OpenOffice requires JRE [solved]

[neddie]

I did not have to go to such straits, because the Sun JRE package in ArchLinux is monolithic (single package, no splits).

I don't think the problem is with the splits of the Sun JRE, I think it's to do with the splits of OpenOffice. But there are soooo many Ooo components and there are so many possible combinations I shudder to think how big a single monolithic OpenOffice package would be :o

[ianw1974]

Especially since we probably don't need all of those additional OpenOffice components. Having it separate means you can install what you want. Java is separate, but can be bundled with the Windows version of OpenOffice with the same download. Therefore Windows users would never see this.

 

Java is not required for OpenOffice, so it would be stupid to have it installed by default when it may or may not be required. I prefer this, it makes my downloads smaller. Compilation time of OpenOffice is bad enough without options, at four hours on a Dual Core with anywhere between 1GB and 4GB of RAM. If it was all together in one source package, you'd be forever compiling it. Of course, with pre-compiled binaries, means you don't have to go through all that pallaver and just install what someone else probably spent a few hours compiling.

[scarecrow]

But there are soooo many Ooo components and there are so many possible combinations I shudder to think how big a single monolithic OpenOffice package would be :o

In my distro the -base package is some 146 MB (no java, no dictionaries, just the en_US UI included). OOo 3.1 beta is some 1,5 MB larger.

It's clearly a matter of choice- some like this monolithic package policy, while some others hate it- both for a good reason.

In the past I've compiled from source many OOo3 beta versions- the source was exheeding 330 MB, you needed more than 6,5 GB free space for a successful compile, and the whole thing took more that 2 hours to compile on Core2Duo 6600 with 4 GB RAM (or just a tad less than 1 hour with compiler cache enabled).