Cannot enable Zotero in OpenOffice 4.X

JMartin49
I am certain advanced users have become tired of my question. Nevertheless, I need advice only advanced users can render. Here is the situation:

1. MacBook Pro, early 1015
2. OS X 10.14 (Mojave; update approximately 10/08/18 or thereabout))
3. OpenOffice 4.1.5
4. Zotero 5.0.56 (downloaded 10/14/18, but successfully installed?)
(5. Is a JAVA download of some version/functionality necessary? What version/functions)?

I followed OpenOffice Wiki documentation instructions to integrate Zotero with Open Office Writer using the Tools -> Extension manager -> Add -> go to directory instructions to no avail.

I followed the Zotero instructions at https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_integration , also to no avail.

Obviously, I am missing crucial information or cannot follow directions as they are presented.

Perhaps I installed OpenOffice and Zotero in locations (folders) that are somehow not compatible (how this could be so I do not know)? Do either OpenOffice or Zotero, or both, need to be configured through Preferences certain ways? Could this be a Mac Mojave configuration problem?

So many questions, so little understanding!

Advice helping to solve this problem is what I need.

Thank you.
  • dstillman
    We don't support OpenOffice and haven't in years. You should install LibreOffice, which is better maintained.
  • adamsmith
    I don't think Zotero is trying to be compatible with OpenOffice anymore. Use LibreOffice instead.
  • JMartin49
    Thank you both dstillman and adamsmith for your replies. Having moved from MS Word on a Windows machine to Pages on a Mac, I was not aware that OpenOffice -OO-, which has many desirable functions Pages lacks, is being superseded by LibreOffice -LO-. Assuming that OO and LO are similar and switching will not cause too many headaches, a big assumption, I know, I shall begin using LO.

    Thank you both again.
  • bwiernik
    Yes, LO is essentially a newer, more frequently updated version of OO.
  • JMartin49
    Thank you, bwiernik, for the information. I downloaded and installed LO, and followed instructions for enabling the Zotero extension in it. Useful advice in the Zotero documentation is that MAC OS X versions above 10.0 require the Java JDK utility. Whether I successfully can import citations into the test document remains to be done.
  • adamThomas
    LO is certainly prettier on screen than OO, don't know why or how? BUT Libre is still incompatible with Dragon Naturally Speaking in any version. Dragon works very well in OO ver 4.5 - only one it does :-(
    A terrible dilemma:
    Give up on Zotero - unimaginable!
    Give up on Dragon - unimaginable!
  • bwiernik
    Zotero simply can’t work with outdated versions of LibreOffice/OpenOffice (which any 4.x version very much is), sorry. I would recommend pushing Nuance to support a modern version of LibreOffice with Dragon.
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