Yes, I've tested it. The OpenOffice 3 beta does not work in windows 98. I was unable to install it even with the KernelEx installed.

There is still a chance to convince the OpenOffice development team, the decision to leave Windows 98/ME behind is not the right one. The feture request are made through the bug tracking system. Each registered member can vote for some issues. With a proper amount of votes we have a chance to defend our platform.

I've submitted an isue, already: http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=89930

Plese register at the OpenOffice.org bug tracking system at http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/Join, then vote on this issue.

The OpenOffice bug tracking system is a bit complicated. So, posting some sort of a voting guide could be a help.

1) If you do not have the OpenOffice.org account, you have to register in order to be able to vote: http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/Join

2) The next step is logging in to the OpenOffice.org. So please go to the http://www.openoffice.org then click "Log in" link at the right top of the page. After entering user name and password the "My start page" opens.

3) Now how to go to our issue page. At the top of the right column there is an "Issue" field. Please enter the issue number there (this particular issue has a number of 89930) then click "Jump to Issue No." button right under the field.

4) The issue screen is opened, now. There is a line described as "Votes for issue 89930:". The current amount of votes is printed there, and there is the "Vote for this issue" link as well. Click the link, please.

5) You are on "Show votes" screen now. It is possible to put just 2 votes on an issue. The maximum amount of votes for multiple issues in the same component is 5. Please scroll down to the porting component (porting is not a component but it is listed as one). Then enter 2 points for the issue 89930. Then click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the list.

Your votes should appear on the issue page, now.

It's quite possible the OpenOffice 3 will be able to work in Windows 98 as is,
without additional changes. Still, I'm unable to test it, as the setup
procedure reports a proper version of Microsoft Installer missing.

I know no way of tricking the Microsoft Installer 3 based setup procedure to
work on Windows 98. A change in the setup system can give the ability to setup
and test the compatibility of KernelEx and OpenOffice 3.

Perhaps, by voting on some minimal Windows 98 support on the OpenOffice.org it will be possible to persuade the creators to use a different setup procedure than Microsoft Installer 3.0 related.

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I do not get it. According to the Setup.ini file, just the Microsoft Installer 2 is required. I have the MSI 2 in my system, as far as I know. Still the same message is displayed as MSI 3 would be missing.

OO is such bloatware, rivaled only by the real office. I see no more reason to want it to support 98 than I do to simply upgrade to XP (thus making the discussion academic).
Just use LaTeX. It's better, smaller, faster, and free for all OSs (even DOS).

It's much too late to get rid of the OpenOffice, I'm afraid. The Open Document Format is an accepted form of communication with Polish Govermental facilities.

LaTeX is not something a common worker can use. I had an opportunity to work a bit with TEX many years ago. Now the most common editor is Word from Microsoft and Write from OpenOffice. The general knowledge about the actual document structure is very weak among workers. They are using the text editors just like improved type writers. Still the most important feature of the text editors is possibility to use different document formats to both opening and saving documents. Open Office is very good according to those terms. So, getting rid of the OpenOffice is out of the question, I'm afraid.

That sounds quite impressive (read: commendable). Over here it's, as far as I know, MS .doc format. At least it seems to be the most commonly used.

Still, I always opt for PDF. I can have that done in OO, but having associated .tex with pdflatex.exe, I simply find the latter solution far more comfortable. And, AFAIK, PDF is still globally recognized.

As for people who need their WYSIWYG fix, with the latest support for GTK in KEx, LyX may soon be a viable option on 98 (If it is not so already).

Without OpenOffice I would never be able to open Word, Excel and PowerPoint(less) files. It's quite important in this regard.

I would vote, but
1) They're the same people who say Windows 95 users should use 1.1.4 when it works just fine if they would get rid of the IsDebuggerPresent API call.
2) I need to register at yet another site just to vote. Bah.

I was able to install OpenOffice 3 by running the openofficeorg30.msi file directly.

Sadly, the application does not work. Trying to run any .EXE brings up an "Parameter is invalid" (translated from Polish)error message. There seeting in the kxever.ini do not influence the issue.

There is a free Word viewer provided by Microsoft.

System Requirements:
               Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4; Windows Server 2003; Windows XP

Just because 98 isn't there, doesn't mean it won't run on it. I've recently noticed similar requirements on the MSDN entry of MultibyteToWideChar, a Win32 API available since 95, if not earlier. I think Microsoft are now denying the system even exists.

The OpenOffice team is simplyfying the code to use the newer API functions. Still there is a possibility to keep the OpenOffice 3 able to work with the KernelEx extension.

Here are the posts from the OpenOffice.org:





I believe, the first step would be to collect the informations about the API functions implemented in the KernelEx, and the Windows 98 incompatible API functions used in the OpenOffice 3.

The OpenOffice 3 code simplification is progressing just as we speak. It would be good to stop the OpenOffice team from using the KernelEx unavailable functions, if they did not do it, already.

It rejects to install on my 98SE system. Just installing pops a 'A newer version of Windows is required'. Using the msi file in the temp directory gives 'You need at least W2000'. So maybe it can run on W98, but it's not easy to install.

I had to run the openofficeorg30.msi file directly. There were no wrong windows version communicate, in my case. The Setup.exe will not finish, even with the kexver.ini forcing a newer OS version for the Setup.exe.

Still, the OpenOffice does not start after the installation. I think it is doing some unusual check (or something) when running.

I was using OOo_3.0.0beta_20080429_Win32Intel_install_wJRE_en-US.exe

You can use the profile modus of Dependency walker to find out which dlls/functions it's trying to use before it quits. Sometimes it gives a clue what's the problem.

I found nothing particular with the Dependancy Walker. I do not have experience in using it, anyway.

It's possible the problem is related to some enviroment checking (like enviroment variables or something like that).

This KernelEx stuff won't help non-geeks and people who still use Windows 95. I'm a bit tired of hearing about it. It's not the holy grail. At least not for me.

What the hell? They did this on purpose? Why those little...! This code should be salvaged.

The funny part is that, as I understand it, OOo is supposed to be multi-platform. If they have the necessary code to run it on both Windows and X-Windows, with the proper separation, there should be no problem adding an equivalent separate code to run it on 9x instead of NT.
A proper program would have all of its platform-dependent code in one place, so that it can easily be modified and made compatible with any OS at any version. With such a module available, compatibility layers are much easier to provide.

BenoitRen, sorry but you must simply accept fact that even on this forum Win95 users are in minority.

Is KEx not 95 compatible?
If not, how hard could it be to make it so?

As for non-geeks, I doubt any of them are still using 9x. Non-geeks just go with the herd, they're probably on Vista by now.

On a forum with subject "Windows 95/98/98SE/ME", this excuse doesn't go. Think of the Win95 and WinME users too.

You're very correct.

For Windows 9x/Me, usage doesn't even total 1%. In fact, there is a steady decline. The ranges from 0.48% - 0.58%, and W3 Counter reports 0.96%, though the four others (Net Applications, XiTi Monitor, OneStat and Median) seem to have the more normalized range.

Source: Usage share of desktop operating systems - Wikipedia

Indeed. By some metrics, Win98 lost 55% of it's already few users in the last 10 months. And there's no signs of it slowing down at all. Just look.

And there's even less Windows ME users (they're also declining at about the same rate, around 55% in 10 months), and there's basically no Win 95 users left. When all of win9x combined accounts for 3/4 of 1%, and it's on a fast & steady decline, you can't exactly be surprised nobody really cares about or develops for your platform anymore. Another 10 months at that pace, and all of Win95/98/ME users combined are going to account for about 1/3 of 1% (significantly less than Linux, NT, or both flavors of Mac OS)

You can hope all you want for apps to keep supporting Win9x (OOo included), but don't really be surprised when it fails to happen, and that the market share of win9x keeps shrinking at this amazing speed...

According to those same stats, Linux is not doing significantly better. If that's not sufficient reason for open-source developers to support 9x, I don't know what is.

Still, all of these stats are from personal counters in sites that are somewhat less than "public generic internet portals". Stats from Google would have better overview, but most of these sites attract developers to begin with.

I've tested the Go OO 2.4.1 version of the OpenOffice. It seems to be working as good as the OpenOffice.org 2.4.0.

The most important difference seems to be the DOCX support and a bit different installation system. As, there are no Java plugin and Google Toolbar in it. It looks a bit different, because the icons are different (bigger).

Linux is a good platform quickly gaining popularity (quicker than macs -- 48% increase in 10 months, versus 30% increase for macs in the same time frame), with a future ahead, and one of the main alternatives to Windows. Win9x is a platform almost no one uses already, and still on a quick and steady decline (55% decrease in the same time frame). Linux on the desktop already has as many users as all of Win9x combined, and is gaining more real fast, while Win9x losing theirs just as quickly. In 10 months at this rate, Linux will have at least 3x the market share of all Win9x combined, and 10 months after that, you're talking about 10x bigger. I don't see what makes that a reason to support Win9x in any way -- much the inverse (not worth wasting time over).


No. Sure, if you look at w3schools' counters, those only reflect their own site's usage. But places like net applications collect that data from thousands of places (from about 160M hits per month). You could even add their counter to your site if you wanted to.

Edit: Actually, another way to look at it, is that Mac OS X on new Intel boxes, gained FIVE TIMES as many users in the last 10 months, as there are Win98 users left. And there's nearly 6x as many Mac OS Classic (a platform Apple themselves abandoned) users as Win98 users. Right now, there's roughly SIXTEEN TIMES more Mac users as Win98 users. Some stats now bundle up Win98 users in the "other" category, along with WebTV and such. And Apple is still on the rise, so is Linux, both showing no sign of that growth slowing down anytime soon. On a side note, Win2k users are also becoming a small minority very quickly (lost 40% of its users in the last 10 months). And in a few more days, this month's stats should be in, Vista/Macs/Linux will be up again, XP/2k/9x down yet again.

Yup, i use Me as 98SE doesn't like my laptop. But isn't this why KernelEx is being developed? I don't think they'd deliberately break compatibility with 9x/Me, just that they won't test on this platform anymore.

GNU/Linux is growing now. But it doesn't mean that it will keep growing at the same rate.

I'll be holding out for Haiku, a real desktop OS.