LibreOffice: The Upgrade Odyssey

 Okay, the title sounds a little science fiction but LibreOffice just released version 7.2 today so I felt obligated to upgrade all three of my laptops--Windows, MacBook Pro, and Chromebook, each one with its own procedure. The first two were relatively easy. I've upgraded those so many times I practically can do it in my sleep. That said, the Windows version takes an inordinate number of mouse clicks when compared to the Mac version and then requires a second download and installation for the offline help pack. But of course, everything's more complicated on Windows than on a Mac, which is a breeze by comparison. Just download the file, let the disk image mount automatically, drag the icon to the Applications folder and launch when the file finishes copying over.

And then there's the Chromebook. LibreOffice on Chrome OS is a Debian Linux application, running in a 'walled garden' called Crostini. While this admittedly sounds cryptic to the uninitiated, Crostini is basically a protected environment that does not interact with the rest of the system. 

While I have a Linux application installed called Gnome Software Center, which serves up Linux apps in point-n-click fashion, I couldn't use it for this purpose because the version of LibreOffice contained in its repository is even older than the one already installed on my Chromebook, so my best option was to download LibreOffice directly from its Web site and install it manually. This usually involves entering a bunch of text commands in the Terminal app but after more than an hour of frustration, I found a much better way that involves only a single terminal command. The rest is point-n-click:

1. Remove existing LibreOffice (if there is one) by right-clicking its icon in the application launcher and selecting 'Uninstall'. This step is not completely necessary but it is advisable if you're running short of disk space.
2. Download the latest LibreOffice (Debian version) from www.libreoffice.org
3. Open the Files app and drag the archive you downloaded from the 'Downloads' folder to the 'Linux Files' folder, then double-click to open and navigate to the DEBS folder.
4. Right-click the DEBS folder and select 'Open with Terminal' from the pop-up menu. The Terminal app will automatically open with the DEBS folder selected.
5. In the Terminal window, type the command 'sudo dpkg -i *deb' and press 'Enter'. The installation process will take a couple of minutes and you will know it's complete when the screen stops updating.

When I set up the Linux environment on my Chromebook last spring, LibreOffice was the most challenging part of the installation, enough so that I decided to ignore the myriad prompts to accept lesser updates and wait for 7.2 before undertaking it. Now that I know an easier way, I might be more inclined to take the incremental updates on my Chromebook as well. 

One feature that has never been implemented in LibreOffice that I would love to see is the "Install" button on the "Check for Updates" dialog box. The 'Download' button next to it just takes one to the download page on the LibreOffice Web site but it would be very convenient to have a one-click install for updates, especially on my Chromebook. One can wish, I suppose.