[plug] Star Office and 5.1 and the registration

[Bret Busby]

We have found that, when the .rc file ( I think it was), was changed, 
the registration key did not work anymore, so Star Office had to be 
re-installed. (AAAgh!)

When we tried to register the Star Office 5.1, it took us about half 
an hour, or an hour, or whatever, to get the form to work, at the 
stardivision.com site.

I do not know whether the registration form was faulty, but it 
wouldn't go beyond the first form, where the details are entered, and 
the "submit" key was selected. We just kept trying (stubbornly), and 
my boss (!) said that it was her authoritative mouse bashing that 
eventually did it.

Star Office 5.1 would not install, without entering the customer ID 
and registration code, at the second screen, before it started 
installing the software.

In the installation process, it informed us that, as we did not have 
the java libraries installed, the java components of Star Office would 
not be enabled. It did not say whether we would need to re-install 
Star Office to enable the java components, or, what we would need to 
do to either install the java libraries, or enable the java 
components. (I am not sure that that is a bad thing, though; doesn't 
java allow nasties to be downloaded, or operated, without the user 
having much control, or, being aware?)

Whilst the software appears to have a facility for javascript, the 
option to enable it is greyed out, so I assume that either with the 
free version of Star Office 5.1, javascript is not available, or, it 
just doesn't work.

This is unfortunate, given that the Star Office web site states "In 
any case, we recommend you use a browser that supports JavaScript, as 
this is used intensively on several pages."

Perhaps if they used something else (php would do the job, wouldn't 
it?), it would make their web site compatible with their web browser, 
but, unfortunately, they do not respond to email, at that web site, 
from my experience.

I realise that it is free software, and that they indicate that they 
do not provide support for the free software, but some queries were 
about the versions for sale, and they could not be bothered either 
acknowledging or responding, to email queries, relating to either 
problems with the web site, or, with sales queries.

Thus, it may be okay to play around with, for free, but I think they 
have a fair way to go, if they want to encourage people to buy the 
software. If they did get their act together, perhaps, then, it could 
compete with M$Office.

That's my tuppence ha'penny worth.

Bret Busby