At the moment there are a number of issues with the current language packs for OpenOffice.org. Some platforms such as Mac OS X don’t have language packs, instead they only have full installsets. The language packs currently have to be built on each platform individually. This means extra compilation time and extra storage on the mirror network since essentially the same localisation data is packaged into a different package for every platform.

I have a proposal for dramatically improving the current situation.

Let’s have cross-platform language packs. This will mean that the language packs will be built once, and can then be used on ANY platform. This will save build time, especially when a builder can just use their fastest machine, instead of having to do it once per platform. This will free up developer and builder time, as well as space on the mirror network.

With this change I’m looking at implementing a simple user installation of language packs, similar to what has just been added to OpenOffice.org 2.2 for extensions. This would enable platform integration for the language pack installation. We could possibly go as far as Firefox and deploy language packs in a very similar way to extensions. We could even have the option to install language packs just for one user or for all users of the installation. If the platform supports it, a server deployed location for the language packs should be possible.

This is just an idea, it needs more development before implementation. No implementation testing has been done yet. An initial idea check for daftness has been completed, which is why this mail is going out. I’m looking to see if there are any foreseeable problems with this proposal, and whether there is backing from the whole OpenOffice.org community.

Comments are more than welcome.

The amount of data available is currently fairly low, so I would start using the maps for major map planning yet. However you can help, by mapping some part of the world that you know well.

I have recently been using MapMyRide.com for mapping out my Cycle trips. It uses Google Maps, which unfortunately does not contain enough information like the canals for example. This makes it difficult to do some mapping, especially in areas where their maps are of low resolution.

In the mean time I can use KompoZer (a bug fix release of Nvu) though Rosetta, which seems to work. Ideally they need to be based on newer Mozilla/Gecko code so that they can be compiled as a Universal Binary for Mac OS X, thus run natively on Intel Macs.

They have the easy installation similar to what will be introduced in the next release of OpenOffice.org.

What is more interesting is that on first start they have a message “Font caches may need to be updated”. This allow the user torun a program called fc-cache.

I don’t know if this could be of any use in OpenOffice.org. As OpenOffice.org on the Mac has done various things to allow the support of fonts installed for Mac OS X applications to be used in OpenOffice.org too.

Something that was even more interesting for me was the application that produced the Mac OS X integration. It seemed that they didn’t use a simple Applescript droplet. Instead they seem to have used an Applescript studio or XCode application and used Interface Builder to produce the application. One advantage is that way you don’t need to have a menu called “edit” with a menu item in it called “edit script”. This has confused a number of OpenOffice.org users before.

It was a case of finding the right booths with the people who are looking for what your current discipline is. The typical initial response was either, “sorry we don’t have any jobs in our business that you would be looking for”, or “great, your just the kind of person that we are looking for, here’s some more information”. You just have to keep hunting and you should find 4-12 different organisations with graduate schemes, or job opportunities that are suitable to you.

I’ll give a few examples of things that I found out:

• According to recruiters, the careers service up here in Scotland is excellent, and you should make use of it!
• Bloomberg take on Computer Science graduates who are strong in Java and (C or C++), for their programming departments. You need to have the C background so that you know about pointers and the way that memory works. Only 5-10% of their network is based on Java, the rest is some variation of C for speed.
• You should tailor your CV for every company, just only give each company one CV. This is advice from several recruiters, and the careers service. You should target the CV/application for the specific skill set that the employer will be wanting.
• If you want to go into an IT related business, participating voluntarily in an Open Source project such as OpenOffice.org can give you a large number of transferable skills and knowledge of project structures. Some organisations are already working to spread the word of Open Source software, and thus if you already know about that sort of stuff, will mean that you will be more likely to get a job through having greater experience.
• Applying early could mean that you are more likely to get through.
• It is better to do a good application for a few opportunities than a very poor job at hundreds of vacancies.
• Be positive confident and give as much relevant information as possible.

Overall, I enjoyed the event, and would recommend any final year student to go along in the future.

Hopefully I will be able to remember to follow all the advice and get a job or graduate placement.