Having read the feedback, I would emphasize a release of 4.2 as well, followed by a Win 64 release
version this year.
Background ad 64-bit Windows: being a University professor who teaches among other things newbies
programming from scratch in a four hour class in a semester (four months) [1, 2], and teach among
other things scripting OpenOffice using its scripting framework (i.e., AOO's Java APIs). The
scripting engine for ooRexx (an easy to learn, yet powerful scripting language) works for
LibreOffice as well.
Observing each semester (twice a year) students (and currently as an experiment for teaching pupils
in the age range of 14 through 19 with the same concepts) who for the first time try to install
OpenOffice on Windows, I have been witnessing them to get effectively lost in the installation
challenge, where they also need to find and install a matching 32-bit Java (and install the 32-bit
version of ooRexx, despite everyone else - Apple and Linux users - is on 64-bit) in order to get the
infrastructure up and running on Windows. Unfortunately, the latest Java 25 LTS does not support
building of 32-bit versions of Java anymore as announced in [3]!
So most of the new students are not able anymore to successfully install AOO on Windows with the
necessary 32-bit Java in an acceptable effort!
One solution they take is to install LibreOffice for Windows, which is available in 64-bit which
makes everything doable and simple by comparison, including installing the latest 64-bit Java. Once
they installed and used LibreOffice they usually see no reason to uninstall it and go through all
the hazzle to install 32-bit AOO (and getting some 32-bit Java from somewhere) for Windows.
---rony
[1] English: Rony G. Flatscher, Workshop "Business Programming" - Critical Factors from Zero to
Portable GUI Programming in Four Hours, see links section at the bottom:
<https://wi.wu.ac.at/rgf/conf/csee2023/CSEE2023_BusinessProgrammingWorkshop.html>, latest related
information and slides at the bottom of [2] below
[2] German: Rony G. Flatscher, Till Winkler, Workshop Workshop "EAPROG - Erfolgsbedingungen für
Anfänger zum Erlernen der Programmierung portabler GUIs in einem Semester" :
<https://wi.wu.ac.at/rgf/conf/se25/SE2025WS_BP_ProgrammingWorkshop.html>
[3] JEP 503, Remove the 32-bit x86 Port <openjdk.org/jeps/503>
On 02.01.2026 15:26, [email protected] wrote:
Happy New Year @all,
A new year is in the house and I thought we try something this year. A roadmap.
This is open for discussion, and I thought this are the topics we should try to tackle this year.
What is your opinion?
Apache OpenOffice:
- 4.2
-- Get an actual translation import
-- fix remaining blockers
- 4.3 Test Version
-- Win 64 Version
-- Mac Silicon build (deadline fall 2027)
Infrastructure
- Translation service
-- Manual driven ci/cd process
-- test Version for weblate
-- migration away from the server to a docker setup
-- prod migration from Pootle to weblate
- Wiki update
-- build a test instance for development, with the ability to refresh from prod
-- update test with latest mwiki version.
-- prod update
- Extension Website
-- create concept
-- create a PoC
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