WindowsVista

Status

since OpenOffice.org version 2.0.1 OpenOffice runs on Vista. This page describes some issues to support new features of Vista in OpenOffice.org.

Preparations for Windows Vista

Search and Organization

• Document meta data is provided to the system
  • open: Provide additional meta data (http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=70944)

  There is a solution ... vista uses new interfaces to handle properties now.
  See http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969363.aspx for further informations.

• The native FileOpen/Save dialogs are used to support virtual folders

• started: Enable full text search in ODF documents through the new desktop search (http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=71112)

all three feature require at least Windows SDK v6.0, which also requires at least the 2005 Compiler. To use the compiler coming with the SDK we need to replace the usage of the ATL header.

Security

User Account Control (UAC)

• The installation and update is fully UAC aware and performs the proper elevation to an administrator account

• There are no known UAC issues during runtime

Windows Logo Program

a lot of stuff comes with the Windows Logo Programs

• Works with Windows Vista
  • Specification
• Certified for Windows Vista
  • Test Specification

Other Stuff

• Support for Default Programs (application to file type association)
• Usage of new standard file open dialog (http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=71290)
• Provide Live Icons in Documents (http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=71526)
  • The default size for generating such live icons was changed from 128x128 pixel up to 256x256 pixel.

  This works fine for Windows Vista and Windows XP. Because those icons are used also on other platforms
  (and we do not wish to have more then one icon inside the same file) we have to test Windows 98, KDE, Gnome also.
  E.g. FreeDesktop.Org recommend using of 128x128 as pixel size ... but first test showed that there isnt a real problem
  using other resolutions. Further tests are planned.

  Update:
  The specification for thumbnails on FreeDesktop.org (http://jens.triq.net/thumbnail-spec/directory.html) seems to be
  non-full-negotiable to OOo. First this specification is in status draft ... second it adress thumbnails available on the file system
  ("... This is the .thumbnails directory located in the users home. ...") But here we are talking about an image representation
  retrieved from the file itself showing the content of the file. That's slightly different. Further it's not sure if specifications
  of FreeDesktop.org can be applied to OOo in general. OOo is available on Linux - yes. But it's also available for other platforms
  (Windows, Solaris etcpp). Can FreeDesktop.org realy deal with that ?
  Seams that the specification for OOo Thumbnails (http://specs.openoffice.org/appwide/desktop_integration/ooo_file_thumbnails.sxw) must
  be changed to make it more clear.

• Security
  • Digitally signing of all executables and DLL's
• Vista 64Bit
  • 64Bit Java is not detected properly. Functions which require Java, don't work with the 64Bit Java.
  • Shell extensions for Vista 64 Bit must be also compiled as 64 Bit components.

  It's no problem to run a 32 bit compiled executable on a 64 bit Vista machine.
  But that's not true for shell extensions which are started within the context of the
  windows explorer. Because the explorer itself is compiled as 64 bit component it requires
  that all used libraries (at least a shell extension will be such library) must be 64 bit ready also.
  Analyzing the code we found out, that there is only a small dependency back to the set of office libraries.
  (zip, stlport). So it seams not be a big problem to have 64 bit shell extensions combined with a 32 bit office.

  That's are the results of searching a suitable 64bit compiler for windows:
  Only the newest Visual Studio 2005 is ready to compile C++ 64bit code. Further only versions >= Visual Studio 2005 Standard
  will support that.
  see also "http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hs24szh9(VS.80).aspx".
  The newest compiler supported by the StarOffice/OpenOffice build environment is Visual Studio 2003.
  So compiling 64bit components require a switch to the new compiler (at least partially).

• Visual style additions

Windows Vista adds some visual styles (that OOo doesn't use) for menus, editable/uneditable combo boxes, scroll bars, and text boxes. OOo also does not use visual styles for the status bar, both on XP and Vista, and does not provide a native look on Windows Classic.

• • Menus: Previously a background colour, border style, text colour, and border colour. In Vista, this is replaced by a background image, separator image, and selection image.
  • Combo boxes: Previously the same style (and 1 image) for both editable and uneditable combos, now uneditable combos look like menu buttons and editable ones look like text boxes, with the dropdown button being glyph only unless the mouse is hovered over it
  • Text boxes: Previously a border style, now a border image
  • Scroll bars: Previously hot and cold images for each button and thumb. In Vista, a new "mouse over scroll bar but not over specific button" state exists for buttons but not thumbs.
  • Status bar: A background image and separator image is provided but not used by OOo.