot of OpenOffice.

The current version of LO allows you to configure LO to not have LO check for updates automatically.

If you don't need the Base component, you might look at Kingsoft Office Free. Look and feels like MS Office.

Good luck.

 

What is a Base component? I was just reading about Libreoffice & people were saying that there were a lot of bugs. And please keep in mind that I am using a 19 GB computer. With only 3.51 GB space left.rolleyes

 

Base is the database component of LibreOffice. If you don't use database applications, you will probably not need it. It also takes up a lot of disk space, and currently requires Java.

 

I only need to write & format documents- columns, fonts, colors, copy paste graphics, etc. Does Libre have the ability to alphabetize? Remove hyperlinks? Just wondering. Does Libre office open fast? That part of OO makes me crazy!!!!!!

 

19 GB computer... I'll assume (always a bad thing to do :-D) you have an old XP system. And not knowing the status of updates, etc., I can't offer much other than commenting that could be part of your problem.

I got busy, and have fallen behind in the current bug status for LO. I suggest you visit their website and see what is posted there.

 

Ten minutes to open a document?? I use OpenOffice, and documents open for me in seconds, not minutes. Just as I posted in your other thread, I think the problem is that your hard drive doesn't have enough free space for XP to work properly.

 

rolleyes I read other places the OO was slow so I didn't think it was this computer.......
Guess I was wrong. 10 minutes is an exaggeration, it's more like 3 or 4......
But still! But I don't have problems opening anything else except OO!

 

I did it again. Internet takes a while, iTunes takes a while...... Sigh.......
How easily i forget. :-o

 

Definitely uninstall anything you don't need. If you install LibreOffice, only install the 'Writer' part that you are planning to use.

Use a tool like CCleaner to remove unnecessary stuff from your system.

 

Hard drives, especially for an older computer like yours, are cheap. Why not upgrade to a larger capacity drive? Or even a SSD? I installed a 64GB SSD in my 4-year-old Dell Vostro, mostly just to see if it would make any difference. Boy, did it ever. Boot time, from pushing the power button to surfing the web, is about 40 seconds. The SSD was something like $69.