Hidden Linux : Multiple LibreOffice installations
As I mentioned last
time, installing multiple copies of LibreOffice is easy and it
allows you to run a final
release version while trying out new features in the latest
pre-release, or even see what the developers are up to with their nightly-builds.Here's how to go about it ...
- Download the code
From the sources above, download the
version appropriate to your architecture and operating system. To
detect the former, open a console window and enter uname
-i or uname -a. If either shows
"x86_64", you're running a 64-bit system.
Fedora, openSUSE and Mandriva users
should download RPM packages.
Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Debian users
should download DEB packages.
- Unpack the download.
Still in the console, extract the
installation files with the command:
| tar -vxzf file-name |
The
new folder will have a name like LibO_3.4.2rc3_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-GB.
- Prepare the alternate installation.
Change directory to the new folder ...
| cd LibO_3.4.2rc3_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-GB |
... and depending on whether you have
DEB or RPM packages ...
| cd DEBS |
or
| cd RPMS |
- Do the alternate installation.
Create a new folder -- let's call it
"test_install" -- and cd into it
...
| mkdir test_install cd test_install |
Now
run one of the following commands:
RPM packages:
RPM packages:
| for i in ../*.rpm; do rpm2cpio $i | cpio -id; done |
DEB packages:
| for i in ../*.deb; do dpkg-deb -x $i . ; done |
- Ready to run.
If you now look inside the test_install
folder, you'll find sub-folders
named /opt, /libreoffice and then the usual
install hierarchy. The
programs are, obviously, in the /program
folder, and you can start
them from there, create desktop links or add them to your menu as
usual. Or better still, move the whole directory somewhere more
convenient so you can get rid of the installation files.
- (Optional) Change your user profile location.
For me, the most important part of
LibreOffice is the user profile. It
contains all my localised settings, preferences, macros, spelling
corrections and the like, and is stored in the ~/.libreoffice/3/user
folder. Note that files and folders prefixed by a "." are noramlly
hidden in Linux -- unless you choose "View
Hidden Files" in your
graphical browser. Note also that the contents of this folder can be
copied to the appropriate place on Windows or Mac systems and all your
personal preferences will travel with you!
Your new installation will use this
profile by default, so if you're
using an experimental version of LibreOffice, you may not wish to risk
corrupting it.
In the /program
folder of your new installation, make the bootstraprc
program writeable with the command:
| chmod +w bootstraprc |
Now edit it and change the line:
| UserInstallation=$SYSUSERCONFIG/.libreoffice/3 |
to whatever you like. A useful
alternative is to use the variable
$ORIGIN ...
| UserInstallation=$ORIGIN/.. |
... which will use the /user folder in the .../test_install/opt/libreoffice3.4/
folder.
You'll find more detailed information -- all with how to perform parallel installations for Windows and Mac -- in Installing several versions of LibreOffice in parallel on the LibreOffice site.
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