Great question ... I'm honestly not sure. I guess because the system I came up with isn't well tested yet, I'm tempted to keep the old version just in case. But you're definitely right that FreeOffice is the successor and when this site updates software, it's with the latest version. What do you think?
Softmaker FreeOffice
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
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Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
I can confirm registration isn't needed for installation. I found that the install takes forever as it writes a ton of stuff into the registry.
Anyway, after testing webfork's instructions, FreeOffice 2018 works. There are still a few registry entries, but these ones are usually considered minor stuff (WoW64).
webfork, for the 'inst' folder, I would recommend deleting the 'inst/banners' folder and nothing else. The other stuff includes things like 'inst/hunspell', various fonts, bullets, sample data and template files, which is useful. Hunspell is important for spelling, however the rest you can decide to keep or delete at your own discretion.
is it stealth?
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Great news, very encouraging.freakazoid wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:17 pm I can confirm registration isn't needed for installation. I found that the install takes forever as it writes a ton of stuff into the registry.
Anyway, after testing webfork's instructions, FreeOffice 2018 works. There are still a few registry entries, but these ones are usually considered minor stuff (WoW64).
Thanks -- I'll re-test with that and see what I get.freakazoid wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:17 pm... for the 'inst' folder, I would recommend deleting the 'inst/banners' folder and nothing else
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Hardware Retrocompatibility = "SoftMaker FreeOffice 2018 Anniversary Edition" running flawlessly under antiX linux on a 12 years old netbook (Acer ZG5, 32 bit Atom N270) : check.
Same netbook, "Ashampoo Office 2016 Edition" running under WinXP (SP3) :
This version has a built-in utility to produce a portable version as you can see in the following pictures :
I don't know if this utility may be used to portabilize other versions of the program...
Latest version of Microsoft Office won't run on this netbook, i won't even try it.
;p
Same netbook, "Ashampoo Office 2016 Edition" running under WinXP (SP3) :
This version has a built-in utility to produce a portable version as you can see in the following pictures :
I don't know if this utility may be used to portabilize other versions of the program...
Latest version of Microsoft Office won't run on this netbook, i won't even try it.
;p
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
For reference, here's the old entry data for the SoftMaker Office 2006, which might be better for older computers or may just have some fans of simplicity and familiarity:
Extract process
Homepage: http://www.softmakeroffice.com/
Download: http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/P ... 17947.html
Requires: Win95 through Vistaprogram entry wrote:SoftMaker Office 2006 includes a fast, feature-rich word processor and spreadsheet program:The collection also comes with accessory Smash.exe, which includes a quick look at major system folders including My Documents, Printers, Fonts, etc.
- TextMaker can open and save to a wide variety of formats including MS Word (.doc and .docx), and comes with a built-in database and mail-merge function. Includes spell-checker, thesaurus, a variety of different hotkey mappings, tables, quick text (BR becomes "best regards") and much more.
- PlanMaker opens and can save to most major spreadsheet formats and comes with more than 320 calculation functions. It features Excel-compatible charts, conditional formatting, syntax highlighting, goal seeker, sheet/workbook protection, etc.
Version note: SoftMaker Office 2008 is freeware, contains more filters, includes a presentation program, and can be downloaded from the home page, but requires e-mail registration and extra steps for portability.
Extract process
- Download the ZIP package and extract to a folder of your choice
- Launch TextMaker.exe for the word processor or PlanMaker.exe for the spreadsheet program
Homepage: http://www.softmakeroffice.com/
Download: http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/P ... 17947.html
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
So I've updated to the latest version of FreeOffice, with big thanks to freakazoid for this note:
Finally, someone immediately noted in comments that our system is a little over complex when there's a "copytousb" tool inside the program. I actually had some issues with it's use (including the requirement that you have an external device to install to), hence the long list of steps.
I fixed my process with that included -- much better.freakazoid wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:17 pm... for the 'inst' folder, I would recommend deleting the inst/banners' folder and nothing else
Nice!h3kt0r wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:18 am Hardware Retrocompatibility = "SoftMaker FreeOffice 2018 Anniversary Edition" running flawlessly under antiX linux on a 12 years old netbook (Acer ZG5, 32 bit Atom N270) : check
Finally, someone immediately noted in comments that our system is a little over complex when there's a "copytousb" tool inside the program. I actually had some issues with it's use (including the requirement that you have an external device to install to), hence the long list of steps.
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- Location: Uganda
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
@Webfork - "Finally, someone" - that was probably me!
I really like this application and use FreeOffice 2018 as my main Office program both installed on my laptop and portable on the USB stick I carry with my car keys.
Thank you for taking the time to write up an alternative set of steps for portable use when you had concerns about the built in process - it truly is appreciated.
I really like this application and use FreeOffice 2018 as my main Office program both installed on my laptop and portable on the USB stick I carry with my car keys.
Thank you for taking the time to write up an alternative set of steps for portable use when you had concerns about the built in process - it truly is appreciated.
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Sure thing, very glad to make that available. We really needed a solid presentation tool on the site, and the FreeOffice program is a very strong option for everything from basic to advanced functions.opsimathic wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:50 pm Thank you for taking the time to write up an alternative set of steps for portable use when you had concerns about the built in process - it truly is appreciated.
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Frustratingly the program appears to maintain their existing registerware requirement, but after a trial sequence:
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
viewtopic.php?p=94323&#p94323
You can just delete the two lines mentioned. Not the values, the lines.
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Yea was just working on a post about that. Normally it takes me a few weeks but I got excited about FreeOffice because it solved *several* problems I was having. I should have waited to see if my machine had a similar issue.
I'll put the reset trick into the program instructions just because registerware isn't banned from the site, but suggestions on how to proceed are welcome. If it were any other site, I could just say "get on Discord and I'll send you a registration code" but that doesn't seem workable.
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
I edited the post above with a simpler solution.
I am usually wary of unofficial solutions that depend on the mercy of the developer (They could easily use a harder-to-circumvent check if it got too popular), but I think that most people would just enter their email.webfork wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:14 am I'll put the reset trick into the program instructions just because registerware isn't banned from the site, but suggestions on how to proceed are welcome. If it were any other site, I could just say "get on Discord and I'll send you a registration code" but that doesn't seem workable.
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
webfork wrote: ↑I'll put the reset trick into the program instructions just because registerware isn't banned from the site, but suggestions on how to proceed are welcome. If it were any other site, I could just say "get on Discord and I'll send you a registration code" but that doesn't seem workable.
I'd advise you against putting registration circumvention steps in the database entry -- just leave them here in the forums.
The way I see it, you don't want to be responsible for an escalation of counter-measures...
Re: Softmaker FreeOffice
Makes sense -- I've updated the entry accordingly.