Macro test floors StarOffice

Tests of StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org have revealed serious flaws in the macro subsystem

Firms hoping to replace Microsoft Office with Sun's recently-released StarOffice 6.0 or its OpenOffice.org stablemate should conduct careful tests before deployment. IT Week Labs has uncovered serious bugs in the macro subsystems of both StarOffice and OpenOffice that can cause the software to crash.

StarOffice is based on the same open-source software as OpenOffice, but includes proprietary enhancements from Sun. Both programs were delivered to customers last month, after an extensive public beta test.

Some companies have raised concerns that while StarOffice can import documents created with Microsoft Office applications, there is no facility to import macros from the rival suite. Without this facility, firms that use macros must rewrite them using the StarOffice environment.

Consequently, Sun recommends that developers should use the supplied library of macros as a quick introduction to the new macro language. However, our tests revealed that at least one supplied macro, Soffice.Gimmicks.ChangeAllChars, caused both suites to crash on three out of four systems we tested. On the fourth, the macro worked correctly. Macros are vital to many users, who want to automate simple but time-consuming tasks such as applying a common text formatting style.

Jonathan Mills, StarOffice product manager at Sun, said, "We have run the macros through the StarOffice quality assurance test suite and have been unable to repeat the problem."

Development expert Lloyd Walters said that when vendors such as Sun create new software they ought to switch off any features that do not work, but leave them on the menus and help systems, indicated as features that will be added in future updates.

We also added the bug to the OpenOffice.org free-of-charge technical support system. The OpenOffice team responded by saying that that there is a forthcoming version 1.0.1 bug-fix release and that the problematic macro will be fixed soon.

StarOffice is compatible with many Microsoft file formats, but cannot import Visual Basic (VB) macros from Microsoft Office documents. One IT manager said Microsoft had probably not allowed Sun to support VB in StarOffice. "The same thing happens with Microsoft Outlook up against several much better email clients. Unnecessary proprietary modes in Outlook cause problems," he said.

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