LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

q4osteam · 2017-07-02 13:04

This bug is related to i386 architecture only. Libreoffice Writer silently crashes on start, it looks like some sort of Debian bug. The only workaround available at the moment is to disable Java in config options. Run LibreOffice from start menu, go to "Tools" > "Options" > "Advanced" and uncheck "Use a Java environment" box.

crosscourt · 2017-07-02 20:15

Looking thru a lot of posts using Google, it appears this issue isnt limited to 32bit nor Java. 64bit users are also reporting issues and some have had success turning off OpenGL(enabled by default) or hardware acceleration or both. Most of the reports I read thru were from the Mint and Ubuntu forums but not limited to those forums.

On my system with 64bit Libreoffice Writer, it performs fine. I dont have a 32bit install to try but my previous 32bit install a few weeks ago ran Libreoffice Writer with no issues.

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-07-02 20:28)

Rademes · 2017-07-03 19:23

q4osteam wrote:

This bug is related to i386 architecture only. LibreOffice Writer silently crashes on start, it looks like some sort of Debian bug.

I have this problem on my aunt's notebook. Can you please tell me how to make launching log in terminal, so I could post it here. Maybe it will show the launching problem's reason.

Hi, crosscourt!

Last edited by Rademes (2017-07-03 19:24)

kneekoo · 2017-07-03 19:40

Rademes wrote:

Can you please tell me how to make launching log in terminal, so I could post it here.

Open a terminal, write the following command and press Enter:

libreoffice --writer

That starts Writer like the normal menu entry does, so it should fail. If it does fail, try this command - which worked for me:

libreoffice --global

crosscourt · 2017-07-03 19:54

Hey Rademes, its been a long time,nice to see you!

Im intrigued that the libreoffice -- global worked. I noticed in the Ubuntu forums that many of the silent crash issues seem to stem from configuration issues and many tried to set parameters to solve the issues with some success.

Heres some info from LibreOffice about starting the app with certain parameters,

https://help.libreoffice.org/Common/Sta … Parameters

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-07-03 20:24)

kneekoo · 2017-07-03 20:36

Judging by the difference:

--writer 	Starts with an empty Writer document.
--global 	Starts with an empty Writer master document.

it looks like the default Writer document triggers a bug in LibreOffice, while the master document doesn't.

Last edited by kneekoo (2017-07-03 20:37)

crosscourt · 2017-07-03 20:41

It appears that way, but its not affecting everyone which is what surprises me. Its happening to both 32/64bit users and isnt limited to Debian distros as there are reports from other distros, as well as Windows.

kneekoo · 2017-07-03 21:27

The default Writer document seems to be the key. It might not be buggy itself, but it could trigger a bug in LibreOffice. For some people Writer crashed after they enabled OpenGL, some say it's about Java, but whatever the difference is between the default document and the master document is what's worth investigating.

crosscourt · 2017-07-03 21:45

Its curious as many have no problems at all so whats triggering this issue? Its difficult with so many different system configurations as well as older hardware/bios/OpenGL versions and so on. Then you have some systems that have memory issues due to overheating,compatibility and bios problems.

OpenGL,OpenCL and hardware acceleration are enabled by default in LibreOffice along with Java.

Then you have the reported issues with Nvidia drivers/OpenGL that are so prevalent in the Ubuntu forums.

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-07-04 17:15)

crosscourt · 2017-07-03 22:23

Heres more on the OpenGL issues not a totally current article but still valid to the discussion,

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/OpenGL

Be sure to look thru to the bottom of the article that has info relating to crashes.

The other issue is LibreOffice requires Java, but not for all features.

https://wiki.debian.org/LibreOffice

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-07-04 04:32)

crosscourt · 2017-07-04 17:13

Many users had the LibreOffice 64bit version installed and reported immediate issues with freezing and crashes. They installed the 32bit version instead and everything was fine, this was with a variety of distros and not exclusive to Debian based distros. The systems in use appeared to be 64bit systems so its possible some type of compatibility issue is present. This occured with the two most recent versions of LibreOffice.

Rademes · 2017-07-05 10:41

crosscourt wrote:

This occured with the two most recent versions of LibreOffice.

OK, then how can I exclude LibreOffice packages from apt-get dist-upgrade? So I could stay on earlier version, which was installed on April until this bug will be fixed. In other words, how can I update everything except LibreOffice? I don't need latest LibreOffice at all.

Dai_trying · 2017-07-05 14:25

@Rademes
You can follow the Dev's advice in this post to hold packages, although as you will read it is not advised but does solve some issues.

Jerome · 2017-07-05 14:28

Not sure if this has been reported, but when I encountered this bug I uninstalled Libroffice using the "uninstall libreoffice" link in the start menu (with the intention of reinstalling it from the Q4OS Software Centre), but it wasn't uninstalled, even though there was notification that it had been. I had to use apt-get from the command line to uninstall it.

crosscourt · 2017-07-05 22:06

The problem with this situation is there isnt any one bug. In fact there are many that seem to vary based on the version of Libreoffice and the type of system and configuration you are using. In my many searches, many problems have occured since LibreOffice 5 came out but some users have found using older versions has cured their issues but there were no guarantees.

In my case Ive used both 32/64bit versions on a variety of hardware and havent experienced any of these issues.

Q4OS Forum

#1 2017-07-02 13:04

LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#2 2017-07-02 20:15

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#3 2017-07-03 19:23

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#4 2017-07-03 19:40

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#5 2017-07-03 19:54

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#6 2017-07-03 20:36

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#7 2017-07-03 20:41

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#8 2017-07-03 21:27

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#9 2017-07-03 21:45

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#10 2017-07-03 22:23

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#11 2017-07-04 17:13

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#12 2017-07-05 10:41

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#13 2017-07-05 14:25

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#14 2017-07-05 14:28

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

#15 2017-07-05 22:06

Re: LibreOffice writer crash - workaround

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