abiword problems
 

Hi,
I've read how many people really like Abiword, but I've had nothing but problems with it. I know it is still under developement, but I was just wondering if my experiences are abnormal.

I have Abiword 2.6.4 and running 5.2008.43-7. I've reflashed and resinstalled twice, but Abiword continues to crash on me. For example if I insert a table into a blank document, it hangs. If I type (with my usb keyboard) for more than 3 minutes, it completly dies and dissappears.
So is this typical for Abiword? Does anyone else have a word processor type program they can recommend?

I've thought about using the 1.5G image file for OO, but I can only imagine how slow that would run. I don't have a good enough internet connection to download this and try it on a whim.

Any advice would be appreciated!
Eric

Re: abiword problems
 

Abiword 2.6.4 on 5.2008.43-7 on my N810 crashes regularly for me too. It's such a shame when the port of gnumeric is so much better. I don't think anyone is working on it at the moment, though.

Re: abiword problems
 

ahhh..I suppose i'll be tossing my installed copy. Never used it but unless some other people post about it working for them, away it goes.

Re: abiword problems
 

Abiword on the tablet is pretty much a lost cause, and it's a terrible, terrible shame.

Please see my rant on the topic for more about my frustrations.

Re: abiword problems
 

Yes it is a real shame to have a products as good as the N800/810 but to have no decent word processer for it is just crazy. Abiword seems to have potential but the latest port isn't working at all for me.

Re: abiword problems
 

Running OpenOffice on the tablet is a bit like keeping a Great Dane in a one bedroom apartment, but, dammit, it works. I can get a very good representation of a Word doc or PowerPoint presentation to display on my tablet, and I can then convert it to PDF or even edit it on-tablet. I just wish it didn't take an entire minute to start up*. A minute doesn't sound like much... until you're waiting for a document to load.

*If you have the tablet properly configured. If not, it can take longer.

Re: abiword problems
 

I don't understand why nokia doesn't have an office type package that they support for their device. Not having a decent word processor on an internet tablet seems like a bad move. Abiword certainly seems like a very promising tool which would really be nice on maemo.

Re: abiword problems
 

If a company develops an office product for maemo. Do they have to provide it free of cost?

Dataviz's Documents to Go is an excellent program for PalmOS, Windows Mobile and SYmbian. These are all paid applications.

Would they have to offer it for free if they developed it.

Re: abiword problems
 

The easiest, I think would be to go the route of easy-debian. Look for the package and its author, Qole, on another thread. The package is easy to install (doesn't disturb your existing environment) and let's you have access to some key apps such as OpenOffice... and Qole has gone a long way to create a very useable environment. The distributed easy-debian-image does not include Abiword, but it is easy to add it on (v2.6.4). If you tablet is an N810 then you are set up with the hardware keyboard... if on an N800 then the Nokia Hildon keyboard *doesn't* work and you have to use the kludge of another virtual keyboard... but again Qole's package provides for that. Once OpenOffice has loaded, and that is the slow part, the actual editing and input is done relatively quick.

A newer project on Qole's menu is easy-mer. It's based on Ubuntu jaunty. And it has the virtue that the Hildon Virtual Keyboard works with most GTk+ based apps... OpenOffice 3 included (with a Gtk+ plugin). How about Abiword (v 2.6.6) here? Unfortunately not, it's prone to crashes and cpu loops so it is a total waste in this environment. OpenOffice in contrast works great and is, at the moment, the only option for capable word processing on the tablet.

Hope that helps you,

--denis

Re: abiword problems
 

No, commercial apps are possible on Maemo (and Linux in general).

Re: abiword problems
 

hmmmm.. Just used Abiword to open a word document. Not bad actually. I think I'll leave it installed. It launched very quickly too. None of that 1 min to open biz.

Re: abiword problems
 

Yeah, it opens word documents fast. But try inserting a table or just using it for any length of time.... Poof! There goes everything you typed.

Re: abiword problems
 

Yes, this hildonized version of Abiword is an unmitigated disaster... sooner rather than later it crashes and / or freezes (starts running at near 100% cpu load).

Only viable alternative at the moment is Debian Abiword 2.6.4 under Qole's 'easy-debian' environment... launch times are not bad, about 30 secs to an empty doc window. Once launched, things are speedy...!

--denis

Re: abiword problems
 

Oh I'm not saying these things wont happen. Just saying that I found something useful for it in whatever limited state it is .

Re: abiword problems
 

I too have tossed AbiWord. Great product on my notebook but not for the N800. I manage to scrape by with Notes and/or Google Apps