[Solved] How to update Libre

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greyowl

[Solved] How to update Libre

Post by greyowl »

I am running Mint 18.2 32bit.
I have Libre office 5.1.6.2 and want to update to 5.3.4.
I found the tarball on the Libre site but I don't know how to use it for an update.
Thanks for the help.
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greyowl

Re: How to update Libre

Post by greyowl »

Thank you, it worked.

I am new to linux and mint. What is the usual practice in regard to update of programs by most people? Do they usually wait until the updates are in the Software Center of Mint to do updates? Is there any problem with updating ahead of the time the update would be in the Software Center?
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Cosmo. »

LO 5.3.x will most likely never appear in the official repositories. So you have either to add a matching PPA or download the file and install it.
Charlie wrote:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade 
A very dangerous advice, as it circumvents the safety of the level system of the update manager. Don't be astonished, that at one point your system will give you troubles.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Cosmo. »

If you don't mind to reinstall, it is your decision. If you advice a dangerous - and superfluous - command, than this is beyond your decision.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Cosmo. »

I do not say, that you shall not update. But you shall do it with the update manager.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pjotr »

Charlie wrote:
Cosmo. wrote:I do not say, that you shall not update. But you shall do it with the update manager.
Yes, that is true, but the difference in the versions available was significant. That would seem to open a security threat/hole. But as I said previously, I do not understand Linux, so I could be off true.
You don't need to worry about having an older version of Libre Office. Security fixes are being backported into that older version, during the supported lifetime of your Linux Mint version.

Which means: although the LO version in the official repositories is relatively old, it's still secure. :)

More explanation (by Red Hat, but it's the same in Mint and Ubuntu):
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/backporting
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pjotr »

You might find this detailed explanation by Red Hat interesting to read:
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/backporting

(obviously written for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but for Mint and Ubuntu it's the same)
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Re: How to update Libre

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Pjotr wrote:You don't need to worry about having an older version of Libre Office. Security fixes are being backported into that older version, during the supported lifetime of your Linux Mint version.
I would not pay only a half cent for this. In Mint 17.3 the latest offered version is LO 5.0.3. Heaven knows, when this has been lastly updated, trying to open the change log from synaptic only gives, that the change log cannot be found.

We have seen repeatedly far too late (partially for months) updates to apply available security fixes also in other cases, where those fixes are even more critical, like Firefox and Thunderbird. And here we do not even talk about backports, but about very current versions.

So no, as far as it goes about applications my trust in the maintenance of the official repositories is near to zero.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pjotr »

Cosmo. wrote:
Pjotr wrote:You don't need to worry about having an older version of Libre Office. Security fixes are being backported into that older version, during the supported lifetime of your Linux Mint version.
I would not pay only a half cent for this. In Mint 17.3 the latest offered version is LO 5.0.3. Heaven knows, when this has been lastly updated, trying to open the change log from synaptic only gives, that the change log cannot be found.
Then you can't judge....
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pjotr »

Charlie wrote:I see. This is a good read too I think for beginners.

https://mintguide.org/other/412-10-tips ... -mint.html
From the looks of it, the author of that particular page has been "inspired" by my "10 fatal mistakes" page:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... almistakes

:lol:
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Cosmo. »

2 things I can judge:

First the cases of missing updates for FF and TB, where the failure of the repo maintainers are out of a question.

Second: LO 5.0.3 was in the middle of the development of the 5.0.x branch. Not even the from LO developers themselves offered updates hade been applied for the half of the live time.

Besides that: "can not judge" means in other words: The promise to backport critical fixes is something, where nobody can give a proof. It means, that the user has to rely the security only a doubtful promise. This is the death of security.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pierre »

whilst the LinuxMint project is some-what conservative in nature,
so this would mean that some later versions of Your Favourite Program,
may not appear in the LinuxMint Update Manager.

however, it would most likely appear in the Next Release of the LinuxMint Project.
ie: that Libre Office - update to 5.3.4, would most likely appear in the LM19x series of the Project.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Pjotr »

It looks like things have improved in 18.x; as far as I can see, it's only for 17.x that Mint maintains its "own" Libre Office:
http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/impo ... breoffice/

.... and that apparently got its latest update in November, 2015. Which is not so good. If I were a 17.3 user like you, I would report that as a serious bug.

But in Mint 18.x, you apparently get your LO straight from Ubuntu, which shifts the security maintenance burden to the Ubuntu devs. They are active:
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/m ... breoffice/

Finally time to upgrade to 18.2, Cosmo.? :mrgreen:
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Re: How to update Libre

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Pierre wrote:ie: that Libre Office - update to 5.3.4, would most likely appear in the LM19x series of the Project.
That would be the contrary of an enhancement. Even the LO 5.4 branch will reach its end of life already in summer 2018. (Currently the LO release plan ends at this point.)
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Re: How to update Libre

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Pjotr wrote:It looks like things have improved in 18.x; as far as I can see, it's only for 17.x that Mint maintains its "own" Libre Office:
http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/impo ... breoffice/
Are you surprised about that? I am not.

Ubuntu tells everybody on the front page, that their LTS has 5 years support. But this is - to say it clearly - a trap. What gets supported for 5 years is only the minor part of the version, which gets maintained directly from Canonical. All the rest - the majority -, which gets maintained by the so called Masters of the Universe (MOTU) get - at best - 3 years support. Do you remember, that we discussed this 1 or 2 years ago? As said: at best and if the users are lucky. Your example demonstrates, that for Ubuntu 3 years are sometimes already after 1 year over.

So creating a bug report about it would produce nothing than wasted time. The amount of wasted time with reports, which I created with every thinkable detail, but are nor fixed (some of them after 1 year) is already far too big.
Pjotr wrote:Finally time to upgrade to 18.2, Cosmo.? :mrgreen:
I give you one promise: As long as 18.x gives more regressions and bugs than advantages, I will not leave 17.3 for it. And pitifully this is even on the third dot release for the LM 18 branch the case. Alone xed (we both are at now in a discussions about it in another thread) has at now at least 3 bugs, which do not happen in gedit. And xed is only a minor concern and example.

Besides that: Keeping LO (and other applications) current is not the least substantiation for upgrading the OS. I take them since years from their respective originate sources. As far as it goes about the main applications the official repos are a no-go for me.
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Re: How to update Libre

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Cosmo. wrote:
Pjotr wrote:It looks like things have improved in 18.x; as far as I can see, it's only for 17.x that Mint maintains its "own" Libre Office:
http://packages.linuxmint.com/pool/impo ... breoffice/
Are you surprised about that? I am not.

Ubuntu tells everybody on the front page, that their LTS has 5 years support. But this is - to say it clearly - a trap. What gets supported for 5 years is only the minor part of the version, which gets maintained directly from Canonical. All the rest - the majority -, which gets maintained by the so called Masters of the Universe (MOTU) get - at best - 3 years support. Do you remember, that we discussed this 1 or 2 years ago? As said: at best and if the users are lucky. Your example demonstrates, that for Ubuntu 3 years are sometimes already after 1 year over.
But LO *is* being maintained by Canonical itself, because it's in the "Main" repository.... So at least for Libre Office in Mint 18.x you can indeed be sure, that you get security updates for the full five years.

Provided of course that your Linux Mint version gets its LO straight from Canonical's Main as well. Which is the case for 18.x, but not for 17.3. So I would certainly consider submitting a bug report for LO in 17.3: it was a clear mistake from the Mint devs, to put their "own" LO in the Mint 17.3 repo and then not maintain it.
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Re: How to update Libre

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Pjotr wrote:But LO *is* being maintained by Canonical itself, because it's in the "Main" repository.... So at least for Libre Office in Mint 18.x you can indeed be sure, that you get security updates for the full five years.
As said, LM 18.x is until now out of discussion for me for my main system.

Besides that: Even LO 5.1.x is outdated and officially (taken from the Document Foundation) since 9 months out of support. Alone the change log for LO 5.2 is a long list, for 5.3 and 5.4 similarly.
Pjotr wrote:So I would certainly consider submitting a bug report for LO in 17.3: it was a clear mistake from the Mint devs, to put their "own" LO in the Mint 17.3 repo and then not maintain it.
I have enough from replies about nitpicking and such. You know what I mean. And it would not change the least about it. (Side note: Where would be in your opinion be the proper place for this? You know that my similar question about placing an issue regarding virtualbox ended with something, which I do not want to name here with the proper word. :twisted: )
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Re: How to update Libre

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Cosmo. wrote:
Pjotr wrote:But LO *is* being maintained by Canonical itself, because it's in the "Main" repository.... So at least for Libre Office in Mint 18.x you can indeed be sure, that you get security updates for the full five years.
Even LO 5.1.x is outdated and officially (taken from the Document Foundation) since 9 months out of support. Alone the change log for LO 5.2 is a long list, for 5.3 and 5.4 similarly.
"Out of support" upstream (Document Foundation), does not equal "out of support" downstream (Ubuntu/Mint). See one of my previous messages in this thread, about backporting security fixes. Or this explanation:
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/backporting/

Note that it's all open source software, so backporting security fixes is always possible.
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Re: How to update Libre

Post by Cosmo. »

When I speak about the change log, I speak about more than security fixes. Not everybody needs those improvements, that does not mean, that nobody has an advantage by them.

Another potential problem. Assumed, that LM 19 will come with LO 6, this would give a enormous number of changes, which a user would have to learn. Also this will create problems, at least the need for investing time to learn the changes. My method gets quicker results and less trouble.
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Re: How to update Libre

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Cosmo. wrote:When I speak about the change log, I speak about more than security fixes. Not everybody needs those improvements, that does not mean, that nobody has an advantage by them.
Indeed, but that wasn't the issue.... At least one of the help seekers in this thread was primarily concerned about security, not about new features or other improvements.

Linux Mint and the Ubuntu LTS that it's built on, are fixed releases and not rolling releases. Which guarantees maximum stability and reliability. That makes it fit for enterprises. And for people who don't always want the very latest, just because it's so shiny and new. :mrgreen:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... r-updates-
(item 3, left column)
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