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Welcome
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Last updated $Date: 2005/12/28 17:59:16 $

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OpenOffice.org 2.4 Software Development Kit (SDK)
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For latest updates to this readme file, see http://www.openoffice.org/welcome/readme.html


Dear User

This file contains important information about this program. Please read this information very carefully before starting work.

The OpenOffice.org Community, responsible for the development of this product, would like to invite you to participate as a community member. As a new user, you can check out the OpenOffice.org site with helpful user information at 

http://www.openoffice.org/about_us/introduction.html 

Also read the sections below about getting involved in the OpenOffice.org project. 

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Notes on Installation
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The SDK is an add-on product to an existing OpenOffice.org 2.4 office suite. It is a development kit for OpenOffice.org, which eases the development of office components. It provides a set of libraries, binaries, header, and IDL files which have final API's and can only be extended with new functionality. This set of libraries and binaries is the minimum set of functions needed to use system abstraction for base functionality and for using UNO (Universal Network Objects) component technology. The UNO component model is the base of the whole Office API. The SDK provides everything necessary to use the Office API from external programs (e.g. Java, C++) or to extend the Office functionality with new components (e.g. new filter components, CalcAddin functions). It is compatible over several versions because the API remains unaffected and will only be extended with new functions.

The SDK provides the basic building blocks for external developers to develop components in any language for which a binding exists. Currently, there are language bindings for OpenOffice.org Basic, Java, and different C++ compilers on different platforms, for OpenOffice.org, thus covering the two most commonly used programming languages. There will be no limit for office automation in heterogeneous environments. Currently supported platforms of the SDK are Linux, Solaris (sparc, x86), and Windows.

For more information please read the index.html inside the SDK package.

The SDK provides a minimal build environment to build the examples or own extensions for OpenOffice.org. To make use of this environment you need several external tools:

- GNU make
- zip tool
- C++ compiler (optional)
- Java Software Development Kit (optional)
- Microsoft .NET Framework (optional and Windows only)

For detailed information what version of these tools are necessary please read the docs/install.html inside the SDK package.

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Used / Modified Source Code
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Portions Copyright 1998, 1999 James Clark. Portions Copyright 1996, 1998 Netscape Communications Corporation.

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Getting Involved 
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The OpenOffice.org Community would very much benefit from your active participation in the development of this important open source project.

As a user, you are already a valuable part of the suite's development process and we would like to encourage you to take an even more active role with a view to being a long-term contributor to the community. Please join and check out the user page at: http://www.openoffice.org 

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Registration 
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Please take a little time to complete the minimal Product Registration process when you install the software. While registration is optional, we encourage you to register, since the information enables the community to make an even better software suite and address user needs directly. Through its Privacy Policy, the OpenOffice.org Community takes every precaution to safeguard your personal data. If you missed the registration at installation, you can return and register at any time at http://www.openoffice.org/welcome/registration-site.html 
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User Survey 
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There is also a User Survey located online which we encourage you to fill out. The User Survey results will help OpenOffice.org move more rapidly in setting new standards for the creation of the next-generation office suite. Through its Privacy Policy, the OpenOffice.org Community takes every precaution to safeguard your personal data.

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Report Bugs & Issues 
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The OpenOffice.org Web site hosts IssueZilla, our mechanism for reporting, tracking and solving bugs and issues. We encourage all users to feel entitled and welcome to report issues that may arise on your particular platform. Energetic reporting of issues is one of the most important contributions that the user community can make to the ongoing development and improvement of the suite. 

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Subscribe 
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Here are a few of the Project mailing lists to which you can subscribe at http://www.openoffice.org/mail_list.html
- News: announce@openoffice.org *recommended to all users* (light traffic) 
- User support: users@openoffice.org *recommended to new users* (heavy traffic) 
- Main user forum: discuss@openoffice.org *easy way to lurk on discussions* (heavy) 
- Marketing project: dev@marketing.openoffice.org *beyond development* (getting heavy) 
- General code contributor list: dev@openoffice.org (moderate/heavy) 

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Join one or more Projects
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You can make major contributions to this important open source project even if you have limited software design or coding experience. Yes, you!

At http://projects.openoffice.org/index.html you will find projects ranging from Localization, Porting and Groupware to some real core coding projects. If you are not a developer, try the Documentation or the Marketing Project. The OpenOffice.org Marketing Project is applying both guerrilla and traditional commercial techniques to marketing open source software, and we are doing it across language and cultural barriers, so you can help just by spreading the word and telling a friend about this office suite.

You can help by joining the Marketing Communications & Information Network here: http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html  where you can provide point communication contact with press, media, government agencies, consultants, schools, Linux Users Groups and developers in your country and local community.

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User Support
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For help with the OpenOffice.org 2.0 office suite, take a look at the archives to find questions already answered on the 'users@openoffice.org' mailing list at http://www.openoffice.org/mail_list.html. Alternatively, you can send in your questions to users@openoffice.org. Remember to subscribe to the list to get an email response.

Also check the FAQ section at http://user-faq.openoffice.org/.

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Way to Start
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The best way to start contributing is to subscribe to one or more of the mailing lists, lurk for a while, and gradually use the mail archives to familiarize yourself with many of the topics covered since the OpenOffice.org source code was released back in October 2000. When you're comfortable, all you need to do is send an email self-introduction and jump right in. If you are familiar with Open Source Projects, check out our To-Dos list and see if there is anything you would like to help with at http://development.openoffice.org/todo.html.


We hope you enjoy working with the new OpenOffice.org 2.0 and will join us online.

The OpenOffice.org Community