Open/Neo or Word with Zotero across platforms

samuelas
I'm working on a book project and before I get too far along with citations I wondered what might be best for interoperability.

If I work on a Word doc (in Word) or an odf (in NeoOffice) on a Mac, inserting the citations with Zotero, will I be able to open it and carry on where I left off in the Windows versions of these programs (Word and/or OpenOffice)? Which of the programs is better suited to interoperability? (obviously, OpenOffice can also be used in Linux, which I view as a plus, but the second machine is more likely a PC).

Any guidance is much appreciated.

best,

Sam
  • noksagt
    will I be able to open it and carry on where I left off in the Windows versions of these programs
    Yes, if your Zotero databases are (more or less) the same. This requires using syncing in the 1.5 beta or to keep the sqlite files in 1.0 synced on machines (either by using the same database file or by syncing the file outside of Zotero).

    You can actually roundtrip references between MS Word and OO.o Writer on multiple platforms using .DOC format with bookmarks. I prefer personally to use OO.o Writer wherever I can & so use odf+fields up until I absolutely need to collaborate with Word, in which case I convert to bookmarks in a .DOC, where they stay until the project is done.
  • samuelas
    thanks! Will odf + fields work well between Neooffice (Mac) and OpenOffice on another platform? Does the same go (for citations with fields) in Word?

    many thanks again!
  • noksagt
    fields work across platforms in the same program. To work, they need to be in an odf file in OO.o and a doc file in Word. So, you obviously won't be able to use them in both Word and OO.o.
  • samuelas
    Thanks. To be clearer: I'm wondering if NeoOffice is similar enough to OpenOffice for fields to work, or would both platforms need to run OpenOffice?
  • noksagt
    I imagine that it would work, but do not use NeoOffice (on the rare occasion I am on OS X, I use the X11 OO.o). Try it & see.
  • ahoward
    Why use NeoOffice or X11 OpenOffice on a Mac? They just released 3.1 natively for Intel Macs, and the Mac Porting Project has a version that work on PPC, you just need to do a little digging to find it.
  • samuelas
    A good question--it still isn't quite as "native" as Neo--just my impression, of course.
  • noksagt
    This is drifting offtopic, but I use the X11 version because I am on PPC & it is still better-supported there. But, again, I'm rarely in OS X. I usually have my PowerBook in Linux.
    3.1 natively...and the Mac Porting Project has a version that work on PPC, you just need to do a little digging
    How much digging? As far as I know, MPP lags a bit & has only sent out release candidates of 3.1. Is there a more recent version squirreled away? If so, is it actually supported?
  • ahoward
    You're right. I phrased that quite poorly. I can never keep track of who has released what for what platform. 3.1 officially works natively on Intels. PPCs are only officially supported as far as 2.4.0. The Mac Porting Project has it up to 3.0.1. I used to use NeoOffice and felt like the MPP's version operated a little more quickly and smoothly. Never liked having to run the X11 environment to get programs working, either.

    noksagt: Straying still further off-topic: What model of PowerBook do you have? I have a PBG4 (DVI) and have been contemplating dual-booting Linux on it. I'm not sure what distro to use, though. I've tried putting Ubuntu and Debian on an old iBook G3 and it was a disaster. YellowDog wound up running alright, but dealing with yum was pain. What do you use and has it been largely problem-free?
  • noksagt
    What model of PowerBook do you have? I have a PBG4 (DVI) and have been contemplating dual-booting Linux on it.
    I also have a PBG4 w/ DVI. I have Ubuntu (Hardy) on it. I use Ubuntu on all of my machines & don't have a lot of experience with other PPC distros (had used YellowDog way back & have tried a few live CDs, but that is it). So, it might not be the best. I don't spend a lot of time tweaking the PowerBook now & don't remember any specific headaches of getting it setup. The only hiccups I can remember are that not all software I wanted was available, but I am fairly techy & so don't mind compiling binaries where there weren't PPC debs (but I didn't have to do that too much & haven't had to do that in a while). Live CD/DVDs are available for many distros, so those might be worth a shot.
  • bdarcus
    I use xubuntu, which is ubuntu, but using XCFE instead of GNOME. But I'm using it on a fairly new, and fast, Thinkpad.
  • noksagt
    Right; I think the question was specifically regarding PPC-distributions (rather than the x86 distro you run). Performance on my PowerBook is fine for me under Gnome, but a lighter-weight desktop is a good suggestion. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with xubuntu on PPC, but don't have any experience with it.
  • samuelas
    OK: so I finally downloaded OpenOffice for use on my antique iMac (1st gen star wars flat screen) after my much newer Macbook started to die. It interacts with Zotero at least 5 times faster than the copy of Word 04 I have installed. I thank the posters for their suggestion I use it. It will also assure, from what I understand, that these documents, their citations, etc., will work on the Linux box that will be my next machine (after 10 years of Macs, this Macbook was the last straw...)

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