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Google Docs Replaces OpenOffice In Ubuntu Netbook Edition

Posted by timothy on from the hope-your-connection's-up dept.

uneuser writes "Digitizor reports that the Ubuntu developers have dropped OpenOffice from the default installation of Ubuntu Netbook Edition (UNE) 10.04 and replaced it with Google Docs. Documents in Ubuntu Netbook Edition will now be opened in Google Docs by default."

6 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. why? by dirtyhippie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Openoffice takes about 350MB of space, so it is a significant proportion of an ubuntu install, but c'mon. Despite the name "netbook", these devices in my experience spend a significant amount of time offline. This is bizarre choice - more discussion is here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1399012

  2. Re:Remember folks, it's a NETbook. by Daengbo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's also strange to switch from Google to Yahoo! (search) and OO.o to Google Docs in the same release.

    --
    Put identity in the browser.
  3. What is a netbook? by sakdoctor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't even know what a netbook is now. At the start they were defined by their tiny form-factors, low-ish power-consumption.
    The revolutionary part was the LOW price. Sony VAIOs of similar size had been around for absolutely ages, but those were just shit, overpriced laptops.

    Then microsoft moved in and netbook grew in size and power. I think my early eeepc IS a netbook, and despite the 600px screen height, I run stock Ubuntu rather than a netbook specific edition.
    Running open office has never been a problem, so I don't see the point in getting all cloud dependent for nothing.

  4. Re:Remember folks, it's a NETbook. by ChipMonk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My netbook (EeePC 901) has no problem running OpenOffice.org; it has more power than the system I first installed StarOffice on (Windows 95 in 1997, converted to Linux in 1998). That was a full-fledged computer, as much as my netbook.

    Or are you assuming it has to be something made since 2007? If you want to jump on the three-year upgrade cycle, there's a company in Redmond that would be very interested in doing business with you.

  5. Why does OpenOffice need 350MB, anyway? by Animats · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why does OpenOffice need 350MB, anyway?

    • Why is "soffice.exe" 7MB in size? It's just the launcher. The work is done in "sdraw.exe", "swriter.exe", etc.
    • Why is there also "soffice.bin", another 7MB?
    • Does OpenOffice have to have its very own full Python installation? It's only used for scripting OpenOffice from your own applications; OpenOffice itself doesn't need it.
    • Is the whole Java/UNO system, for scripting OpenOffice from Java, really used much?
    • OpenOffice has about 100 DLLs, doing who knows what. How many of those are really used?
    • In fact, most users don't need any of the Java stuff. It's mainly for the OpenOffice database engine, and you're probably not running a relational DBMS on your netbook.

    OpenOffice could probably be brought down below 100MB for netbooks without much work.

  6. Re:Remember folks, it's a NETbook. by Hadlock · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The drive is the only part I port over from computer to computer. My primary drive (just the OS, I use a different drive for the swap and data) is an ancient 7.2gb drive that still loads XP in under a minute. Yeah its kind of strange to have a 7gb boot drive in the same computer with a 500gb "apps" drive and a 1tb "data" drive, but once windows from the 7gb drive is loaded into ram it just spins down and isn't used again. Makes reinstalling windows a snap after a virus too (since all the drivers are local on another hard drive). Hard drives also can withstand insane G-Forces considering all the moving parts (and their impressive precision) they have.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.