I have some potentially good news: the hacky approach to eliminating the bad font kerning caused by NeoOffice's underlying OpenOffice.org code works.
You can see the difference in the two images attached to this post. The first image shows the current bad kerning and the second image shows the improved kerning from my hacky approach.
As you can see in the first image, the kerning between repeating, narrow glyphs has the occasional extra or missing pixel. In contrast, in the second image all repeating glyphs have consistent kerning.
This new code will need lots of testing with right-to-left, justified, and Asian text, but I feel confident that we can include this in the NeoOffice 3.0.2 Early Access Program release in January 2010.
I have good news: I have implemented real native highlighting in Writer. I will now work on implementing real native highlighting in Impress and Draw.
Once I get real native highlighting working in those modules, Ed and I will set a start date for NeoOffice 3.0.2 Early Access Program. So far, my current implementation pace seems to point to a start date at the end of December 2009.
Below are 2 screen snapshots. The first is the current faded native highlighting style that OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 Writer uses. The second is my real native highlighting style that I implemented in NeoOffice 3.0.1 Writer. Note that in the NeoOffice screen snapshot that both the highlight color and the highlight text is full color and is not faded like in OpenOffice.org.
Very tasty, Patrick! Just curious, will the NeoOffice 3.0.2 EA still be based on the OOo 3.0.1 codebase? I'm assuming so from the numbering.
Yes. NeoOffice 3.0.2 will still be based on the OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 code.
OpenOffice.org 3.2 is supposed to be released in December and, as I mentioned in a previous post, we usually wait for a X.X.1 OpenOffice.org release to upgrade to as our experience is that each X.X.0 OpenOffice.org release usually has quite a few serious bugs that get fixed in the matching X.X.1 release.
Assuming a December 2009 release for OpenOffice.org 3.2, I would expect to see an OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 released in March 2010 and, based on that, a NeoOffice 3.2.1 Early Access release within 30 to 60 days after an OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 release.
I forgot to add that for those who like the old black high color behavior, it will still be included in NeoOffice 3.0.2 using the following steps:
1. Launch the /Applications/Utilities/Terminal application, copy the following command into the Terminal window, and press the Return key:
Code:
defaults write org.neooffice.NeoOffice UseMacHighlightColor -bool no
2. Restart NeoOffice
You will be able to reenable the native Mac highlighting color by copying the following command into the Terminal window, press the Return key, and restart NeoOffice:
I have more good news: I have implemented real native highlighting Impress, Draw, and Formula documents. One other piece of good news is that the highlighting for things like Writer notes and vertical text and Calc notes and the text editing toolbar field uses the same code that Impress, Draw, and Formula documents use for highlighting all of those things will have real native highlighting as well.
I was surprised to find that OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 only supports the old "invert color" highlighting like NeoOffice 3.0.1 currently uses. But since I did not use any OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 code to implement native highlighting in Writer, I was able to use my Writer changes as a template for implementing real native highlighting in Impress, Draw, and Formula documents.
Below are 2 screen snapshots. The first is the current "invert color" highlighting style that OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 Impress, Draw, and Formula uses. The second is my real native highlighting style that I implemented in NeoOffice 3.0.1 Impress, Draw, and Formula.
Although I have more testing to do, I think it is reasonable to set the start date for the NeoOffice 3.0.2 Early Access release for the end of December 2009. I hope to put the exact start date for the next Early Access Program on our website in the next week.
Although I have more testing to do, I think it is reasonable to set the start date for the NeoOffice 3.0.2 Early Access release for the end of December 2009. I hope to put the exact start date for the next Early Access Program on our website in the next week.
Sweet! Will that include the improved font kerning as well?
Best wishes,
Oscar _________________ "What do you think of Western Civilization?"
"I think it would be a good idea!"
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
That is excellent news. I also have a tiny new feature request, which you may shoot down at your convenience:
When I am in Impress, and I want to change the font size, the drop down selector starts with the current size at the top. I would like the current size to start in the middle, so that I do not have to scroll up if I want to make my text one category smaller. _________________ "What do you think of Western Civilization?"
"I think it would be a good idea!"
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
When I am in Impress, and I want to change the font size, the drop down selector starts with the current size at the top. I would like the current size to start in the middle, so that I do not have to scroll up if I want to make my text one category smaller.
This is probably feasible, but I would like to wait until a few more donors post their support for this feature request.
Since there are hundreds of feature requests throughout this site, I tend to focus on those that are requested independently by at least a handful of donors. Although far from perfect, that tells me that the requested feature is one that will be appreciated by a good number of our donors so I generally focus on those repeatedly requested features first.
Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 2051 Location: Midwest, USA
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject:
ovvldc wrote:
When I am in Impress, and I want to change the font size, the drop down selector starts with the current size at the top. I would like the current size to start in the middle, so that I do not have to scroll up if I want to make my text one category smaller.
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