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WordPerfect on Linux FAQ
Rick Moen
<rick@linuxmafia.com>
Copyright © 2002-2004 Rick Moen
1.4.19, 2004-10-08
Abstract
WordPerfect for Linux continues to be popular, and is still conditionally
available. This FAQ covers its place in the modern Linux world, and answers
common questions.
This information is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
Foundation, version 2.
This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave,
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Alternatively and at the recipient's option, this work may be used freely
under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/]
Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 licence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Nature of the FAQ.
1.2. The Big Picture.
2. Taxonomy and History
2.1. Corel WordPerfect Product Strategy
2.2. Versions and Editions
3. Technical Problems.
3.1. WP 8.0 DPE for Linux installs but won't start on my Linux
distribution. How do I fix that?
3.2. WP 8.0 DPE for Linux installs perfectly, and runs fine for the root
user, but quits with a segmentation fault if any non-root user starts
it. What's the cause?
3.3. How do I stop the WP 8.x installer from getting diagnostic message
"../install.wp: [: 18-10: integer expression expected" followed a
short while later by termination with a Segmentation Fault error?
3.4. How do I fix the WP 8.x installer's failures resulting from errors
copying files onto my NFS network drive?
3.5. How do I fix MS-Word import / export filters (the Filtrix module) on
WP 8.x for Linux?
3.6. Why didn't Corel itself release any fix for the MS-Word / Filtrix
problem, especially given its obligations to purchasers of boxed-set
versions?
3.7. How do I make WP for Linux's integration with KDE Address Book
("kab") work with KDE2 / KDE3?
3.8. I get rendering problems with icons and other graphical objects when
running WP for Linux at greater than 16 bits per pixel. How do I fix
that?
3.9. Can I make WP for Linux use TrueType fonts?
3.10. How do I get printing to work?
3.11. How do I keep the "WordPerfect 8 for Linux" re-release's installer
from crashing?
3.12. Can my language's absence from the "WordPerfect 8 for Linux"
re-release be fixed?
3.13. Why aren't the PostScript Type 1 fonts I've installed available in
WP?
3.14. Why aren't the PostScript Type 1 fonts I've installed available to
applications other than WP?
3.15. I see the process "wpexc" still running in my system process table,
even after quitting WordPerfect. If the WordPerfect program is "xwp",
what's "wpexc", and why does it need to remain running?
3.16. What is the "xwppmgr" process?
3.17. How do I prevent "xwp" from starting the wrong version of
WordPerfect?
3.18. How do I get WP to support my wheelmouse?
3.19. WP9 stopped working / won't install, even with the upgraded support
packages and installer. How do I fix that?
4. Downloadable WP 8
4.1. Where can I find a copy of WP 8.0 DPE for Linux? What filenames
should I look for?
4.2. After I locate WP 8.0 DPE for Linux, how do I install it, and what
can I do to improve and fix it?
4.3. Given that Corel has ceased publishing it, is redistribution of WP
8.0 DPE for Linux still lawful?
4.4. What are the licence restrictions on WP 8.0 DPE for Linux?
4.5. Suppose I suddenly need to use my copy of WP 8.0 DPE for Linux in a
commercial setting. Can I upgrade my licence?
4.6. How can I add more fonts to WP 8.0 DPE?
4.7. How do I add additional language files (other than US English) to WP
8.0 DPE (or the 2003-4 "pilot project" re-release)?
4.8. Where will we get new WP 8.0 registration keys, if / when Corel
stops offering them at the page linked from [http://venus.corel.com/
nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html] http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/
wp8linuxreg/register.html?
5. Non-downloadable WP 8
5.1. Where can I find a copy of WP 8.1 for Linux?
5.2. What does WP 8.1 give me that's not in WP 8.0 DPE?
5.3. What are the licence restrictions on WP 8.1 for Linux?
5.4. Why was WP missing from CLOS Deluxe / Standard Editions version 1.1?
5.5. How do I install WP 8.1 (from a CLOS boxed set) on some other Linux
distribution?
5.6. How do I add fonts to WP 8.1?
5.7. What's the difference between the WP versions bundled with CLOS
boxed-set versions 1.0 and 1.2?
5.8. Where can I get a boxed-set copy of WP 8.0 PE?
5.9. Where can I find a boxed-set copy of WP 8.0 Server Edition for
Linux?
6. WP version 9
6.1. Isn't WP 9 For Linux (in the WP Office 2000suite) better than WP
8.1?
6.2. Why didn't Corel do WP 9 as a native Linux port?
6.3. Is there anything I can do to maintain or improve WP9 for Linux?
6.4. Where can I find a copy of WP9 / WP Office 2000 for Linux?
7. Documentation
7.1. What books are available concerning WP for Linux?
7.2. WP 8.x's access to on-line docs doesn't work any more, saying
"document not found (404 error)". Where did they go?
8. The Future
8.1. Why did Corel cease publishing WP for Linux?
8.2. Why is Corel still selling WP versions for other Unixes, but not
Linux?
8.3. Won't WP for Linux re-emerge as part of Xandros Desktop?
8.4. If Corel doesn't want to sell WP for Linux, why doesn't it
open-source the program?
8.5. What alternatives to WP exist on Linux?
8.6. What alternatives to WP exist involving Win32 apps on Linux?
9. Feedback. Location. Copyright and Redistribution Terms.
1. Introduction
1.1. Nature of the FAQ.
This FAQ addresses common questions about Linux i386-binary releases of the
discontinued but enduringly popular, proprietary WordPerfect word processor.
Some FAQs aim to present only impartial fact. Others summarise diverse
answers typically given by members of the sponsoring community. This FAQ does
neither: It's one author's attempt to paint a coherent picture of WordPerfect
for Linux's place in the 21st Century open-source world, from a Linux-centric
perspective. Some others' views will undoubtedly differ.
I'd like to gratefully acknowledge the HOWTO documents at [http://
linux-sxs.org/utilities/wp_index.html] http://linux-sxs.org/utilities/
wp_index.html, which should be consulted for detailed installation
instructions for WP on current Linux distributions. Also, the former
linux.astcomm.net and current [news://cnews.corel.com/
corel.wpoffice.wordperfect8-linux] news://cnews.corel.com/
corel.wpoffice.wordperfect8-linux newsgroups' comments have been invaluable.
I would also like to thank Leon A. Goldstein and Valentijn Sessink
specifically for their valuable feedback, Bob Tennent for information on the
libsafe problem, and Wade Hampton for maintaining the original but
now-obsolete WordPerfect Mini-HOWTO.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2. The Big Picture.
1.2.1. What's good about WordPerfect?
Several things. In an era when leading word processors gobble dozens of megs
of RAM just launching, WP (v. 8.x) is thrifty -- about 6 MB. By comparison,
OpenOffice.org 1.1 or Star Office 7.0 takes 54 MB to launch. AbiWord 2.01
uses only 15 MB, and KWord 1.2.94 32 MB. It's a stable, fast, polished,
full-featured product. It has "reveal codes". It has a nearly unique "shrink
to fit" printing feature that quickly becomes indispensable once you've
experienced it. WP's high-performance print module uses the MS-DOS version's
time-tested, robust printer drivers by default, expanding greatly the range
of compatible printers. (WP can alternatively hand off to standard Unix
printing subsystems -- lpr / lprng / gnulpr / cups / pdq / etc. -- in
"Passthru Postscript" mode, to use the system's own standard print drivers.)
It has excellent built-in mathematical, financial, logical, and
string-handling functions. It has excellent table support and a useful
speed-table-formatting feature. It has a time-tested, easy to use and debug
macro language. It has a robust built-in database engine for table sorting
and searching.
It's still the best tool available on Linux for reading WordPerfect .wpd
files created elsewhere. (AbiWord, Anyware Office, and wp2latex also
qualify.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2.2. What's wrong with WordPerfect?
It's a discontinued product (on Linux). The most-long-term-available version,
WP 8.0 Download Personal Edition (WP 8.0 DPE), has deliberately crippled font
handling and limited (but fixable) multi-language support, and won't function
without fairly antique support libraries. The best version, WP 8.1, comes
only bundled with the Corel Linux OS (CLOS) Deluxe and Standard Edition boxed
sets, v. 1.0 or 1.2 -- likewise discontinued.
WP used to be the best tool on Linux for reading MS-Word (through Word97)
files, but always faltered on some, especially those Fast Saved in MS-Word.
But now, Star Office, OpenOffice.org, and AbiWord reportedly do better (and,
unlike WP for Linux, can read post-Word97 .doc formats).
All 8.x versions (except the 2003-4 "pilot project" re-release) ship with a
broken MS-Word import / export module: This third-party code ("Filtrix")
fails with the message "Filtrix unable to convert this file" if the local
system clock is set to later than September 9, 2001, because an internal time
counter overflowed when Linux system time in seconds since January 1, 1970
passed 10^9 seconds. The problem can be fixed using a wrapper by Valentijn
Sessink of the Netherlands firm Open Office, [http://www.openoffice.nl/]
http://www.openoffice.nl/ (not to be confused with Sun Microsystems's
OpenOffice.org project), available at [http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/
wp8fix/] http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/wp8fix/.
The integration into standard Linux print subsystems was always poor; ditto
the typeface support. Screen rendering is a bit below par -- though printed
output when using the built-in print engine is uniformly excellent, and very
fast. Also, TrueType fonts were never supported, only PostScript Type 1. Menu
shortcuts break when Caps Lock or Num Lock are on. And WP's use of the Motif
graphics toolkit makes its aesthetics a bit klunky.
Last, though the point may be obvious, WP is proprietary (not open source).
Open-source projects die only when nobody cares to maintain them, can be
fixed / improved by any motivated party, and can be easily implemented on
newer CPU architectures (IA64, PPC). By contrast, supplies of all but one WP
version are vanishing, the sole exception occupies a legal grey area, and the
difficulty of keeping it running on evolving Linux systems (which can be i386
only) can only increase over time.
It's a measure of just how good WP for Linux is / was that many people
consider it still the best word processor for Linux, on balance, despite the
above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2.3. Who created WordPerfect for Linux?
Old-timers may recall that WordPerfect originally emerged from Satellite
Software, Inc. of Orem, Utah, which later renamed itself to WordPerfect
Corporation, which ported it widely from the original x86 assembler version
for MS-DOS. (Their initial Unix port occasioned a rewrite to C, which lead to
WP for NeXT, which lead to WP 6.0 for MS-Windows, which was the basis for all
subsequent versions.) That firm eventually sold WordPerfect's codebase to
Novell, Inc., which then sold it to Corel Corporation Limited of Ottawa,
Canada. Corel then hired a spinoff firm (Software Development Corporation aka
SD Corp., formed by the Unix port's manager and developers) to port WP
versions 6, 7, 8.0, and 8.1 to both Linux and several proprietary Unix
platforms.
Around 1996-7, the initial SD Corp.-written Linux port of Corel WP, v. 6.0,
was marketed solely through through Caldera, Inc. of Orem, Utah, as part of
two bundles: the WordPerfect and Motif Bundle, and the Caldera Internet
Office Suite bundle (companion CD to Caldera Network Desktop v 1.0). In 1997,
Corel replaced this with a v. 7.0 that it sold directly (after SD Corp.'s
open beta), offering greater file compatibility with other platforms and
other improvements.
The zenith of WP for Linux's popularity, however, came with the 1998-2000 v.
8.x series, the most wildly popular Linux proprietary software of that era.
(During that time period, Corel, acting without help from SD Corp., attempted
to port the entire WordPerfect Office (aka Corel Office) suite to Java:
Program startup was [http://developer.novell.com/research/appnotes/1997/july/
netnotes/03.htm] slow for its time, and some functions had [http://
web.pip.com.au/office/readme.html] problems. The project was killed after
some [http://public.planetmirror.com/pub/hobbes/java/apps/suite/] public
betas.)
The intended successor to 8.x shipped some time around 1999: WP 9, better
known as WordPerfect Office 2000 (which was technically WordPerfect joined at
the hip to several other Corel programs -- Quattro Pro (which Novell bought
from Borland in June, 1994, and then passed to Corel), Paradox (which Corel
bought around 1997 from Borland), Corel Presentations, Corel Central),
produced by Corel Corporation Limited, alone, Corel having closed down the
WordPerfect Corporation unit in Orem, Utah during 1998-9. (Paradox was
included only in the Deluxe Edition, and omitted from Standard Edition.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Taxonomy and History
2.1. Corel WordPerfect Product Strategy
To understand Corel's WP versions for Linux, and what they're like, it helps
to know the company's product history. As a proprietary software company,
Corel wants customers to buy its boxed-set products. WordPerfect is one such
product. CLOS was another. The Corel Netwinder Linux-based computer was a
third.
Proprietary software companies are motivated to keep development costs down
and product-development cycles short. So, Corel always attempts to use one
main codebase, the Win32 version (the MacOS one having been axed in May 2001,
per [http://www.geocities.com/bulgybear/wp.html] http://www.geocities.com/
bulgybear/wp.html) as the flagship version, and minimises time and money
spent on other OSes' versions.
For similar reasons, the WP product line is always fundamentally less diverse
than it seems: To fill different niches and hit various price points, WP is /
was offered in different "editions", with more features omitted or disabled
from the base "Server" edition (about US $500, boxed set) as one descends the
price scale.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2. Versions and Editions
WP versions 6 and 7 for Linux (native ports coded by SD Corp.) are long gone
from the market, at this date. The (premium-priced) Server Edition boxed-set
version included multiuser support and NFS locking, and included both an X11
version ("xwp") and a text-mode / console one ("wp"). The lower-priced
Personal Edition boxed set omitted both multiuser / NFS support and the
console version. (By "boxed set", I mean that the product was not available
for download, only in a retail box, via stores or mail-order.)
WP 8.0 editions for Linux were mostly similar: The Server Edition and
Personal Edition boxed-set versions were as detailed for prior versions.
However, Corel also introduced a WP 8.0 Download Personal Edition, which
could be downloaded free of charge as a gzipped tar archive, and was also
redistributed for the cost of media on CD-ROMs, in either tar.gz or RPM
format. In late 2001, Corel disabled download of WP 8.0 DPE from its ftp
site, but it remains available elsewhere.
WP 8.0 DPE for Linux differed from the boxed-set versions in lacking the
other versions' drawing / charting module, their module to create custom
dictionaries and hyphenation databases, their equation editor, their network
support, their print-queue manager, their prepaid technical support, their
sample documents / templates / textures / clip-art / photos, their
font-installer module, most of their fonts, their multi-language support, and
their documentation. (The program could call up an HTML manual from http://
linux.corel.com/wpmanual, now removed, and that entire Internet server was
finally decommissioned on Feb. 26, 2003.) Also, after 90 days, it refuses to
run until you enter a registration key, available free of charge (for now) on
[http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html] http://
venus.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html or [http://nas.corel.com/
nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html] http://nas.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/
register.html (or use one of the ones people have posted in public). Also,
the licence permitted only personal, non-commercial use. Last, it was
compiled dynamically linked against some now-obsolete libraries, which must
thus be furnished for its benefit (prior to installation).
Balanced against these drawbacks is supplies of 8.0 DPE being effectively
inexhaustible -- despite legal questions.
WP 8.0 Personal Edition for Linux was offered in boxed sets, and was offered
bundled with the book "WordPerfect for Linux Bible" by Stephen E. Harris and
Erwin Zijleman. It included 140 fonts, the font-installer module "xwpfi"
(see: [http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/wpfonts-fonts.html] http://
www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/wpfonts-fonts.html), 5,000 clip art images, support
for grammar / spelling checkers and thesaurus lookups in additional
(non-English) languages, and a now-outdated set of KDE 1.1 RPMs for Red Hat
5.1 / 5.2. The CD-ROM includes a text file with a registration key. Be aware
that the electronic-format WP manual included is for character-mode WP, not
the graphical X11 version.
Next came WP 8.1 Personal Edition for Linux (WP 8.1 PE), arguably the best
version to date, showing "Release 8.1 11/1/1999" in its About screen. It came
only in boxed sets of CLOS Deluxe Edition versions 1.0 and 1.2. (CLOS 1.2 was
better known as "Second Edition", a name Corel evidently pitched at
MS-Windows users.)
WP 8.1 PE differed from prior versions in several ways. It wasn't licensed
for multiuser (only Server Editions included multiuser support and
console-mode WP; I know of no 8.1 Server Editions), but was licensed for
commercial use. As part of CLOS Deluxe Edition, it was in .deb package
format. Redistribution was / is strictly prohibited. It came with a full set
of 300 fonts, the font-installer module, network support, WP Draw, an
equation editor, and a printed manual. It ships with and installs all
required libraries.
WP 8.1 Light Edition for Linux was the bundled WP copy included in boxed sets
of CLOS Standard Edition. According to one report, it differs from WP 8.1 PE
only in having approximately 1/3 as many included fonts (only one of the
Deluxe bundle's three .deb-format font archives).
Starting in late 2003, an update to WP 8.1 PE, confusingly called
"WordPerfect 8 for Linux" (but showing "Release 8.1.0076 11/1/1999" in the
About screen), was available through the Corel Store e-commerce Web site on
eBay, then on Corel's own site intermittently from April 15, 2004 until
around June 2004 as a "pilot project" aka "proof of concept" market-testing
limited offering, "to determine the feasibility of developing future Linux
versions of WordPerfect or WordPerfect Office". It uses its own graphical
installer routine (eschewing the system package database) that prompts you
for a licence number (included), installs under /usr by default, provides the
necessary set of libc5 libraries and matching wrapper scripts, provides 130
PostScript Type 1 fonts, and incorporates the equivalent of Valentijn
Sessink's Filtrix fix. Supported languages are English (UK, US, CA and OZ)
and French (CA and National), only -- which can be fixed. Like prior releases
of WP 8.1 PE, the 2003-4 "WordPerfect 8 for Linux" pilot-project offering was
licensed for commercial use, but not multiuser.
The intended successor to 8.x was WP 9, promoted by Corel as "WordPerfect
Office 2000". This FAQ will have little to say about WP 9 for Linux, as it
was not a true native port, but rather consisted of Win32 code running in a
Winelib environment -- with predictable RAM bloat and instability, as a
result. (Boxed sets only were offered.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Technical Problems.
3.1. WP 8.0 DPE for Linux installs but won't start on my Linux distribution.
How do I fix that?
WP 8.0 for Linux was distributed as a dynamically linked ELF binary, linked
against libc5 (C library), libm (the related math library), a set of five X11
libraries for libc5-based software, and ld-linux.so.1.9.* (aka ld.so 1.9.*),
the dynamic-linker/loader software current on Linux at that time. Those old
libraries are often omitted from current Linux distributions. In such cases,
you need to retrofit those libraries. (You can see the exact library links by
running "ldd" = list library dependencies against the WordPerfect "xwp" main
executable file.) Specifically: Prior to running the WP 8.0 installer, you
must install ld-linux.so.1.9.* (usually in an ld.so package), libc of some
version from 5.3.12 through 5.4.46, and libm.so.5.* (both usually in the
libc5 package), and a set of X11 backward-compatibility libraries compiled
against libc5 (libXt.so.6, libX11.so.6, libXpm.so.4, libSM.so.6, and
libICE.so.6). Don't forget to ensure the libraries' directories are listed in
/etc/ld.so.conf, and then re-run /sbin/ldconfig.
What binary packages these libs and dynamic linker/loader will occupy differs
between distributions. If in doubt, documents linked from [http://
linux-sxs.org/utilities/wp_index.html] http://linux-sxs.org/utilities/
wp_index.html may give details for your distribution. (Also, FAQ section
"After I locate WP 8.0 DPE for Linux, how do I install it, and what can I do
to improve and fix it?" has more details and remedies for installation
problems.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2. WP 8.0 DPE for Linux installs perfectly, and runs fine for the root
user, but quits with a segmentation fault if any non-root user starts it.
What's the cause?
You installed Accelerated-X, a proprietary X11 server, and included in your
installation its version of the X11 libraries, which were compiled with
glibc. You need the more-traditional XFree86 versions of those libraries
(libXt.so.6, libX11.so.6, libXpm.so.4, libSM.so.6, and libICE.so.6),
specifically ones that were compiled for libc5 X11 clients. Remove
Accelerated-X completely, reinstall the XFree86 shared libraries for libc5
clients (which may have any of various package names, such as xlib-compat,
oldlibs/xlib6, etc.), and then reinstall the Accelerated-X server only
(minimal installation). WordPerfect should then run correctly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3. How do I stop the WP 8.x installer from getting diagnostic message "../
install.wp: [: 18-10: integer expression expected" followed a short while
later by termination with a Segmentation Fault error?
You are running with "libsafe" enabled, a wrapper library that aims to
protect system security by blocking library calls that are known to be
vulnerable to buffer overflows. Unfortunately, that technique blocks
execution of any binary that attempts a dynamic library call to libc5.x. Both
the WP 8.x installer and WP 8.0's runtime binary were compiled as libc5
executables.
To confirm that libsafe is the culprit, type "echo $LD_PRELOAD | grep
libsafe". You can turn off that setting by typing "unset LD_PRELOAD". Then,
remove the libsafe reference in /etc/ld.so.preload, if this exists. You
should now be able to successfully run the installer, and can call the main
"xwp" binary using a shell script that runs "unset LD_PRELOAD" just prior to
executing xwp.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4. How do I fix the WP 8.x installer's failures resulting from errors
copying files onto my NFS network drive?
You're probably using one of the personal editions of WP 8.x. Only the server
editions include code required to enable support of NFS file locking (which
in server editions you can enable via the WPadmin login facility). Otherwise,
neither the installer nor the WP program binary will run if any components
are on (or will be installed to) any NFS mounted drive, including user
settings in users' home directories and temporary files in /tmp.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.5. How do I fix MS-Word import / export filters (the Filtrix module) on WP
8.x for Linux?
The third-party Filtrix module, because of a programming oversight concerning
date-handling, doesn't work on systems whose current date is set later than
September 9, 2001: On attempts to import / export MS-Word files, it fails
with error message "Filtrix unable to convert this file". The problem can be
fixed by installing a wrapper by Valentijn Sessink, available at [http://
olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/wp8fix/] http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/
wp8fix/. (This fix isn't necessary for the 2003-4 "pilot project" re-release,
which includes an equivalent fix.)
Note: Reportedly, the Filtrix module will not process MS-Word .doc files that
were saved in MS-Word with password-protection applied. This is not a bug:
Filtrix never handled such files. (Nor can Filtrix handle MS-Word documents
with embedded non-MS-Word COM objects such as spreadsheet tables from
MS-Excel.)
Import will also fail on any file saved in a post-Word97 version of
Microsoft's .doc format. This is not a bug, just an inevitable result of the
program's age and lack of maintenance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.6. Why didn't Corel itself release any fix for the MS-Word / Filtrix
problem, especially given its obligations to purchasers of boxed-set
versions?
Good question. By the time the problem cropped up, Corel had discontinued all
involvement in Linux. Just before that, Microsoft Corporation made a major
investment in Corel, preventing the latter firm's collapse. It's possible
that lack of Linux-competent staffing was an issue, that Corel didn't wish to
displease its investor, that the firm perceived inexpensive Linux versions to
be impairing sales of its US $500 versions for other Unixes (especially given
increasingly common support for Linux-native binaries on those Unixes), or
that corporate inertia after liquidating the entire Linux division accounted
for this lapse. (Corel was later passed to Vector Capital, Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen's venture-capital firm, which took Corel private.)
Corel's only comment (November 5, 2001) was "The corporation is not prepared
to make any comment", and to post a comment on http://linux.corel.com/support
/updates.htm#wp8, unchanged since late 2001, that "Corel is currently working
with the filter manufacturer to resolve this issue." (That claim was still
present when Corel took down the linux.corel.com machine on Feb. 26, 2003.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.7. How do I make WP for Linux's integration with KDE Address Book ("kab")
work with KDE2 / KDE3?
You don't. WP is compatible with the "kab" version in KDE 1.1, only, that
being the KDE version shipped with CLOS. For unexplained reasons, this
feature also doesn't work on Linux 2.4.x or later kernels.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.8. I get rendering problems with icons and other graphical objects when
running WP for Linux at greater than 16 bits per pixel. How do I fix that?
This is a frequent symptom of colour palette exhaustion. The only real cure
is to run X11 at a lower colour depth. 32 bpp will sometimes work where 24
bpp doesn't, but 16 bpp always works (assuming hardware support).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.9. Can I make WP for Linux use TrueType fonts?
No. WP can use PostScript Type 1 fonts, only. The issue is covered
comprehensively by Rod Smith, here (including describing a utility for
generating PostScript Type 1 fonts from TrueType ones -- with, no doubt,
inevitable loss of detail resulting from "hinting"-routine omission and other
conversion artifacts): [http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/] http://
www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.10. How do I get printing to work?
By default, WP for Linux (uniquely) ignores Linux's system printing
facilities, and uses its own print engine and drivers. (The latter are the
same as for WP on MS-DOS, giving the program very broad printer support. More
are available at [http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/] http://
www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/, which should be reachable as [http://
www.wpdos.org/] http://www.wpdos.org/.) You need to configure the printing
subsystem. As the root user, start xwp with the -admin (or -adm) command-line
option, then select and install an appropriate printer driver, using the Add
Printer Driver widget. (In such cases but not the Passthru Postscript option
discussed next, specify "-oraw" in the WP8 Printer Setup dialogue's Lpr
options box on the Select Destination sub-page, or define a "raw" printing
destination in your system print daemon, e.g., CUPS.) Alternatively, select
"Passthru Postscript" to hand off jobs to the system printing daemon, and use
the latter's print drivers, instead.
The 2003-4 "WordPerfect 8 for Linux" pilot-project offering retains this
print engine, except that it defaults to Passthru Postscript using print
destination WPSpool, a reasonable default for compatiblity with modern Linux
systems' existing system print regimes, which mostly use CUPS. (You can still
alternatively use WP's own print drivers, and either specify "raw" printing
in your system print spooler or "-oraw" in WP's print options as described
above.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.11. How do I keep the "WordPerfect 8 for Linux" re-release's installer from
crashing?
Because of a bug in the install script, the 2003-4 "WordPerfect 8 for Linux"
pilot-project release's installer must be run setting US English option
initially as default, or it will fail. You can then choose one of the other
installed language options after installation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.12. Can my language's absence from the "WordPerfect 8 for Linux" re-release
be fixed?
Yes. The "pilot project" re-release included language modules for English
(UK, US, CA and OZ) and French (CA and National), but not Dutch, German,
Italian, or Spanish. Those modules can be installed from separate downloads
mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ. After installing them, you'll need to add "/
usr/i386-compat-gnulibc1/lib" (or as appropriate, if you didn't install WP to
the /usr/wplinux default) as a new line to /etc/ld.so.conf and re-run
"ldconfig". (Otherwise, you'll see an error about inability to find
libm.so.5, when you execute the language module's ./Runme script.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.13. Why aren't the PostScript Type 1 fonts I've installed available in WP?
You haven't yet run the xwpfi font-installer, to inform WP of their presence.
(A Readme explains how to use it.) Note that xwpfi is intentionally omitted
from WP 8.0 DPE. Please see FAQ section "How do I add fonts to WP 8.1?" for
more details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.14. Why aren't the PostScript Type 1 fonts I've installed available to
applications other than WP?
You haven't yet configured X11 to know about them, though perhaps you've run
xwpfi to inform WP about their existence. The two are distinct, WP's font
integration being incomplete relative to that of standard Linux apps. Please
see FAQ section "How do I add fonts to WP 8.1?" for more details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.15. I see the process "wpexc" still running in my system process table,
even after quitting WordPerfect. If the WordPerfect program is "xwp", what's
"wpexc", and why does it need to remain running?
Tests by Valentijn Sessink have confirmed that this process must have
something to do with printing: If you rename the wpexc binary, then start WP,
printing will malfunction but no other program features will. The fact that
it's left running even after you quit WP appears to be a bug. You can safely
kill it, when not running WP.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.16. What is the "xwppmgr" process?
It's the WordPerfect Print Manager. WordPerfect by default manages its own
printing, and only optionally hands off jobs to the system printing facility,
if so configured.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.17. How do I prevent "xwp" from starting the wrong version of WordPerfect?
(This problem obviously applies only to the minority who keep multiple
editions of WP for Linux on tap.) "xwp" in some editions, such as 2003-4's
"pilot project" re-release and WP 8.1 PE, is a symbolic link pointing to a
launcher script. (Thus, you should rename any existing /usr/bin/xwp, before
installing, as the installer will overwrite it.) In others, it's a binary:
Run "file" on it to tell. You may have to do some debugging and creation of
your own symlinks to untangle multiple editions' startup mechanisms.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.18. How do I get WP to support my wheelmouse?
You need to run "imwheel -k" (which utility must, of course, be installed)
just prior to launching WP. This can be added as a line near the top of WP's
startup script (which you can create, if none such exists).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.19. WP9 stopped working / won't install, even with the upgraded support
packages and installer. How do I fix that?
Check the version of libc, which should be in /lib. If it's 2.3.2 or above
(as it is in essentially all current Linux distributions), and you're using
either the original bundled version of Corelwine or Michael Torrie's
corelwine-cvs-20010613-1.i386.rpm upgrade (or Andreas von Heydwolff's
corelwine-cvs_0.1-2_i386.deb [http://web.archive.org/web/20040225112645/http:
//members.chello.at/hrdisk/corelwine.html] conversion to .deb format of
Torrie's release), that's why: There's a libc-support problem, which will
necessitate fixing and re-releasing Corelwine. (A [http://sources.redhat.com/
ml/bug-glibc/2003-05/msg00047.html] bug in ld.so's dynamic linker/loader
prevents solving this using a wrapper to use an older libc and the existing
Corelwine libs.) However, in September 2004, Torrie graciously provided his
[http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/] Corelwine source code. It's hoped
some volunteer will soon code the patch required.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Downloadable WP 8
4.1. Where can I find a copy of WP 8.0 DPE for Linux? What filenames should I
look for?
Most locations that formerly offered the download (for example, CNET's
download.com, ftp.calderasystems.com, and linux.tucows.com) ceased doing so
about the time Corel itself did. It's possible (but pure speculation) that
Corel asked or required that the files be pulled.
However, the download is still available at:
  * [ftp://ftp.uni-halle.de/pub/Linux/software/wordperfect8/] ftp://
ftp.uni-halle.de/pub/Linux/software/wordperfect8/ Includes all
localisation files.
  * [http://sunsite.ui.ac.id/pub/linux/nonfree/] http://sunsite.ui.ac.id/pub/
linux/nonfree/
  * [http://ftp.urc.ac.ru/pub/OS/Linux/print/] http://ftp.urc.ac.ru/pub/OS/
Linux/print/ Also has PhotoPaint9 for Linux.
  * [ftp://ftp.ufscar.br/pub/linux/editortexto/] ftp://ftp.ufscar.br/pub/
linux/editortexto/
  * [http://ftp.dreamtime.org/pub/linux/wp8/] http://ftp.dreamtime.org/pub/
linux/wp8/
  * [http://alge.anart.no/ftp/pub/Office/WordPerfect/] http://alge.anart.no/
ftp/pub/Office/WordPerfect/
  * [ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/corel/wordperfect/linux/] ftp://
ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/corel/wordperfect/linux/
  * [http://www.invivo.net/pub/SOFTS/telechargement/Linux/WORDPERF/] http://
www.invivo.net/pub/SOFTS/telechargement/Linux/WORDPERF/ Note FR
localisation files.
  * [http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/] http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/
apps/ Site carries WP 8.0 DPE, all localisation files, the Filtrix fix,
copies of WP 8.x licences, archived knowledgebase / FAQ / documentation
files, and Corelwine / WP9 fixes.
(The ES=Spanish archive at [http://www.invivo.net/pub/SOFTS/telechargement/
Linux/WORDPERF/Espagnol/] http://www.invivo.net/pub/SOFTS/telechargement/
Linux/WORDPERF/Espagnol/ is unfortunately corrupted.)
It's packaged either as a single gzipped 23 MB tarball (GUILG00.gz), a single
17 MB RPM archive (included in Caldera OpenLinux through v. 2.3) that
installs ready to run, a 22 MB RPM archive (one in SuSE Linux boxed sets
through 6.1 and a similar one in older boxed sets of Linux-Mandrake) that
installs tar archives in /usr/lib/wp8/ that must then be separately installed
by running /usr/lib/wp8/Runme, or as a collection of seven separate tarballs
(GUILG00.gz through GUILG06.gz). The program also remains available on a US
$3 CD-ROM at [http://linuxcentral.com/] http://linuxcentral.com/. Ditto on a
US $1 CD-ROM at [http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/] http://
www.edmunds-enterprises.com/.
The filenames listed are for the default US English version: The filenames
for other localisations are included on [http://web.archive.org/web/
20030821125611/http://content.443.ch/pub/linfiles/Gnusoft/wordperfect8/
Readme.html] http://web.archive.org/web/20030821125611/http://content.443.ch/
pub/linfiles/Gnusoft/wordperfect8/Readme.html, and download sources for all
nine localisation archives are noted above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2. After I locate WP 8.0 DPE for Linux, how do I install it, and what can I
do to improve and fix it?
Your first challenge may be to unpack it. You'll have no problem with the
(rare) RPM archive, but the gzipped tarballs (either a single-piece archive
named GUILG00.gz, 23 MB, or seven smaller archives named GUILG00.gz through
GUILG06.gz) will appear a little puzzling: Despite having a .gz extension
(only), they are in fact gzipped tarballs. Further, they un-tar right into
the current directory, rather than creating a container directory. Corel --
or someone operating on its behalf (CNET's download.com staff?) --
grotesquely botched the packaging. However, note that some sites will have
repacked the contents (variously), often out of a desire to correct Corel's
error. Therefore, when in doubt, use the Linux "file" utility to determine
what you're working with.
After unpacking (and reading the Readme file), you'll have to furnish the
dynamic libraries WP 8.0 requires: ld-linux.so.1.9.5, libc5 (any version from
5.3.12 through 5.4.46) with matching libm.so.5.*, and a set of X11
backwards-compatibility libraries compiled for libc5 X11 clients (libXt.so.6,
libX11.so.6, libXpm.so.4, libSM.so.6, and libICE.so.6). These will probably
be optional packages for your distribution, not installed by default. Only
then should you run "sh Runme", as directed by the Readme. Caveat: If some of
the libs are not present, you may think installation has succeeded, but will
then encounter any of a variety of strange symptoms. Therefore, make certain,
as follows:
In an X11 terminal, do "su -" to become the root user temporarily. Type
"ldconfig -v | grep libc.so.5", which must show some libc version from 5.3.12
through 5.4.46. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libm.so.5". This must show a libm
version of 5*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libXt.so.6", which must show some
libXt version of 6.0*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libX11.so.6", which must show
some libX11 version of 6.1*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libXpm.so.4", which
must show some libXpm version of 4.11*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libSM.so.6",
which must show some libSM.so.6.0*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep libICE.so.6",
which must show some libICE.so.6.3*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep ld-linux.so.1".
This must return a ld-linux version of 1.*. Type "ldconfig -v | grep
libsafe", which ideally will show null results. (If not, see FAQ section "How
do I stop the WP 8.x installer from getting diagnostic message '../
install.wp: [: 18-10: integer expression expected' followed a short while
later by termination with a Segmentation Fault error?") You've now confirmed
that necessary libraries are installed and known to the dynamic linker/
loader. (Unfortunately, the five X11 libraries found by the above process
might be compiled for more-modern glibc2 aka libc6 clients, not libc5 ones --
and one set cannot substitute for the other. A good sign is if you get two
lines of return values for each of the five ldconfig lines: That shows that
you have both glibc and libc5 versions of the X11 libs installed.)
If you've tried to satisfy WP 8.0's libs requirements but still aren't quite
succeeding (which is becoming common as distributions eliminate legacy libc5
and ld.so libraries from their default installations and sometimes from the
distributions entirely), as a last resort you can unpack wp8-libs.tgz from
[http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/vectorlinux/veclinux-1.8/
packages/wordperfect8/] http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/
vectorlinux/veclinux-1.8/packages/wordperfect8/, a complete gzipped tar
archive of all required libraries plus lines to add to /etc/ld.so.conf. (It
should be unpacked into an empty directory, as it provides no container
directory.) As the root user, carefully put the libraries in the indicated
directories, and then adjust /etc/ld.so.conf as indicated and re-run /sbin/
ldconfig to rebuild the library cache. Be aware that these additions are
outside your distribution's package regime (if any), and, like any manual
change to key system internals, should be done with caution.
Now, as your last action with root-user authority, do "mkdir /opt/wp8"
followed by "chown yourself /opt/wp8", where yourself is your regular
non-root login. Last, type "exit" (or Ctrl-D) to exit the root-user shell and
revert to your regular non-root login. (Root authority should never be used
for software installer routines if there's another way, as there is here.)
You can now proceed with invoking the WP 8.0 DPE installation script ("sh
Runme"). You'll almost certainly be warned that your Linux kernel is "not
certified". (This is OK.) When prompted for an installation directory,
specify /opt/wp8. On the "Existing Application" screen, you don't need to
provide "the pathname of an existing application". On the Select WordPerfect
Printer Drivers screen, you should select all printer types you expect to
want to print to, but will be able to revisit this selection later. (See FAQ
section "How do I get printing to work?".)
Afterward, you'll want to apply Valentijn Sessink's wrapper to fix the
"Filtrix" MS-Word import / export module, available at [http://
olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/wp8fix/] http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/
wp8fix/. You might also want to put a three-line shell script in /usr/local/
bin to start xwp by cd'ing to /opt/wp8/wpbin and then running ./xwp.
Otherwise, it'll be necessary to type "/opt/wp8/wpbin/xwp" to start the
program.
Last, in lieu of the on-line manual Corel has removed from http://
linux.corel.com/wp8manual (and, in fact, Corel decommissioned that entire
site on Feb. 26, 2003), you'll want to bookmark some sites as a partial
substitute:
  * [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://linux.corel.com/] http://
web.archive.org/web/*/http://linux.corel.com/ Archived copies of the old,
actually useful, Corel knowledgebase, FAQ, and support pages for WP for
Linux.
  * [http://apps.corel.com/support/] http://apps.corel.com/support/ Current
iteration of Corel's support presence: Includes links to Corel's
product-related newsgroups, but almost all other Linux-relevant content
seems to have been removed.
  * [http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/] http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/ WP
expert Rod Smith explains all about WP for Linux's support of fonts and
printers.
  * [http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/~valentyn/wp8fix/] http://olivier.pk.wau.nl/
~valentyn/wp8fix/ Valentijn Sessink's pages about the Filtrix bug and his
fix.
  * [http://control-escape.com/wp8.html] http://control-escape.com/wp8.html
Review of WP 8.0 DPE, including setup run-through.
  * [http://users.erols.com/mdinolfo/wp8linux.htm] http://users.erols.com/
mdinolfo/wp8linux.htm Another WP 8.0 DPE setup run-through, but with
valuable debugging and security tips.
  * [http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=1998-12-21-012-10-NW-SW]
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=1998-12-21-012-10-NW-SW
Detailed recipe for downloading and installing WP 8.0 DPE.
  * [http://linux-sxs.org/utilities/wp_index.html] http://linux-sxs.org/
utilities/wp_index.html Linux-SXS's link farm for distribution-specific
WP install guides, plus a Filtrix article.
  * [http://libranet.com/support/2.8/wp8libranet2.8] http://libranet.com/
support/2.8/wp8libranet2.8 Installing WP 8.x on Libranet, by Leon A.
Goldstein.
  * [http://www.linux-magazin.de/ausgabe/1999/12/WordPerfect1/
wordperfect1.html] http://www.linux-magazin.de/ausgabe/1999/12/
WordPerfect1/wordperfect1.html Magazine review (in German language) of WP
8.0 DPE.
  * [http://web.archive.org/web/20030821125611/http://content.443.ch/pub/
linfiles/Gnusoft/wordperfect8/Readme.html] http://web.archive.org/web/
20030821125611/http://content.443.ch/pub/linfiles/Gnusoft/wordperfect8/
Readme.html Information on additional language modules.
  * [http://web.archive.org/web/20011031155326/http://www.qwkscreen.com/
WPLinuxLinks.html] http://web.archive.org/web/20011031155326/http://
www.qwkscreen.com/WPLinuxLinks.html Link farm for WP 8.x. (Old.)
  * [http://web.archive.org/web/20030825091241/http://users.lightbearer.com/
set/wp/] http://web.archive.org/web/20030825091241/http://
users.lightbearer.com/set/wp/ Tips for WP 6.0 versions offered for
Caldera Linux. (Old.)
  * [http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/WordPerfect.html] http://www.tldp.org/
HOWTO/mini/WordPerfect.html Largely obsolete LDP HOWTO about WP 6.0 / 7.0
for Linux, and also about running WP 5.1 / 6.0 for SCO Unix on Linux
using the iBCS emulation libraries.
  * [http://unix.wizard.ca/wplinux/] http://unix.wizard.ca/wplinux/ WP 8.0
Server Edition (for various Unixes) product overview.
  * [http://zinc.ichf.edu.pl/wordperfect/] http://zinc.ichf.edu.pl/
wordperfect/ WP 7.0 / 8.0 tips and tricks (in Polish language).
  * [http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-PaloAlto/8336/work-wp8.html]
http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-PaloAlto/8336/work-wp8.html WP
8.0 DPE download and setup run-through (in Japanese language).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3. Given that Corel has ceased publishing it, is redistribution of WP 8.0
DPE for Linux still lawful?
That question really divides into two cases, distributors who secured a
specific grant of redistribution rights from Corel and those who didn't. If
you examine WP 8.0 DPE copies downloaded from http://linux.corel.com/products
/linuxproducts_wp8_downloadlinks.htm (that site having been decommissioned as
of Feb. 26, 2003) and elsewhere (including CD-ROM WP 8 copies, boxed-set
versions of SuSE Linux through 6.1, Caldera Open Linux 2.3, older boxed sets
of Linux-Mandrake etc.), you'll notice its licence omits the right to
redistribute, and says the recipient's licence is non-transferable. Copyright
law reserves distribution rights to a work's copyright owner, by default. So,
strictly speaking, redistributing WP 8.0 DPE without explicit permission
violates Corel's copyright.
(I am not a lawyer. This FAQ is not legal advice.)
Fortunately, Corel seems either tolerant or apathetic. (Pick one.) Also,
companies like Edmund Enterprises and Linux Central may have permission memos
from Corel Legal on file. Or not.
The point is that redistribution isn't something we can count on: Corel seems
to have the right to enjoin anyone from redistributing it (absent long-term
contract entitlements or other licence grants that we don't know about).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4. What are the licence restrictions on WP 8.0 DPE for Linux?
You may install it only on two computers and use it only on one machine at a
time. Personal, non-commercial use only. You may not reverse-engineer or
modify it. You must be in compliance with export laws and not associated with
countries the USA considers naughty, like Cuba. You mustn't be on the USA
Treasury or Commerce Department's lists of naughty people (drug smugglers,
terrorists, export-regs violators, etc.). You mustn't allow use of the
program to violate USA law.
The full licence text may be studied here: [http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/
apps/corel-wordperfect-8-licence] http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/
corel-wordperfect-8-licence
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5. Suppose I suddenly need to use my copy of WP 8.0 DPE for Linux in a
commercial setting. Can I upgrade my licence?
No. Corel made no provision for that, and discontinued all Linux operations
in May 2001. At this late date, your best bet is probably to seek out a boxed
set of CLOS Deluxe or Standard Edition for its copy of WP 8.1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6. How can I add more fonts to WP 8.0 DPE?
You can't. The font-installer utility ("xwpfi") was deliberately omitted from
WP 8.0 DPE to differentiate it from the boxed sets and motivate you to
upgrade to the latter. It's possible you might be able to grab that utility
from another edition of WP 6, 7, or 8.x, but that would almost certainly be
copyright violation (though maybe not if that older version is a lawful copy
and used nowhere else).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7. How do I add additional language files (other than US English) to WP 8.0
DPE (or the 2003-4 "pilot project" re-release)?
At one time, Corel offered free-of-charge localisation add-ons for nine other
languages and countries, at http://linux.corel.com/products/wp8/
download_instr.htm, but removed them not long after it closed down its Linux
division in May 2001, and decommissioned that entire site on Feb. 26, 2003.
However, in FAQ section "Where can I find a copy of WP 8.0 DPE for Linux?",
you'll find links for all nine additional-language tarballs. Corel used a
rather cryptic file-naming scheme. The standard large-format (single-piece)
archives were named GUILGXX0.gz, where "GUI" seems to have indicated that
this was for an X11 / graphical WP version, "LG" signified large format, and
XX was one of the nine language / country codes: FR=French, UK=United Kingdom
English, DE=German, ES=Spanish, CE=Canadian English, CF=Canadian French, OZ=
Australian English, NL=Dutch, and IT=Italian. Alternatively, you could get a
set of from four to six archive files for your language / country in split
format, named GUIXXNN.gz, e.g., GUINL00.gz through GUINL03.gz for Dutch. The
split-format files have become very rare, but are [ftp://ftp.uni-halle.de/pub
/Linux/software/wordperfect8/GUI/] sometimes findable on the Internet.
The language tarballs (which, despite the "gz" extension, are actually
.tar.gz files) have a "Runme" installation script, which takes care of all
installation details, and localises all aspects of the program. If, on the
other hand, you find a source for just the .lex dictionary files, copy them
as the root user to WP8's "shlib10" directory. Start xwp with the -admin (or
-adm) command-line option. Find the option to add additional languages. Exit
xwp. In either case, after installing the language files, start xwp with the
"-lang" option to override the US English default, e.g.. "xwp -lang de".
One source for .lex files is the CD bundled with the book "WordPerfect for
Linux Bible", discussed in section 7.1. But, of course, if you have the WP
8.0 PE software from that book, you don't really need WP 8.0 DPE. (I don't
know if it's lawful to redistribute the book's .lex files. That might depend
on licensing.)
If you get errors about libm.so.5 being missing when you run the language
module's Runme script, see FAQ section "Can my language's absence from the
"WordPerfect 8 for Linux" re-release be fixed?" for the fix (adding the
relevant library path to your dynamic linker/loader's search list).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8. Where will we get new WP 8.0 registration keys, if / when Corel stops
offering them at the page linked from [http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/
wp8linuxreg/register.html] http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/
register.html?
Fortunately, Corel didn't prohibit recipients from publishing their
registration keys, and at least four users have done so. As long as Corel
continues to offer keys (at [http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/
register.html] http://venus.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html or
[http://nas.corel.com/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html] http://nas.corel.com
/nasapps/wp8linuxreg/register.html), it seems fair to give them the marketing
information they gain thereby. If that facility is ever discontinued, use
"LW8XW-bA8L9bjZf9", "LW8XW-NfDyZN1HfZ", "LW8XW-9K87F9tldF", or
"LW8XW-nEqIHnZrcH".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Non-downloadable WP 8
5.1. Where can I find a copy of WP 8.1 for Linux?
That version is available only inside boxed sets of CLOS Deluxe Edition and
CLOS Standard Edition (the latter having fewer bundled fonts), versions 1.0
and 1.2. Nowhere else (except the 2003-4 "pilot project" re-release). There
was never a "download edition", and Corel's licence terms strictly forbid
redistribution.
CLOS Deluxe Edition v. 1.2 aka "Second Edition" can frequently be found on
[http://www.ebay.com] eBay.
Please note that downloading an ISO9660 (CD-ROM) image of CLOS absolutely
does not do the trick: That will be CLOS Download Edition, which has no
version of WP for Linux at all. You need CLOS Deluxe or Standard Edition, the
two boxed sets -- not CLOS Download Edition.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.2. What does WP 8.1 give me that's not in WP 8.0 DPE?
Electronic (PDF) and paper-bound reference manuals and an electronic (PDF)
user's manual, the font-installer module, WP Draw (the drawing / charting
module), the module to create custom dictionaries and hyphenation databases,
an equation editor, network support, a print-queue manager, prepaid technical
support, sample documents / templates / textures /clip-art / photos, and 300
fonts (with WP 8.1 PE; about 100 with WP 8.1 Light). Also, much better
handling of watermarks, multiple language support in the spelling checker /
grammar checker / thesaurus, more-current printer drivers and better printer
setup, and no need to get a registration key. The necessary support libraries
are also included and installed automatically. Corel Draw is also included
(in a separate package).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3. What are the licence restrictions on WP 8.1 for Linux?
You may install it only on two machines at a time, for use by only a single
user. You may not reverse-engineer or modify it. You must be in compliance
with export laws and not associated with countries the USA considers naughty,
like Cuba. You mustn't be on the USA Treasury or Commerce Department's lists
of naughty people (drug smugglers, terrorists, export-regs violators, etc.).
You mustn't allow use of the program to violate USA law.
Please note that, unlike WP 8.0 DPE, WP 8.1 is licensed for commercial usage.
The full licence text may be studied here: [http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/
apps/corel-wordperfect-8.1-licence] http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/
corel-wordperfect-8.1-licence
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.4. Why was WP missing from CLOS Deluxe / Standard Editions version 1.1?
CLOS Deluxe and Standard Editions v. 1.1 were available only as upgrades to
apply to corresponding v. 1.0 boxed sets, not as standalone products. So, you
didn't get a copy of WP because you already had one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.5. How do I install WP 8.1 (from a CLOS boxed set) on some other Linux
distribution?
The main file you'll need from the CLOS boxed-set CD-ROM is a 40 MB one
called wp-full_8.1-nn_i386.deb, where "nn" is the package version number,
which will depend on the vintage of CLOS you have (and doesn't matter much).
On any .deb-based distribution (such as Debian, Xandros Desktop OS, Libranet,
Linspire / LindowsOS, Ubuntu Linux, Knoppix, Gnoppix, Morphix, Progeny
Debian, Progeny Componentized Linux, Impi Linux, Skolelinux, MEPIS Linux,
Kanotix, CLOS, Stormix, etc.), just do "dpkg -i packagename", as usual. WP
probably won't be auto-added to your distribution's menus: The startup binary
is "xwp".
On other distributions, you can use Joey Hess's "alien" utility to create an
approximately equivalent RPM package, a Slackware .tgz package, a Solaris
.pkg package, or a Stampede Linux .slp package. Alternatively, you can use
the standard "ar" archive utility to pull apart the .deb file and install the
pieces manually. The HOWTO documents linked from [http://linux-sxs.org/
utilities/wp_index.html] http://linux-sxs.org/utilities/wp_index.html will
probably help, there.
CLOS Deluxe Edition also includes three .deb packages of PostScript Type 1
fonts (fonts-16_1.0-5.deb, fonts-69_1.0-4.deb, and fonts-115_1.0-4.deb),
which are likewise useful on other Linux distributions. CLOS Standard Edition
differs only in omitting the second two fonts packages mentioned. (You may
also want the type1inst_0.6.1-6_i386.deb package, if you don't already have
the Type 1 Font Installer utility.) On CLOS, they install to /usr/X11R6/lib/
X11/fonts/Type1/ , making them available to the system generally. You can
either convert the .debs as detailed above for WP itself, or grab the font
files from /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/.
Font-addition procedures within WP 8.1 itself are covered in the next FAQ
item.
Leon A. Goldstein's HOWTO for installing WP 8.x on Libranet gives more
detail: [http://libranet.com/support/2.8/wp8libranet2.8] http://libranet.com/
support/2.8/wp8libranet2.8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.6. How do I add fonts to WP 8.1?
First, as the root user, physically place them in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/
Type1/ , or wherever system-wide Type 1 fonts go on your distribution. While
in that directory, run "type1inst" (usually in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/
Type1), then "mkfontdir". The fonts will now be available to all applications
using PostScript Type 1 fonts.
Last, run the WP font installer "/usr/lib/wp8/shbin10/wpfi" (creating /usr/
lib/wp8/shlib10/wp.drs, the WP font map).
Alternatively instead of the last step, start xwp with the -admin (or -adm)
command-line option. On the Format menu, pick Fonts. You'll find a button to
select and then install (into WP's internal list of known fonts) fonts from a
list of those available. Exit xwp. Or, instead of "xwp -admin", run /usr/lib/
wp8/shbin10/xwpfi . (This works for PostScript Type 1 fonts only, not
TrueType.)
Leon A. Goldstein's HOWTO for installing WP 8.x on Caldera OpenLinux 2.3 /
eDesk 2.4 covers this matter in much greater detail: [http://linux-sxs.org/
utilities/wp8.html] http://linux-sxs.org/utilities/wp8.html
Please note also that ideally you'll be adding any fonts to any WP 8.x
version twice, once as a screen font and once as a printer font. This matter
is covered comprehensively by Rod Smith at [http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts
/] http://www.rodsbooks.com/wpfonts/.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.7. What's the difference between the WP versions bundled with CLOS
boxed-set versions 1.0 and 1.2?
CLOS 1.0 boxed sets' CD-ROM also includes a second .deb package (package name
"wp-manual") containing an electronic WP manual. However, that manual is for
the non-Linux Unix version, so its omission from CLOS 1.2 is no big loss.
(The same manual in PDF format can be retrieved from [http://
www.cs.helsinki.fi/compfac/WP/wp8gui.pdf] http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/compfac/
WP/wp8gui.pdf.) The boxed sets' paper-bound WP manual is a lot more useful,
anyway.
Also among the additions in CLOS 1.2 was a Corelwine / Winelib
(non-Linux-native) port of Corel PhotoPaint 9 (which is also available for
download from [http://ftp.urc.ac.ru/pub/OS/Linux/print/] http://ftp.urc.ac.ru
/pub/OS/Linux/print/). Note that PhotoPaint9 suffers the same Corelwine /
glibc issues as does WP9: See FAQ section "WP9 stopped working / won't
install..." for details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.8. Where can I get a boxed-set copy of WP 8.0 PE?
My last known source of this product has vanished, but you could try [http://
www.ebay.com] eBay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.9. Where can I find a boxed-set copy of WP 8.0 Server Edition for Linux?
Sites where it was formerly available for order seem to have run dry (perhaps
thanks to this FAQ). However, it's worth checking on [http://www.ebay.com]
eBay. Expect to pay about US $450, for the real thing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. WP version 9
6.1. Isn't WP 9 For Linux (in the WP Office 2000suite) better than WP 8.1?
Few would agree. Its admirers seem to be, well, MS-Windows users, since WP 9
is pretty much the Win32 version recompiled in a Winelib environment, with
RAM bloat, stability problems, and other glitches (including DOS drive
letters in file dialogues!) that are routine on MS-Windows but not Linux.
Very likely, WP 9 introduced some feature-set attractions, but needing to run
emulation code with performance and stability problems seems a poor
trade-off. I consider 8.1 vastly preferable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.2. Why didn't Corel do WP 9 as a native Linux port?
My best guess: Doing a Winelib version allowed Corel to leverage its existing
Win32 codebase, write a minimum amount of new code, shorten development time,
reduce costs, and keep the effort in-house rather than having to hire SD
Corp. again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3. Is there anything I can do to maintain or improve WP9 for Linux?
You can substitute an improved version of Corel's fork of the WINE emulation
code ("Corelwine"), which was for a while maintained by Michael Torrie, at
[http://web.archive.org/web/20040213000457/students.cs.byu.edu/~torriem/
corelwine/] http://web.archive.org/web/20040213000457/students.cs.byu.edu/
~torriem/corelwine/, with other possibly useful pages at [http://
panopticon.csustan.edu/thood/corel-wp9.txt] http://panopticon.csustan.edu/
thood/corel-wp9.txt and [http://web.archive.org/web/20040225112645/http://
members.chello.at/hrdisk/corelwine.html] http://web.archive.org/web/
20040225112645/http://members.chello.at/hrdisk/corelwine.html.
I can't guarantee the truth of this account, but I've heard claims that Corel
deferred submission of its patches to the WINE Project development team so
long that they could no longer be merged when they arrived, leading to
inadvertent creation of a separate development fork, dubbed "Corelwine". This
seems to be the codebase that Torrie maintained, separately from the WINE
Project's flagship codebase.
Moreover, Corelwine was built to be dependent on Bitstream, Inc.'s
proprietary Fontastic font server, a feature unlikely to be included in the
WINE Project code of the day, and now precluded by WINE licensing. ([http://
slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/02/011200] Reportedly -- see post by
"gavriels" -- Corel decided to use Fontastic to skirt likely font-patent
problems, which indeed have subsequently [http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Apps/
OpenOffice.org/fonts.html] plagued authors of open-source font software.)
There are also some remaining updates to WP9 / WP Office 2000 inside [ftp://
ftp.corel.com/pub/linux/Office2000/updates/] ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/linux/
Office2000/updates/ and [ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/linux/Graphics9/updates/]
ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/linux/Graphics9/updates/. Among those updates, the
revised WP Office 2000 installer available there is essential for most modern
Linux distributions to make the Fontastic font server install correctly. Note
that you need at least one printer configured before installation. Note that
versions of Corelwine available through September 2004 (and thus also WP9)
break completely on system with glibc 2.3.2 or above, i.e., essentially all
current Linux distributions. Efforts to fix Corelwine are underway. See FAQ
section "WP9 stopped working / won't install..." for details.
Because online resources for WP9 for Linux (also PhotoPaint9 and the other WP
Office 2000 components) have been disappearing, I've been gathering and
archiving them inside [http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/] http://
linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/apps/. You may find what you need there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.4. Where can I find a copy of WP9 / WP Office 2000 for Linux?
It's sometimes available for US $49 from Surplus Computers of Santa Clara,
California at [http://www.surpluscomputers.com/] http://
www.surpluscomputers.com/. EMS Professional Software and Consulting, [http://
www.emsps.com/oldtools/wp.htm] http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/wp.htm,
sometimes has the Deluxe Edition. (Inquire for pricing.) Both editions
(Standard and Deluxe) of WP Office 2000 for Linux are frequently offered on
[http://www.ebay.com] eBay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Documentation
7.1. What books are available concerning WP for Linux?
"Special Edition Using Corel WordPerfect 8 for Linux" by Roderick W. Smith
(Que, ASIN 0789720329, US $4 on [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/
0789720329/qid%3D1028107345/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-5929383-6737760]
Amazon.com) and "WordPerfect for Linux Bible" by Stephen E. Harris and Erwin
Zijleman (IDG Books, ISBN 0764533746, US $40 on [http://www.amazon.com/exec/
obidos/ASIN/0764533746/qid%3D1028107552/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/
102-5929383-6737760] Amazon.com). The latter includes a copy of WP 8.0
(non-download) Personal Edition. This differs from WP 8.0 DPE in inclusion of
140 fonts, a font-installer utility, and support for grammar / spelling
checkers and thesaurus lookups in multiple languages. The CD-ROM includes a
text file containing a registration key, and the licence doesn't bar
commercial usage. Be aware that the electronic-format WP manual included is
for character-mode WP, not the graphical X11 version.
The Smith book is valuable for its highly-comprehensive coverage of Linux
topics; the Harris and Zijleman one for its bundled software. Both are
recommended.
Author Rod Smith has a Web page describing both of them, plus reviewing all
other known books on WP for Linux (and ones for Star Office and The GIMP):
[http://www.rodsbooks.com/books/books-wp.html] http://www.rodsbooks.com/books
/books-wp.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.2. WP 8.x's access to on-line docs doesn't work any more, saying "document
not found (404 error)". Where did they go?
At the same time Corel removed WP 8.0 DPE from http://linux.corel.com/
products/linuxproducts_wp8_downloadlinks.htm, it also removed the on-line
HTML-format manual (http://linux.corel.com/wp8manual), knowledgebase (http://
linux.corel.com/wpkb), and support page (http://linux.corel.com/wpsupport)
that all WP 8.x for Linux programs referenced via hyperlink. Finally, on Feb.
26, 2003, Corel decommissioned that entire site, ending access to the
remaining knowledgebase, FAQ, and support pages. (However, those can be still
browsed, courtesy of the Internet Archive, at [http://web.archive.org/web/*/
http://linux.corel.com/] http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://linux.corel.com
/.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. The Future
8.1. Why did Corel cease publishing WP for Linux?
Corel discontinued all Linux-related operations shortly after Microsoft
Corporation's major investment that prevented the firm's collapse: Some
speculate a causal relationship. Corel may have also seen WP for Linux sales
(and downloads) as being at the expense of its versions for non-Linux Unixes,
through both the influx of Intel Linux boxes and other Unix platforms'
increasing ability to run Intel Linux binaries. Also, outgoing CEO Michael
Cowpland had been the main force behind Corel's Linux program, and new
management doesn't share his views.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.2. Why is Corel still selling WP versions for other Unixes, but not Linux?
Good question. Corel has never addressed the matter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.3. Won't WP for Linux re-emerge as part of Xandros Desktop?
It appears not. When Corel divested itself of CLOS, and transferred all
rights to Xandros Corporation, WordPerfect was not part of the deal. Corel is
sitting on all WP rights.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.4. If Corel doesn't want to sell WP for Linux, why doesn't it open-source
the program?
First, that would impair sales of Corel's versions for Win32 and other
proprietary platforms. Second, Corel doesn't own all the necessary rights. WP
includes code from at least five other companies, judging by the copyright
notices (Blueberry Software, Globetrotter Software, Inc., Bristol Technology,
Inc., INSO Corporation, and Novell, Inc.).
In the latter sense, Corel's situation is similar to that of Sun Microsystems
in regard to Star Office. Sun bought the publisher of that program, Star
Division GmbH, and then spent approximately a year and untold employee time
studying copyright, patent, contract, and other encumbrances. Eventually, it
was able to open-source the majority of the source code, the part not
encumbered by third-party rights, as what became the OpenOffice.org project.
The difference is that Sun was strongly motivated to create an open-source
variant for all possible OS platforms -- in order to feed sales of Solaris
and its hardware, and to undermine Microsoft Corporation. It had (and has)
deep resources and patience. Corel had none of those things -- and might have
had greater third-party interests to contend with.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.5. What alternatives to WP exist on Linux?
Proprietary (see also Chris Browne's [http://cbbrowne.com/info/wplcomm.html]
http://cbbrowne.com/info/wplcomm.html):
  * Sun Microsystems [http://www.sun.com/staroffice/] Star Office very
comprehensive office suite's StarWriter word processor. Very full
featured, high degree of Microsoft compatibility. Large; slow-loading,
but then performs OK. GTK+-based. No .wpd support in the Linux version.
  * VistaSource Software [http://www.vistasource.com/page.php?id=7] Anyware
Office / Anyware Desktop suite's (was Applix's ApplixWare Office) Anyware
Words word processor. Moderately good all-round office suite with a long
history in the Unix world. OK performance, stable, good MS doc
compatibility. Motif-based. Includes .wpd support. Some earlier versions
were sold by Red Hat Software, Inc. as ApplixWare for Red Hat Linux. For
a while, SuSE Linux AG sold ApplixWare v. 4.4.1, bundled with the ADABAS
D relational database, the Arkeia backup program, and SuSE-packaged
versions of The GIMP, GNOME, and KDE as Linux Office Suite 99.
  * SOT Finnish Software Engineering Ltd. [http://www.sot.com/en/linux/soto/]
SOT Office suite's SOT Office Writer. Based on the open-source
OpenOffice.org suite, adding some software enhancements (added spelling
checker and hyphenation dictionaries, templates, commercial support,
enhanced on-line help, and PDF manual). Available in a boxed set with
printed docs. The proprietary bundle includes updates not yet available
for the separate, all-open-source SOT Office bundle. All other remarks
about OpenOffice.org also apply here.
  * Redmond Linux Corporation [http://www.lycoris.com/products/ppak/] Lycoris
ProductivityPak office suite. A superset of the open-source
OpenOffice.org suite, plus an improved setup program, aesthetics tweaks,
typeface installer, templates, some graphics including Lycoris logos /
icon sets, and paid technical support. Licence permits use on a single
computer in commercial settings, and for multiple computers in
non-commercial settings. There's no limitation on multiuser use (rare
among proprietary office-productivity packages on Linux). No .wpd
support.
  * HancomLinux, Inc. [http://en.hancom.com/] Hancom Office suite's Hancom
Word word processor. Qt-based. Good MS doc compatibility. No .wpd
support.
  * Quadraton Systems, Inc. [http://www.dr-quad.com/cliqword.htm] CliqWord.
Character-based (console) office automation software. Listed here only
because Chris Browne includes it, as I'm not at all sure it belongs in
this category. No import / export facilities whatsoever that I can
confirm.
  * SmartWare Corporation (formerly Angoss Software Corporation) [http://
www.smartware4.com/] SmartWare. Existing codebase is a character-based
(console) office suite. Currently (January 2003), the character-based v.
2.65B of SmartWare Plus is back on the market, while a Linux port of the
new, graphical SmartWare4 codebase with improved installer is being
prepared. Strengths include vertical-application support, robustness in
multiuser situations, and bundled rapid application development tools.
  * Ability Plus Software, Ltd.'s [http://www.ability.com/linux/] Ability
Linux, a Linux port of the Win32 Ability suite (Photopaint, Spreadsheet,
Write and Database), running as what is claimed to be native-Linux code
with WINE library support. Currently available free of charge as
alpha-release code. Unique internal design: interpreted code using a
runtime engine / library called MFC. MFC is what has been recoded to run
as a Linux application with WINE library calls. Supports .wpd, RTF, HTML,
MS doc, AmiPro.
  * [http://www.freeradicalsoftware.com/] FreeRadicalSoftware, Inc. (formerly
Gobe Software) [http://www.gobe.com/] GobeProductive suite (announced but
not shipped for Linux, except as a pre-alpha-test "Preview1" version,
formerly downloadable from http://www.gobe.com/downloads/
gobe_linux_x86_install.tgz and http://www.gobe.com/downloads/
gobe_linux_ppc_install.tgz. Produced by the team that did ClarisWorks /
AppleWorks. Frame-oriented. Light, fast. Full-featured. Supports MS-Word,
RTF. No .wpd support. (FreeRadicalSoftware announced on August 12, 2002
plans to open-source the entire suite under the GNU GPL, but then in
December 2002 had to [http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2308]
announce that sufficient funds -- about US $100k -- couldn't be raised to
license the source code.) Discontinued.
  * Sophist Solutions, Inc. [http://www.sophists.com/Led/LedIt/] LedIt word
processor. Small, fast. GTK+-based. Supports RTF. No .wpd support.
  * SoftMaker Software GmbH [http://www.softmaker.de/tml_en.htm] TextMaker
for Linux is the initial component of the planned SoftMaker Office
Anywhere suite. Fast, light. Full-featured. Supports MS-Word, Pocket
Word, RTF, HTML, Unicode. No .wpd support.
  * ThinkFree Corp.'s [http://www.thinkfree.com/] ThinkFree Office is an
integrated word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics
application available in Java bytecode. Accordingly, it requires the Sun
Java Runtime Environment 1.1.8 or later. Supports MS-Word, HTML, RTF
formats. No .wpd support.
Note: If this FAQ has a point beyond answering questions, it is to illustrate
the pitfall of buying into proprietary software that exists at the whim of a
corporate publisher and may be hostage to its fortunes. On the other hand, it
also shows that proprietary offerings can be excellent of their types. Choose
with your eyes open.
Open Source (see also Chris Browne's [http://cbbrowne.com/info/wp.html] http:
//cbbrowne.com/info/wp.html):
  * [http://www.openoffice.org/] OpenOffice.org very comprehensive office
suite's Writer word processor (derived from Star Office). GTK+-based.
[http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7120] Frame-oriented. Large;
slow-loading, but then performs OK. Supports MS-Word, StarWriter, RTF,
and a few other formats. (The v. 1.1 beta adds PDF, DocBook, Macromedia
Flash, flat XML, XHTML, and some PDA Office formats.) Excellent MS doc
compatibility. No integrated .wpd support, yet, but there's a project to
develop a filter at [http://wp.openoffice.org/] http://wp.openoffice.org
/, and, more immediately useful, a third-party filter and .wpd-handling
library at [http://libwpd.sourceforge.net/] http://libwpd.sourceforge.net
/.
  * SOT Finnish Software Engineering Ltd. [http://www.sot.com/en/linux/soto/]
SOT Office suite's SOT Office Writer. Based on OpenOffice.org, adding
some software enhancements (added spelling checker and hyphenation
dictionaries, templates, optional commercial support, enhanced on-line
help and PDF manual). Available in a boxed set with printed docs. As an
alternative, there is also a proprietary SOT Office bundle that includes
software updates. All other remarks about OpenOffice.org also apply here.
  * SourceGear Corporation [http://www.abisource.com/] AbiWord. GTK+-based.
Table support is only now being added. Fast, light, stable. Supports
MS-Word, Anyware Words / Applix Words, AbiWord, RTF, WordPerfect .wpd,
Microsoft Write, DocBook, XHTML, and many other formats. Excellent MS doc
compatibility. With v. 2.x and up, AbiWord uses the promising [http://
libwpd.sourceforge.net/] libwpd .wpd import / export filter, though you
may have to install an abiword-plugins package.
  * KDE KOffice suite's [http://koffice.kde.org/kword/] KWord word processor.
Frame-oriented. Qt-based. Supports MS-Word, Anyware Words / Applix Words,
AbiWord formats. Medium-good MS doc compatibility. Beta-level text-only
.wpd support in recent (1.2.x) versions.
  * SIAG Office suite's [http://siag.nu/pw/] Pathetic Writer word processor.
Supports RTF. Supports MS-Word via WVware. Athena-based. No .wpd support.
  * [http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxwellwp] Maxwell word processor.
Motif-based (not yet LessTif). Supports RTF. No .wpd support. Inactive
project since 1998, though one of the three past maintainers speaks of an
intention to make one final release merging various fixes and
transitioning from Maxwell's native binary data format to RTF.
  * [http://www.oksid.ch/flwriter/] FLWriter (Fast Light Writer). XHTML file
format with UTF-8 encoding, excellent multi-language support, spelling
checker. Exports RTF 1.5. No .wpd support.
  * [http://www.nllgg.nl/Ted/] Ted. Simple word processor similar in spirit
to MS-Windows's WordPad. RTF is native format. Motif / LessTif-based, or
GTK+ and glib-based. Supports PDF, PostScript. No .wpd support.
  * [http://www.hungry.com/products/gwp/] GWP (GNOME Word Processor). GTK+ /
GNOME-based editor formerly known as XWord, when it was Hungry
Programmers' Motif / LessTif-based project. Intended for XML-based
structured documents, and uses an XML-based file format. Project appears
to be neglected in favour of AbiWord, and may be effectively
unmaintained. Light, somewhat feature-shy. No .wpd support.
  * CMU [http://www.hps.com/~tpg/toolbox/auis.php] Andrew User Interface
System (auis) package's EZ editor mode. Uses a well-thought-out system of
ASCII + style / template markup. Supports RTF. No .wpd support.
Development seems to have ceased as of 1997 (arguably because it meets
its design goals).
  * Axene, Inc. [http://xibios.free.fr/english/] Xclamation (DTP) and
XAllWrite (word processor) programs. Motif / Lesstif-based. GPLed C++
source code available at [http://xibios2.free.fr/] http://xibios2.free.fr
/. Supports its own format, HTML, and ASCII; no .wpd support.
  * [http://web2.altmuehlnet.de/fschmid/] Scribus. Qt-based destkop
publishing program reminiscent of Adobe PageMaker (not a word processor,
per se). File format is XML-based. Appears to import unformatted text,
only.
  * [http://www.lyx.org/] LyX (slick graphical front-end to LaTeX).
Implements ASCII + TeX markup in a quasi-WYSIWYG graphical environment.
You write structured documents (discussed below), but the process is made
graphical and fairly easy. Produces reliable, high-quality output.
Excellent built-in help. Supports LinuxDoc, DocBook, LaTeX, PostScript,
DVI, ASCII. XForms or Qt-based, with GTK+ integration pending. No .wpd
support.
The last item listed, LyX, is an intriguing hybrid of GUI word processor
features and classic Unix-type document processing. The latter is often
dismissed in the business world as powerful and professional but too arcane
-- but LyX makes it accessible.
The rationale and work-flow approach behind LyX are best described on that
project's Web site at [http://www.lyx.org/about/intro.php3] http://
www.lyx.org/about/intro.php3, but here's an attempt to summarise:
LyX has you work on a document in a graphical, close approximation of how it
will print, but, unlike in traditional word processors, you don't directly
manipulate document appearance, but rather apply (and edit / create) style
rulesets (templates), which consistently apply formatting on your behalf --
and change consistently wherever used in the document, when you alter a
style's contents. (Rulesets are applied by the LaTeX front-end macro package
driving the professional-grade teTeX typesetting engine, for all of which LyX
is a graphical shell. teTeX is an open-source implementation of Donald
Knuth's TeX typesetting system.)
As a result, eventual output is always consistent and of true professional
appearance (famously so), regardless of the document's complexity. LyX
becomes progressively easier to use than ostensibly simpler word processors
as you get into more-complex documents (technical documentation, doctoral
theses, conference proceedings, movie scripts, articles on mathematics or
physics with formulas to edit and present). Many templates for both simple
and complex document types are provided, all traditional word-processing
features are also present, and so is extremely thorough on-line help.
As a bonus, all documents are stored in plain ASCII text with embedded TeX
style tags, resulting in accessible data that will never auto-corrupt the way
many word-processor formats do, that lends itself nicely to version control,
and that outputs to practically any data format desired.
Consider transitioning to LyX or some other form of structured-document
editing instead of traditional word processing, over the long term. Your
benefits over the long haul will justify the trouble.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.6. What alternatives to WP exist involving Win32 apps on Linux?
Such alternatives are outside the scope of this document, but include (1) the
numerous ways of running Win32 applications on Linux in some sort of
emulation environment, such as VMware, Inc.'s [http://www.vmware.com/] VMware
(simulation in a virtual environment of a particular theoretical x86 box's
hardware, which then can boot various OSes including Win9x / ME / NT / 2k /
XP within the emulated environment, necessitating a copy of that OS, as
well), NeTraverse's [http://www.netraverse.com/] Win4Lin (an MS-Windows 9x /
ME emulation environment for x86 Linux, requiring a copy of MS-Windows 9x /
ME to work), [http://www.winehq.com/] WINE (an LGPLed library and program
loader implementing on x86 Unixes the Win32 and Win16 application
interfaces), [http://rewind.sourceforge.net/] ReWind (an MIT / X11-licensed
fork of an earlier WINE release), CodeWeavers's [http://www.codeweavers.com/
site/products/] CrossOver Office (WINE with some extra support for MS Office
applications, incorporating the formerly separate CrossOver Plugin product, a
WINE variant for x86 Linux to support Web browser plugins such as QuickTime),
TransGaming Technologies, Inc.'s [http://www.transgaming.com/] WineX, later
renamed [http://www.aclerex.com/] AclereX, later renamed [http://
www.transgaming.com/news.php?newsid=119] Cedega (another WINE extension for
x86 Linux, with enhanced DirectX and COM / DCOM / OLE support, primarily for
3D games), the Bochs Project's [http://bochs.sourceforge.net/] Bochs
(software environment for any CPU family emulating an entire x86 CPU, common
I/O devices, and BIOS), and Drew Northup's [http://savannah.nongnu.org/
projects/plex86/] Plex86 (software environment emulating on x86 a virtual x86
session).
There are also (2) the numerous ways of remotely running Win32 applications
from a graphical Linux desktop, such as RealVNC Limited's [http://
www.realvnc.com/] VNC Server, Constantin Kaplinsky's [http://www.tightvnc.com
/] TightVNC, Tridia Corporation's [http://www.tridiavnc.com/] TridiaVNC, and
Matt Chapman's [http://www.rdesktop.org/] rdesktop. I maintain a [http://
linuxmafia.com/faq/Legacy_Microsoft/vnc-and-similar.html] listing of options
in the latter category.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Feedback. Location. Copyright and Redistribution Terms.
This FAQ is maintained by Rick Moen ([mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com]
rick@linuxmafia.com), to whom all corrections and suggestions should be
addressed. The latest revision can always be found at [http://linuxmafia.com/
wpfaq/] http://linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/ (multi-page HTML) or [http://
linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/wpfaq-singlepage.html] http://linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/
wpfaq-singlepage.html (single-page HTML) and the master DocBook SGML source
at [http://linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/wordperfect-linux-faq.sgml] http://
linuxmafia.com/wpfaq/wordperfect-linux-faq.sgml. I use the tool-set described
in the LDP Author Guide, [http://www.tldp.org/LDP/LDP-Author-Guide/] http://
www.tldp.org/LDP/LDP-Author-Guide/.
Contents are Copyright (C) 2002-2004, Rick Moen.
This information is free; you can redistribute it and / or modify it under
the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
Foundation, version 2.
This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave,
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Alternatively and at the recipient's option, this work may be used freely
under the [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/]
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0, or, at the recipient's option, any later version.
licence.
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