re: Can't install Open Office
Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Joe Hepperle
(73 messages posted)
Thanks for the assist, "gewg". I'm sure we are together on this so let's recap what
we're saying.
Open Office works on Windows98, according to the folks at the Open Office web site.
I made this point in my previous post because a user named "gewg" had (as her only
suggestion!) snidely commented that DarkLady01 had to start by installing some of
the Windows98 updates "'...from this century...". But that is not a solution. The
Open Office folks did not say that it only operates on Windows 98 only if you've
installed "...some of the updates from this century...".
Operates on Windows98 means just that... operates on Windows98 -- with or without
any particular update. So, none of the updates are needed for successful operation
of Open Office on a Windows98 system. None of the updates are need for successful
operation of Open Office on a Windows98 system.
On to the next part... Should a person download the updates and install them to "fix"
a problem with being unable to install Open Office... or should a person reinstall
Windows98? I suppose the answer lies in deciding which path will for sure fix the
problem, and which path is just a shot-in-the-dark chance -- maybe will work, maybe
won't.
I'd go for the "for-sure" method.
The Windows updates are only for fixing specific problems that Microsoft wants fixed.
We can be reasonably sure that none of the updates from the Microsoft web site are
for the purpose of fixing an Open Office installation problem. The Open Office software
is direct competition for Microsoft, they aren't interested in making it easier to
install. None of the Updates to Windows98 are for the purpose of fixing an installation
problem with the Open Office software. We're together on this, right?
Years ago when I was young, we received word that a distant cousin had been arrested
for attempted murder. We always thought of him as grumpy and maybe a little backward
but we could never imagine him trying to murder someone. Once we found the details
of the incident, then we understood. Turns out that there were a bunch of teenagers
on the street outside his house. It was dusk and getting harder to see. Someone from
the crowd threw eggs at his house while he was standing out on his porch. Then an
egg hit him on the side of the face. He went into his house, came out with a shotgun
and popped off a few towards the crowd. Six of the kids were hospitalized. He served
about five years in prison for that. Years later, as an adult, I was able to talk
to him man-to-man. I asked him why he just shot into the crowd. He explained that
he didn't know which specific kid it was who threw the eggs, but he thought if he
just shot at the whole group he might hit whomever it was. Even then, years later,
that made sense to him. I tried to reason with him that the best way was to either
find the specific trouble-maker and fix that person, or call in the cops who can
clear the street and specifically make sure that only the people who belong there
are hanging around. He still insisted that shooting wildly into the crowd was a better
solution so I left it at that.
Anyway, Where were we? Oh yeah now I remember. The "gewg" person had written that
DarkLady01 should install some of the updates "...from this century..." because maybe
they might accidentally fix whatever may be causing the problem. I had written that
a new install of Windows98 might be the solution because that would clear the hard
drive and make sure that only the files that belong there are hanging around. A fresh
install would eliminate any troublemakers. And it is quicker (about one hour she
could be up and running) than spending three days posting on various Windows 'Help'
sites asking how to solve the problem. Wouldn't you agree? It also is quicker than
only "...start(ing) by downloading some of the updates from this century..." which
could take up to three hours or more depending on the internet connection.
A reinstall of Windows98 will fix a corrupted registry. Installing updates from this
century or any other century will do nothing to fix a corrupted registry.
A reinstall of Windows98 will eliminate any and all viruses. Installing updates will
not eliminate any viruses. (It might limit any further damage from them but it will
not fix damage already done.)
And finally, Open Office needs JAVA. It is true that there is an extremely pared
down version of Open Office that is missing some of the functions and it is this
extremely pared down version you write about when you responded with your term, "Hogwash".
I hope we're not getting nit-picky here just for the sake of "having the last word"
and an attempt to be "right".
There is an extremely pared down version of Open Office, missing a lot of the functionality,
that is available and doesn't require JAVA.
But the Standard version of Open Office, the version that may deflate a significant
part of Microsoft's Office Suite profits, is the Standard version of Open Office,
which requires JAVA (or more specifically, a JAVA runtime environment). So that "gewg"
person is being intentionally misleading when she wrote "...and Java has NOTHING
to do with getting it *installed*..."
Joe Hepperle
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