134. Upgrade OpenOffice.org to a New Version BEFORE YOU BEGIN 132 About Sharing OpenOffice.org Files with Other Applications 134. Upgrade OpenOffice.org to a New Version The authors of OpenOffice.org continually update the programs to add features, correct bugs , and update the help documentation. You should routinely visit the OpenOffice.org website to check for updates and add-on programs for OpenOffice.org. Upgrading OpenOffice.org requires that you check your current version and see if a newer one is available on the product's Web site. If so, you can easily download the new version (this download might not be quick, especially if you don't have a broadband Internet connection) and install it. What about the old adage stating , if it isn't broken, don't fix it? Whereas commercial software is upgraded every few years or sothough it may seem longer to somethe evolution of open-source software such as OpenOffice.org is an ongoing and continual affair. Rather than waiting for new features and old bug fixes to collect and ruminate so that the publisher can spring them on the public in one massive premiere, open -source publishers such as Sun produce new builds with even the most minor improvements as soon as they become available. NOTE All data files you've created in previous versions of OpenOffice.org remain on your disk unchanged when you upgrade. None of your personal documents are deleted. TIP Unlike with commercial software, the makers of OpenOffice.org make available to the general public certain experimental versions of their software, called beta releases . Although newer than the so-called stable release of the product, a beta release is intended for use by people who are contributing to the development of this product. Open-source applications such as OpenOffice.org are developed by contributions from both professional and amateur programmers who are not seeking compensation. For everyday use, you should download the most current stable release available, not a beta release. | 1. | Check Your Version Number From any OpenOffice.org program, select Help, About OpenOffice.org to see the current version number in the About OpenOffice.org dialog box. Don't go by the graphic logo; look at the exact version number on first line of text. Click OK to close the dialog box. TIP With the About dialog box still open, you can press Ctrl+S+D+T to view a scrolling list of the names of the developers who created OpenOffice.org. | | 2. | Check the Latest Online Version Start your web browser and go to http://www.openoffice.org/. Sun will list the latest version number on its link to the stable version, generally in the Download frame on the home page. If this number is greater than the one shown in your About dialog box, you should upgrade. To proceed, click the link to the most recent stable edition. | | 3. | Specify Your System From the downloads page, choose your spoken language, operating system ( Windows ), and your closest geographical download site location. You might see a request for funds donation; click Donate Funds to give the amount of your choice to this open-source project, or click Continue to Download to proceed. Your Web browser will show a file downloading dialog box. Specify a download destination and click Save (if you're using Internet Explorer) or OK (if you're using Firefox) to begin the transfer. | | 4. | Prepare the Upgrade Files OpenOffice.org installation packages for Windows are distributed as ZIP files, which are compressed files that are now natively supported by Windows XP. Use Windows or the compression utility of your choice (see http://www.filzip.com for a superb freeware alternative) to extract the compressed contents of this ZIP file into a secure location. Among the uncompressed files, check to see whether the readmes directory exists; if it does, open it and read either of the files contained there for special instructions. These instructions might include tasks you might have to perform manually before installing the new versionespecially whether you must install an old version first. | | 5. | Install the Upgrade After you have thoroughly read the readme files and followed their precautions , from Windows Explorer, in the root directory of the extracted setup files, double-click setup.exe to begin the installation process. Instructions are given to you onscreen as setup proceeds. | |