Why is the LibreOffice suite so old? [SOLVED]

[52ROSt]

I check the version of LibO and was surprised that it is only 4.1.3. Current version are 4.1.6 (last update in the 4.1 family) and 4.2.4 as stable versions available. In AskLibO we typcaly advice that with x.y.4 the versions are very stable. Installing from there is regarded as "conservative" meaning being on the save side.

Therefore why is the LibreOffice version only on release 4.1.3?

Thanks in advance for reply.

[xenopeek]

Why 4.1.3? Because, apparently, that was the version that got tested and included in Ubuntu 13.10--which is used as a package base for Linux Mint 16 that you are using. Linux Mint 17 has LibreOffice 4.2.3. The Ubuntu security team backports security fixes to LibreOffice during the support period of an Ubuntu release; they do not upgrade versions of most software. They do that with a next release, preceded by a period of integration testing of software shipped as part of Ubuntu-- so that Ubuntu is stable as a whole. That's something developers of software generally don't do, but what the distribution maintainers do.

Linux Mint, and Ubuntu, are point release distros. If you want to always run the latest version of software, you'll want to look at a rolling release distro. Wikipedia explains all those terms.

[52ROSt]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I am using LMDE, not the Ubuntu based version. What is the situation with LMDE?

[xenopeek]

Moved your topic to LMDE forum.

As you can see, Debian testing currently has LibreOffice 4.1.6: http://packages.qa.debian.org/libr/libreoffice.html. LMDE uses Debian testing, but you get updates from it only through Update Packs--after Linux Mint QA team and interested LMDE users do integration testing on those updates. Hence you will generally be lagging a little behind Debian testing, though with intent (like Ubuntu's point releases) of providing better stability for LMDE as a whole.

As you can also see on PTS, the Debian maintainers for LibreOffice are looking for help with maintaining the LibreOffice packages on Debian.

[wayne128]

and

if you must have even higher revision...

just let you know, it is at Debian Sid repos.

I am running Sid, and just capture the version for you as a reference

wayne@debian:~$ apt-cache policy libreoffice
libreoffice:
Installed: 1:4.2.4-2
Candidate: 1:4.2.4-2
Version table:
*** 1:4.2.4-2 0
500 http://ftp.jp.debian.org/debian/ sid/main i386 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
wayne@debian:~$

[52ROSt]

@xenopeek
Thanks for the information and the link to Debian. I will have a look there. Maybe I can help a bit.

@wayne128
Also thanks to you for information. Sorry, I am still not fully born newbie and struggle very often with terms used in the Linux world. What means "Debian Sid repos" and "I am running Sid"?

If at Debian they are testing 4.2.4-2 it would be very good because this was released about a week ago. I running it on my (still) XP PC and it is stable and has bunch of improvements compared to the 4.1.6-2

[wayne128]

@wayne128
Also thanks to you for information. Sorry, I am still not fully born newbie and struggle very often with terms used in the Linux world. What means "Debian Sid repos" and "I am running Sid"?

If at Debian they are testing 4.2.4-2 it would be very good because this was released about a week ago. I running it on my (still) XP PC and it is stable and has bunch of improvements compared to the 4.1.6-2

Sorry too.
I mean I am running Debian tracking Sid repos.

LMDE is based on Debian, tracking Update Package,
which is a frozen snapshot of Debian Testing repos plus some that are unique to Mint ( not in the Debian 'vanilla' repos)


Now, a bit of explanation on Debian.
The new program version follow in this way: 1>>2>>3>>4

1. Debian Experimental repos.... this is for developers!!!!
2. Debian Unstable (aka Sid) repos....
3. Debian Testing repos........ this is where LMDE repos pull from
4. Debian Stable repos

as you may have guessed, in terms of version of a program, experimental is the newest, follow by Sid, then Testing, then Stable.
However, Testing is normally behind Sid by about 10 days, if no issue.. often version in Testing can be the same as in Sid..

As LMDE repos is a snapshot of Debian Testing repos ( at some date) so, LMDE version on a particular program would be something like higher than Stable, but lower or equal to Debian Testing...

Hope these make some sense to you..

One word of advise, do not blindly go to use Sid repos, or experimental repos!!! without learning first how to protect your current setup with clone or backup ,,,

New version.... can have conflict of current setup,,,, also can break your system big time.. at time, can break until you lost the whole OS.. so beware there is a price to pay for using the newest, or latest version of program..

Very old version, is Stable.. however, it may not have some 'shinny new features' that some people like to chase!

[52ROSt]

Thanks a lot for your very valuable explanations!

What your wrote makes a lot of sense. I expect in to be very happy with the LMDE (with packages in "testing" at Debian). As I am so familiar with LibO, I was just totally surprised to see only v 4.1.3 because 4.1 will have end of life at the end of May. (https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Rel ... .1_release)

Thanks also for warning to install packages from sid repos easily. With what I learned from you I would only do it with an additional virtual box to not mess up my production system.

As for experimental versions, I will not touch!!! Also I have no clue yet on Linux, I wrote many programs myself and know how long things go wrong. But, I used ancient languages like fortran, algol, cobol, basic, ... Now you can start guessing my age....

Summary, I hope that LMDE goes quickly to LibO 4.2.4.2 stable (on XP) with some real improvements.

BTW, is there a release plan for the packages at the Debian home page or here at LM?

[wayne128]

Summary, I hope that LMDE goes quickly to LibO 4.2.4.2 stable (on XP) with some real improvements.

Just wait patiently.....for UP9

or take some calculated risk , on Debian sid repos

BTW, is there a release plan for the packages at the Debian home page or here at LM?

Not sure about your question.

On Debian, this is the link you can search on Debian packages.
https://packages.debian.org/index

type libreoffice, and sid, you get into this link
https://packages.debian.org/search?suit ... IBREOFFICE

Package libreoffice

sid (unstable) (metapackages): office productivity suite (metapackage)
1:4.2.4-2: amd64 armel armhf i386 kfreebsd-amd64 kfreebsd-i386 powerpc s390x
1:4.2.4-1: mipsel
1:4.1.6~rc2-1: hppa mips ppc64
1:4.1.6~rc1-1 [debports]: alpha sparc
1:4.1.4-2 [debports]: powerpcspe

choose jessie, you get this
https://packages.debian.org/search?suit ... IBREOFFICE

Package libreoffice

jessie (testing) (metapackages): office productivity suite (metapackage)
1:4.1.6~rc2-1+b1: amd64 armel i386 kfreebsd-amd64 kfreebsd-i386 powerpc s390x
1:4.1.6~rc2-1: armhf mips mipsel

[52ROSt]

Ooops! Now I am overwhelmed. Thanks a lot for the information. Currently all the packages are Greek for me. I have no clue which packages I need and how I have to get them (I guess it is a special download) and install them.

First of all I want to get SCIM running so I can switch between Japanese, and Latin character based languages. This is essential for me.
Next I want to get the middle button of the Trackpointer (Thinkpad X40) working. By then I hope to understand a bit more about the Linux commands and packages.Thereafter I will make an attempt in LibO packages. If I mess my LMDE up, its not much of a problem because the x40 it is my test machine.

I saw that someone gave me a level 1. I feel I need to reject. Max level 0.1!

But nevertheless, thanks a lot for the links and information. I assume that the forum mail do not get deleted in a few weeks/months.