Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

I have seen old threads on this subject, but I'm wondering if anyone can give me an up-to-date status. I have been able to install Abiword, but when I load a Word doc it just shows lots of question marks. I tried installing the more-gconv-modules as earlier threads suggested, but no difference.

I got Abiword 2.4.6 from the www.abisource.com/downloads/apt catalog (mistral, user).

I am going to be on the road in a few days and need to be able to proof-check Word docs via email if possible.

I tried installing Minimo and using google docs, which seems to work... almost. When editing, I get no cursor, which is frustrating. So close...

Many things about the N800 seem to be "work in progress", which is a bit of a shame. I am thinking (hoping) that another year or two will see this platform able to do most of the things we expect from a portable computer these days... it's very close, but little details like being able to read Word docs are big stumbling blocks (considering I was hoping this device could replace my laptop on road trips, I know, perhaps a foolish hope but it's soooo close to being there...)

So: Has anybody got the magic incantation to enable editing Word docs? I do have the latest OS2007 installed.

Thanks!

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Please check that you got abiword 2.2.7 with more_gconv_modules, from the right repo and in red pill mode. I had this same problem at the beginning then uninstalled everything, reinstalled and ta-dah! It was importing word rightly.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

I am somewhat new to the N800, so I would appreciate it if you could fill me in on what "red pill mode" is, and where the correct repo is... this would be useful info for other people coming upon this thread too, methinks. Thanks!

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Ah, I got the red pill thing:

http://hildon-app-mgr.garage.maemo.org/redpill.html

Now, to find the correct repo for Abiword 2.2.7...

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

All I can see on the www.abisource.com/downloads/apt repo is 2.4.6. Where do people get 2.2.7 from???

Thanks,

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

http://erinye.com/maemo mistral user

see http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3346

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

erinye.com/maemo
mistral
user

R.
==

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Thanks! Yes, I already had erinye in my catalogs, but Abiword 2.2.7 wasn't showing up in the installable apps list. I found that I had to disable the abisource catalog - then 2.2.7 showed up and I was able to install it. I also re-installed more-gconv-modules, and it now seems to work. I was able to load a Word doc and do at least basic editing (which is all I need for now).

Great, thanks very much.

I hope/wish they would get this stuff more intuitive in the future, all this messing around with different repositories and "red pill" mode is kind of silly (and I have been working with Linux for eight years now, so I'm well used to that kind of silliness)... most people buying a PDA like this probably will be in for a shock when they realize what kind of messing around is required to get basic stuff like this to work. Seems typical of Linux - the great bulk of the work is done and the thing is mostly working... but you still need to do that stupid secret incantation thing to get it to actually work. They do all this work to port the apps, why can't it be more intuitive to install???

/rant

Anyway, thanks again.

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Update: Bit of a fly in the ointment here - I just discovered that when you edit a Word document in Abiword (on the N800) and then save it, the doc is saved in Abiword format, not Word format. So unless the person I am sending the doc back to has Abiword on their Mac, this won't be much use... :-(

I guess I can try to get Abiword installed on the Mac in question.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

I find that the best and most foolproof method is using the MicroB browser and google docs. Email the document to your gmail account and then open it up through google docs. You can edit and save in a variety of formats as well as share the document directly. Not as nice as having a dedicated offline word editor but still it does work.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Hmm.. maybe you did something differently, but I just edited a word .doc file, selected "Save" and transferred it over to my PC where Word 2007 opened the edited .doc file fine.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

When I try installing MicroB it says it installed, but then I can't seem to find it anywhere in the applications. It was a 7.2 MB download, so I'm pretty sure I got *something*... how do I run the damn thing???

Thanks!

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Yes, I think I was actually editing a .SAVED file the first time I tried this; evidently those are saved in Abiword format (I looked in the file and it explicitly mentions this).

I just tried again, using a fresh .doc file, edited it on the N800 and emailed it back to myself. Yes, this time it could open in Word, but it had been converted to RTF. You can confirm this by doing "Save as..." in Word and seeing what the current type is.

RTF is better than nothing, of course, but in my experience formatting can be a little flaky when converting between formats. It would be better if the native Word format was preserved.

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Wait... to install abiword properly, with full word support, you have to use red pill mode!?

That's just wrong. You shouldn't have to jailbreak in order to install a consumer level app on a consumer level device.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Open up the browser file menu goto "Set engine" click on microB and then restart the browser. It will look EXACTLY the same as the built in browser but the rendering engine is based on mozilla instead of opera. A quick check is to go the N800 home page and it instead of a blue background with a link to tableteer it should show you an orange background with different text. MicroB runs slower than the Opera browser but will interpret all of the AJAX in google docs.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

When you installed MicroB it became your "default" browser choice, so chances are you are using it when browsing right now. If you look at the browser menus you'll see one labeled "Set Engine" which will allow you to switch between Opera and MicroB. If you want to switch the engine you just select which one you want to use and restart the browser.

If you want to know which you are using at any time just type in "about:" in as a URL and you'll see the about screen for either.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

"Red Pill Mode
The Hildon Application Manager has a special hidden mode that makes it more power user friendly and gives you access to features that are not yet considered to be ready for everybody. "

Seems perfectly reasonable to me for installing some libraries needed by a NON-official app some guy compiled out on the net. :) Is this an iPhone forum ? :eek:

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

Ok, I now have MicroB as my browser engine, and Google docs is working... sort of. I get a cursor, but no way to move the cursor around. I'm using a Think Outside bluetooth folding keyboard, which has arrow keys but they don't seem to do anything with this app. Anybody know how to get this working???

As usual with Linux, it's one stumbling block after another... but once it's working, sweet. Sigh.

Thanks!

/Neil

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

I suppose you could just tap wherever you want the cursor to be, instead of moving it around with the keyboard?


I was just going to suggest this as well.

It does add the complication of having to install MicroB, but once you've done it the Google Docs site should work fine.

Re: Any way to edit Word docs on N800???
 

The current winner is Abiword. Ok, so it silently converts Word docs to RTF, but I have tested sending a Word doc to the N800, editing it and sending it back and editing in Word on Mac OS X, and it seems none the worse for wear. Probably there are some sophisticated document styles or fancy structures that might not make the transition, but we don't use too many of those in my current situation... the text is very small, but it is usable - and the cursor keys actually work, unlike Google docs. And Abiword is faster than Google docs. Thanks everybody for your help, much appreciated!

/Neil