LibreOffice -- Updates and Questions

[Randi]

Is that "security fix" relevant to what we are doing?

[ggordon]

I'm wondering whether the security fix is needed for all versions of LibreOffice, or just the newer versions.

I'm on my Windows computer now and after upgrading to version 7.1.8.1 it is extremely slow. I didn't even try to transcribe. Just using the hot keys to move around the page took a very long time to redraw the page. Watching the task manager while doing this, it didn't appear to be a memory constraint even though this computer has far less memory. I tried disabling Skia rendering, but that made no difference.

It appears they have introduced some sort of rendering issue rather than a memory issue. On Linux, version 7.1.8.1 did not have a check box for Skia and it no longer had the checkboxes for OpenGL either. So Linux appears to use whatever LibreOffice is currently using for rendering on Linux, but Windows is using something else.

I'm going to reinstall 6.3.5.2 on Windows until they resolve this.

I'll try this on Chrome OS to get a better sense of whether this might be just a Windows problem and not Linux.

[ggordon]

It's starting to look like they rushed out a security fix that broke something. If so, they will hopefully come out with a fixed version soon.

[Michael]

I do remember a problem with 7.05, just not what it was. Chris upgraded to that version, and he had to back off. I think I tried it, too, because I still have the installer for that version.

[Michael]

They suggested I update my Windows to the latest version, even though I'm on automatic updates. I updated to the latest two optional versions, suffered through yet another re-boot. They said if that made no difference then I should submit a bug report. Of course, Calc was still slow, so I entered a bug report.

Back to Ashuelot...

I suggest no-one go to version 7 until this is resolved.

[ggordon]

Version 7.1.8.1 on Linux on the ChromeBook is fine. On the ChromeBook, Linux is allocated only a small amount of memory to use,but it is still fast. So it appears to be a problem with the Windows version.

Even though I can install newer versions, I'm still using 6.0 and 6.1 versions of LibreOffice on Linux because they are the officially supported versions for the versions of Linux that I'm running and they continue to work fine for our spreadsheets and other projects that I do with LibreOffice.

I question the need to upgrade to the latest version of Windows. They shouldn't be putting code in LibreOffice that would only work with the latest Windows version, so I doubt that would be the problem.

[Randi]

I am using Version: 7.1.6.2 (x64) and not seeing problems.
However, my typing is so slow that I might not see the problem even if it exists

[Michael]

Interesting. You would notice. Just clicking on another cell takes 3-4 seconds for it to become active for me.

[Randi]

Copy down goes fast

Use Skia for all rendering is checked.
No problems if page is rotated.

Use anti-aliasing is not checked.

[pommystuart]

libreoffice-7.2.4.1 works fine for me. (Win11)
Alt-3 is so fast.

Forgotten where to find SKAI but it works well what ever it defaults to.

Spoke to soon.
I am NOW having some trouble, SOMETIMES when I go from the AM block to the PM block with "Go to block" = Yes (as before)
IT hangs at the end of the TA entries (also after 12hr entry in TT and TW columns) and shows the full 24hrs then reverts to the PM block as it should do.

This version started out well then I broke it.

[Maikel]

Here's a (too?) detailed explanation of the security issue.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2021/1 ... aphic-bug/

You'll learn it wasn't a LibreOffice problem as such, it's a cryptographic library created by Mozilla that has been fixed.
I would therefore suggest the OW spreadsheet speed problem isn't the result of this latest update, changing to another cell doesn't require cryptographic action, more likely it's one of the dozens of updates you didn't perform that's the culprit.

I'm using LibreOffice 7.2.4 on Windows 10 and am not experiencing any speed issues in Calc, which I use daily.
But, I'm nut using the OW spreadsheet.

[Michael]

That's why, when I installed 7.1.8 that it wanted Firefox to be closed!

[Maikel]

Not quite, as the above article mentions, Firefox isn't using this library.
LibreOffice wants you to close Firefox in order to install items so you can view ODF documents in Firefox.

[Michael]

I tried 7.2.4, but I still have the same very slow responses. Giving up, going back to Ashuelot.

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This was in my email this morning... (It is the image size! I just opened my spreadsheet, and I get a fast response when changing focus on the Setup Page. Just not on the Log Page though.)

[Bug 146108] Calc is slow to change cell focus in a document with a big background image

Comment # 2 on bug 146108 from Commit Notification

Noel Grandin committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit ... 6bda0f311c

tdf#146108 Calc slow to change cell focus..

It will be available in 7.4.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Tes ... ily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.

[Hanibal94]

That sounds good - I will wait for 7.4.0, and hope for the best.

[Michael]

[ggordon]

I'm wondering why I see the problem in Windows but not Linux. I took a look at the patch documentation and it seems to have something to do with not being able to trust the image after a change, so it rereads the image. My guess is there may be some difference in memory management between Windows and Linux such that a cached version of the image is used on Linux, but not on Windows.

[Michael]

I really wish they had a way of keeping the image in memory until it was changed with a rotation or enhancement etc. However, I suspect it is a horribly difficult process. My son said that graphic manipulation is very complicated, given the number of Operating Systems and graphic cards etc etc.

[pommystuart]

I fully unloaded the 7.2.4.1 using Revo Uninstaller not just the apps uninstaller, and loaded 7.1.7, (the lowest I could find.)

I still find that Calc hangs up showing both blocks and a quick left/right arrow or VV, fixes it.
Also sometimes the outline of the active cell disappears at the top of a block, I just assumed it is in the right place and keep on typing, (and it was).

[Michael]

Here's something very odd. I started transcribing Shoshone, image size 5.12 Mb, LibreOffice 7.2.4.1. Not slowness at all with changing from cell to cell! So, I reopened Ashuelot, image size 3.75 Mb. LibreOffice 7.2.4.1. Changing focus from one cell to another, there's a 3-4 second delay!!!??? Both images have an Angle Set of zero. I just checked the pixel sizes:

• Ashuelot: 5616x3744
• Shoshone: 5054x3744

so, even though Ashuelot's image is "smaller", it has more pixels. The image is very faded, but Shoshone has more contrast and colour which probably explains the difference in size. It's quite a coincidence that I had tested 7.1.8.1 with Ashuelot. Otherwise I might not have noticed this problem with a delay.

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I had to enhance an image because the writing was small and faint. As soon as I reloaded the image, everything slowed down and there was a 3-4 second delay when clicking on a new cell. Turning off the enhancement and reloading the image made things fast again.