AbiSource FAQ

• Open Source Overview
  • What is Open Source?
  • Why is it free?
  • What's the catch?
  • Will it work on my computer?
  • Is there support?
• AbiWord Product Specifics.
  • What features are available in AbiWord?
  • Some menu items say to add code at a certain line. How do I do that?
  • How do I change languages in AbiWord?
  • I like using AbiWord in my native language. Why do I still see some English in the product?
  • If I type in another language, how do I have spell check work for that language?
  • When I try to install AbiWord on Windows, I get an error about missing COMCTL32.DLL.
  • How do I use True Type fonts for AbiWord on Linux?
  • I get an error message "AbiWord could not load [-*-Times New Roman-regular-r-*-*-*-0-*-*-*-*-*-*]"
  • How do I enable VI and Emacs key bindings in AbiWord?

What is Open Source software?
Open Source software differs from traditional proprietary software in that the source code (the underlying instructions which make the software function) is available as well as the application itself. For most users, the availability of source code is of no immediate benefit; however everyone benefits from higher quality software produced as a result of many individuals making improvements to the original software. For more information about the concept of Open Source, visit www.opensource.org

Why is it free?
We want everyone to use our product.

AbiSource is not shareware. You are not obligated, morally, legally or otherwise, to pay for using our products, ever. Please use our software, and please pass copies to everyone you know so that they can use it as well.

We have no hidden agenda.

What's the catch?
No catch. You don't have to make any compromises. Our products are always being improved. Initial releases may come out with only the essentials, but as Open Source software matures, it becomes as full-featured as the offerings from the leading proprietary vendors. Releasing our software as Open Source allows us to attain a higher level of quality than our closed source counterparts.

Will it work on my computer?
AbiWord works on several different kinds of computers. Versions are available for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. Versions for Linux work with Intel, Alpha, and LinuxPPC architectures. There are also versions available for BeOS, Solaris, FreeBSD and other UN*X systems. Currently, AbiWord does not work on a Macintosh, but there is a port in progress for both MacOS 8.6 (and higher) and the new MacOS X.

Is there support?
In the future, AbiSource will provide official technical support for all of our products. Currently, support is available by signing up for the AbiWord user mailing list. Send a message to abiword-user-request@abisource.com with "subscribe" in the message body. To reduce spam traffic to this list, only its members can submit messages; you need to subscribe to it to send mail. We also host archives of this list.

The AbiWord user mailing list is designed to facilitate discussion among users of AbiWord. The list is monitored by various AbiSource project members. You may use this list to:

• post questions,
• suggest features, or
• carry on nearly any discussion which is directly related to AbiWord.

Please remember that this mailing list is a public forum and your postings may be read by many people.

What features are available in AbiWord?
Currently, there is quick list of features on the products page. For an extensive look at AbiWord features, you can check out the AbiWord feature matrix. We also have a similar document cross-referenced by operating system Try AbiWord and see for yourself. It's a fast download, and the software is very easy to use.

Some menu items say to add code at a certain line. How do I do that?
This message is an indication that the dialog in question has not been added yet. As an Open Source project, everyone is encouraged to join in the development effort. This message is a reminder to those knowledgeable in programming languages such as C that their contributions are wanted. If you don't understand the specific instructions in this message, don't worry about it; be patient and these features will continue to appear with each successive release.

How do I change languages in AbiWord?
AbiWord can work with menus and strings translated into many different languages by configuring the system properly:
In windows, go to Control Panel->Regional Settings, and select a locale.
In a Unix based system, use something like this (using bash):

export LANG=sv_SE
unset LC_ALL

I like using AbiWord in my native language. Why do I still see some English in the product?
Translations for AbiWord are provided by conscientious individuals all over the world who enjoy using AbiWord in their native language, just as you. As AbiWord continues to develop new features, occasionally there is a small time lag between when a new dialog or menu appears, and when all the new translated words can be submitted. You can help the translation effort by contacting the person responsible for your particular translation. To do so, look in your AbiWord directory for a folder named "strings". Find the file associated with your language in that directory, and open it with an editor such as vi or notepad. At the top of that page, you will find the name and email of the person who is maintaining the translation.

If I type in another language, how do I have spell check work for that language?
Your AbiWord distribution contains a file called american.hash. This is a dictionary of English words. By replacing this dictionary with one from your language of choice, spell check will then mark only those words misspelled for the language you choose. There is an abispell package that contains 22 ready to use hash files. It is available on SourceForge.
Otherwise, a comprehensive list of available dictionaries is at http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell-dictionaries.html. Once the dictionaries are downloaded, you can follow the directions at http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell-winnt.html to build the hash file.

When I try to install AbiWord on Windows, I get an error about missing COMCTL32.DLL.
COMCTL32.DLL is a Windows library AbiWord needs to run. Some older versions of Windows did not have this library. You can get it free from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/ieplatform/ie/comctrlx86.asp.

How do I use True Type fonts for AbiWord on Linux?
AbiWord supports TrueType fonts in GNU/Linux. However your system must already have a properly configured TrueType font server. To find out how to configure your font server to use TrueType fonts, or how to install a separate TrueType font server, please read the LDP Font HOWTO.
In particular the section Making Fonts Available to X.

Please also refer to the "Customizing Fonts for Unix in AbiWord" Document.
Be aware that fonts will only appear in AbiWord if they exist in or are symlinked to the AbiWord fonts directory: /usr/share/AbiSuite/fonts

Certain font names are critical to the operation of AbiWord, notably "Times New Roman". If you want to use Microsoft's core fonts in AbiWord and the core fonts are already properly installed in a separate directory, such as (this is just an example): /usr/share/fonts/MSCoreFonts
Then to make those fonts available to AbiWord, delete or move the current fonts in /usr/share/AbiSuite/fonts and type (as root): ln -s /usr/share/fonts/MSCoreFonts/* /usr/share/AbiSuite/fonts If the fonts are already properly installed it doesn't appear necessary to update the fonts.dir and fonts.scale files (i.e. they can be left as symlinks). AbiWord should now detect the Microsoft core fonts. If you want to know how to install Microsoft's core fonts, which are freely available and redistributable with certain restrictions, download them from here: http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/fontpack/
Microsoft stipulates you can only distribute the fonts as Windows executables. It is fortunate that decoding these executables is possible under Linux: http://www.kyz.uklinux.net/cabextract.php3

Once all the TrueType fonts are extracted into a (separate) directory of your choosing you just (this explanation may be Redhat 6.2+ specific):
(a) execute ttmkfdir (the True Type make font directory)
(b) execute "chkfontpath --add (directory of the fonts)", or edit /etc/X11/fs/config manually.
(c) Optional: Put the Microsoft core fonts at the top of the directories list in /etc/X11/fs/config.

Then restart the font server: /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs restart The Microsoft core fonts will now be properly installed and you can make the fonts available to AbiWord by symlinking as explained above.

I get an error message "AbiWord could not load [-*-Times New Roman-regular-r-*-*-*-0-*-*-*-*-*-*]"

If you recieve the message "AbiWord could not load the following font or fontset from the X Window System display server, [-*-Times New Roman-regular-r-*-*-*-0-*-*-*-*-*-*]" or something similar try the following, add the line load "type1" to your /etc/X11/XF86Config or XF86Config-4 file.You will need to do this as root.

You may also want to try the following command if you still have problems
/usr/sbin/chkfontpath -a /usr/share/AbiSuite/fonts. Again, you will need to do this as root. Check the AbiSuite directory path as it may have been changed by the packager depending of the distribution.