xubuntu-dev team mailing list archive

["Christopher M. Penalver" <christopher.penalver@xxxxxxx>]

** Description changed:

  (CONCERNS: LibreOffice version: 3.4.4; OOO340m1 (Build:402), complete
  install from the Ubuntu repo, fully up to date.)
  
- 
- The "Compare Document" functionality of LibreOffice Writer is deeply flawed and woefully inadequate. For example, type (without quotes):
+ For example, type (without quotes):
  
  "LibreOffice Writer. Compare Document."
  
- Save as version1.odt.  Then just add one space at the start and add one
+ Save as version1.odt. Then just add one space at the start and add one
  paragraph marker after the first period (.), as follows (again without
  the quotes):
  
  " LibreOffice Writer.
-  Compare Document."
+  Compare Document."
  
  Save as version2.odt. Now use "Compare Document" to identify the changes
  in version2.odt relative to version1.odt:
  
  As the result we are simply presented with the full text of version1.odt
- mixed into that of version2.odt.  So we have THE WHOLE TEXT TWICE.
- Worse, EVERYTHING is MARKED AS CHANGED, either as inserted or as
- deleted. THIS IS PLAINLY WRONG. But, on the other hand, the TRUE CHANGES
- are NOT UNIQUELY IDENTIFIED.
- 
- Now think of editing and then comparing not a single page with just 4
- words, but a 40-page report or a 400-page book:  The result is simply a
- catastrophe with entire multi-coloured swathes of repeated identical or
- near-identical text, but all identified and marked by LibreOffice Writer
- as completely different.
- 
- Moreover, all text in footnotes, endnotes, fields, headers, footers,
- frames, etc, and all non-text objects are currently still completely
- ignored by design in LibreOffice Writer "Document Compare".
- 
- CONCLUSION: "Compare Document" in LibreOffice Writer at the moment is
- defective, completely clueless and completely useless.
- 
- However, in the real-world of professional document production and
- editing, especially in collaborative contexts, precise, complete and
- fine-grained change identification, revision management and version
- control is absolutely essential.
- 
- The unambiguous identification of THE DIFFERENCES, ALL DIFFERENCES and
- NOTHING BUT THE DIFFERENCES, and presented with the greatest clarity,
- are pivotal here.
- 
- Sadly, at present, Microsoft Office Word still remains the only real
- choice for competent change tracking between versions of a document.
- 
- Prior to LibreOffice, this issue has already dogged OpenOffice all its
- life. A detailed current overview of relevant unresolved bugs and issues
- is available at http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Track_changes .
- 
- Can the resolution of this issue please be made an urgent priority in
- Ubuntu's LibreOffice.
- 
- 
- (Acknowledgement: Elements of this submission were inspired by Gretha on Launchpad.)
+ mixed into that of version2.odt.

** Tags removed: compare document libreoffice writer

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/915059

Title:
  Compare Document Functionality in LibreOffice Writer

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