What OOo functionality is lost without Java?

[John Corliss]

This morning I installed the latest version of Java as well as the
current beta of OpenOffice.org 2.0. Then I ran a little test and visited
the Neilson ratings (AKA "Redsheriff") site. Sure enough, they spewed a
bunch of crap onto my hard drive, and in some not very obvious places.
Off came Java. While I was at it, I uninstalled OOo again.

When you install OOo without SM Java installed, you get a warning that
you need SM Java in order to have full functionality in OOo. Does
anybody have the slightest idea what they're talking about? I've
installed OOo several times without SM Java, and it never seemed to hurt
anything.

 

[Tom B]

When you install OOo without SM Java installed, you get a warning that you
need SM Java in order to have full functionality in OOo. Does anybody have
the slightest idea what they're talking about?

Scripting/Macro functions.

 

[Sparky]

This morning I installed the latest version of Java as well as the
current beta of OpenOffice.org 2.0. Then I ran a little test and visited
the Neilson ratings (AKA "Redsheriff") site. Sure enough, they spewed a
bunch of crap onto my hard drive, and in some not very obvious places.
Off came Java. While I was at it, I uninstalled OOo again.

....<stuff deleted>...

Yea, I was kinda wondering if you'd heard about that...I'll cast about
for an URL that discusses this but, two major features need Java...

- Mail merge (into email)and,
- Base (their new database)

There's more but that's what sticks in my noggin at this point.

hth,
-Sparky

 

[Mike Dee]

This morning I installed the latest version of Java as well as the
current beta of OpenOffice.org 2.0. Then I ran a little test and
visited the Neilson ratings (AKA "Redsheriff") site. Sure enough,
they spewed a bunch of crap onto my hard drive, and in some not
very obvious places. Off came Java. While I was at it, I
uninstalled OOo again.

That was quick ;-)

When you install OOo without SM Java installed, you get a warning
that you need SM Java in order to have full functionality in OOo.
Does anybody have the slightest idea what they're talking about?
I've installed OOo several times without SM Java, and it never
seemed to hurt anything.

From a NewsForge article:

**/
As of version 1.1.4, the features that required a JRE were:

* Accessibility tools, such as the Gnopernicus Screen Reader and
Magnifier and the GNOME On-Screen Keyboard
* The Report Autopilot
* JDBC driver support for Java-based databases
* XSLT filters
* BeanShell, the Netbeans scripting language, and the Java UNO
bridge
* Export filters to the Aportis.doc (.pdb) format for the Palm or
Pocket Word (.psw) format for the Pocket PC

However, in version 2.0, the dependence on Java has grown. In addition
to the Java-dependent features in earlier versions, 2.0 requires a JRE
for:

* Base, the new Access-like database application
* The media player, which adds movie and sound clips to documents
* Mail merges to e-mail, which also require Java Mail
* All document wizards in Writer

Although some could argue that basic office functionality continues to
be unaffected, anyone claiming that most users do not need Java in 2.0
may be stretching the point.
/**

Article in full:

<http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/03/22/204244&tid=93>

 

[John Corliss]

That was quick ;-)

Yeah, but they can both be reinstalled easily enough. I still have the
downloads.

From a NewsForge article:
(clipped)
<http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/03/22/204244&tid=93>

Well, I suppose it's not that hard to turn off Java in both of my
browsers. Then Redsheriff/Neilson can drop dead.

Thanks for answering my question, Mike.

 

[John Corliss]

...<stuff deleted>...

Yea, I was kinda wondering if you'd heard about that...I'll cast about
for an URL that discusses this but, two major features need Java...

- Mail merge (into email)and,

Well, that's pretty major I'm afraid.

- Base (their new database)

I fooled around with this a little this morning, but couldn't figure out
how to make a new database with records and fields. Couldn't find a way
to add fields to a form, but to be fair I only tried a little.

There's more but that's what sticks in my noggin at this point.

hth,

Sparky, Mike Dee replied with this excellent link:

http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/03/22/204244&tid=93

Thanks for replying though.

 

[John Corliss]

Scripting/Macro functions.

Thanks for replying. Hope you check out Mike Dee's reply too. He pointed
out this link:

http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/03/22/204244&tid=93

 

[John Corliss]

Yeah, but they can both be reinstalled easily enough. I still have the
downloads.



Well, I suppose it's not that hard to turn off Java in both of my
browsers. Then Redsheriff/Neilson can drop dead.

Thanks for answering my question, Mike.

I meant to add after the last line: 80)>

Sorry.

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

This morning I installed the latest version of Java as well as the
current beta of OpenOffice.org 2.0. Then I ran a little test and visited
the Neilson ratings (AKA "Redsheriff") site. Sure enough, they spewed a
bunch of crap onto my hard drive, and in some not very obvious places.
Off came Java. While I was at it, I uninstalled OOo again.

When you install OOo without SM Java installed, you get a warning that
you need SM Java in order to have full functionality in OOo. Does
anybody have the slightest idea what they're talking about? I've
installed OOo several times without SM Java, and it never seemed to hurt
anything.

RedSherrif is spyware (in the broad sense of the term as it's now
commonly accepted). It's actually a service that the URL uses to compile
user stats. For example, the big gorilla of public broadcasting in my
region, KQED, uses RedSheriff on their web site. What you should know is
that when you click on anything, your request is diverted to a
RedSheriff site, then relayed back to the site you thought you were on.
If you track the transmissions with a good firewall, for example, you'll
see connections to sites named "imrworldwide." This double redirection
is why the KQED site is slow to respond. Spybot Search and Destroy
regards imrworldwide as spyware; it's on its host list, too. You can
often just bypass this subtle hihack by simply blocking the imr sites on
your hosts list.

Now, for my own Java horror -- I was able to get BitDefender to run --
once -- on my system. It found a whole mess of viruses in my Sun Java
directory. In a fit of muted rage, I deleted the whole Sun Java bastard
off my system. If there's one thing that I hate, it's unneccessary use
of scripting on web sites. This is only secondary to my hatred of
scripting and cutesy-poos in email.

The question: how much scripting can we totally live without? How much
more stable will our computers become if we simply expunge every bit of
it off our boxes?

Richard

 

[Mike Dee]

I meant to add after the last line: 80)>

No worries, John
Glad I got one thing right today (been "one of those days")

Cheers.