Add a Grammar Checker to OpenOffice.org using the After the Deadline Extension

Productivity Sauce
The lack of a grammar checker is a pet peeve of many OpenOffice.org users. But there is a solution for those who are in desperate need of grammar checking capabilities in the productivity suite. The After the Deadline (AtD) extension adds a grammar checking feature based on the open source language checking server developed and maintained by Automattic (the company behind the popular WordPress software). The AtD server uses a combination of artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology to find writing errors and offer smart suggestions.
To make use of the AtD extension, you need OpenOffice.org 3.2 or later and Sun Java Runtime Environment 1.5 or higher. Installing the AtD extension is a pretty straightforward affair. Grab the latest version of the extension. In OpenOffice.org, choose Tools | Extension Manager, press the Add button, select the downloaded .oxt file, and press Open. Restart OpenOffice.org, and you are done. Before you start using AtD, you have to specify what kind of grammatical and style issues it should detect. To do this, choose Tools | Extension Manager, select the AtD extension, and press the Options button. Enable then the desired options by ticking the appropriate check boxes. Press OK when done. That's it, AtD is ready to go. Start typing, and when AtD detects a grammatical issue, it highlights it using a blue wavy line. Right-click on the highlighted fragment to view a brief description of the issue and its possible solution.
By default, the AtD extension uses the official AtD server, which requires an Internet connection. But you can also deploy the AtD server on your machine, which lets you use the service even when you are offline. To install the AtD server, download the latest AtD distribution from the project's Web site, unpack the downloaded archive, switch to the resulting directory in the terminal, and run the ./run.sh command (or ./run-lowmem.sh command if your machine has no more than 1.5GB RAM). Next, choose Tools | Extension Manager, select the AtD extension, press the Options button, and replace the default URL in the Proofreading Service section with http://127.0.0.1:1049. Press OK, and you are done.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusIssue 260/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.
After the Deadline compared to Language Tool
1. After the Deadline uses a statistical language model to detect misused words and present appropriate grammar/style suggestions. Language Tool is rule-based. This means that After the Deadline will find a broader range of English errors and present fewer false positive suggestions.
2. After the Deadline is English-only (as far as OOo is concerned). LT supports many languages. If this is important to you, then this is an important point in LT's favor.
3. After the Deadline's English rule-coverage is more comprehensive than LT. It's easier to support one language well and I had a year and a half to work on AtD full-time.
4. AtD requires an English checker because it communicates with the AtD software service. The AtD service is open source and you can run your server locally (requiring no internet then to use it). This is up to you. LT scores points because it doesn't require this. The reason for the server requirement is AtD's statistical language model. This model is huge and loading the whole thing takes up a lot of memory. If you run AtD locally, there is a low memory mode, and it works--but it's slower.
Lnaguage tools
I've using Language Tools for a while in OOorg and I don't need Internet for it :P
GL HF
Axel