Extension: mOOo

It sounds like a cow and the logo is a cow. The name stands for Mobile OpenOffice.org and the project target is to create several individual applications for OpenOffice.org and mobile phones. The project is a school project.

The first application from this project makes it possible for you to control your Impress presentation from your mobile phone using Bluetooth technology. So now you can walk around and navigate your slides without having to return to your computer every time.

The solution consist of two parts: An extension for OpenOffice.org Impress and a Java application for your mobile phone. Before you begin the presentation, you will connect the two devices.

I have used this on a few occations and I feel its very nice to be independant fom my computer. It's quite easy to hold the mobile descrete in your hand and the navigation is ok. Only I would like the OK-button to navigate forward. The application even keeps track of time on the mobile display. Unfortunately it is not the time from the presentation started, bu from when the application was launched. Ok, I can live with that.

Be carefull: The application is still beta and I have found that it can make OpenOffice.org crash ! Lucky for me it didn't happen during the presentation.

Please remember to put the mobile on silent first.

The extension for Impress: http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/moooic
The Java application for your mobile: https://mooo.dev.java.net/

Java update adverts OpenOffice.org

For some time there has been an advert for OpenOffice.org showing on the screen as the regular Java Update downloads and installs. I'm very happy about Sun advertizing for OpenOffice.org like this and its a good way to spread the message to millions and millions of computers and users all over the world.

A few days ago I got a call from a journalist (http://www.computerworld.dk/art/45636) asking me about this. He also asked me about the small icon that appears on my desktop: Get OpenOffice.org. A click on it leads me to a Sun Jave page with link to downloading.

The icon is not a shortcut to the URL but a sjortcut to a small exe-file on my computer: ..\Sun\OpenOffice.org Installer 1.0\ooostub.exe. My first reaction was, that this will lead a lot of new users to the download site. I think its important that we (and Sun) uses this opportunity to spread the word, but I'm actually not happy that Sun is installing executables on my computer without my knowledge.

On the other hand... We know that our competitors are using much more tricky and much less honest marketing methods. One of the most frequent asked questions is this:

I bought a new computer with Microsoft Office 2007 preinstalled. Now 30 (or 60) days later, it doesn't work anymore. Hos can I edit my documents?

If we want to keep up with this, we must learn to be more agressive in marketing. But I don't think its a good thing to install executable code on computers without the users permission.