Bug 161032 - Allow removing bundled extensions
Summary: Allow removing bundled extensions
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Installation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
24.8.0.0 alpha0+
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Windows (All)
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsDevAdvice
Depends on:
Blocks: Extension-Manager
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Reported: 2024-05-10 21:14 UTC by vena.cava@virgin.net
Modified: 2024-07-08 07:49 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

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Crash report or crash signature:


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Description vena.cava@virgin.net 2024-05-10 21:14:11 UTC
Description:
I use LibreOffice in UK English with an option to use USA English. However, the extensions include default Spanish and French spelling dictionaries that can not be removed. On my setup, the Spanish and French spelling dictionaries do not appear to have any function whatsoever.  Why are they included as default spelling dictionaries and why are they not removable? Is this buggy?

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Click on the relevant tabs and look at the extensions.
2. French and Spanish spelling dictionaries are included in a UK or USA setup.
3. There is no option to delete the unwanted dictionaries.

Actual Results:
As above.

Expected Results:
I do not expect to find unwanted spelling dictionaries included.
I would expect to be able to delete (or uninstall) unwanted dictionaries.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
As above.
Comment 1 Dieter 2024-05-26 19:54:42 UTC
I confrm, that you can't delete thse extensions in extion-dialog (Tools -> Extensions). But that is the expected behaviour. Help says: "Bundled extensions are installed by the system administrator using the operating system specific installer packages. These can not be installed, updated or removed here." [1]
So it's not a bug, but enhancement request like "Allow removing bundled extensions"

cc: Design-Team


[1] https://help.libreoffice.org/24.2/en-GB/text/shared/01/packagemanager.html?System=WIN&DbPAR=WRITER&HID=desktop/ui/extensionmanager/dialog-action_area1#@@nowidget@@
Comment 2 Heiko Tietze 2024-05-27 10:16:06 UTC
Seems to be a FAQ:
Bug 136010 - Cannot disable extensions installed by package manager (=> NAB)
Bug 33060 - Bundled extensions can not be disabled (=> WF)
Bug 55364 - Bundled Extensions create huge amount of files in appdata (=> WFM)
Bug 53009 - Large UserInstallation's user/extensions/bundled/ tree (=> FIXED)
Bug 32377 - *NO* Bundled Extensions, please

Stephan did a lot work around this topic. He argued in bug 33060 comment 19 "...obvious use case for bundled (and/or shared) extensions is to let an admin install an extension that enforces some feature", and for dictionaries "The original rationale for that was that these could have different update cycles than LO...". 

I support the request however. The admin who wants to protect extensions is one use case but there is also the average user who should have full control over the application.
Comment 3 Stephan Bergmann 2024-05-27 16:11:05 UTC
The original subject of this issue was "French and Spanish spelling dictionaries are default extensions that can not be removed in a UK English LibreOffice set up."  It was generalized to "Allow removing bundled extensions" on 2024-05-26.  I'm not sure whether that was helpful.

I would still argue that we should leave the treatment of bundled extensions alone, as I did back in bug 33060 comment 19.

For the specific case of installed-but-unwanted dictionaries (and allow me to add: in case that even is an issue of practical concern), we could maybe make them optional to install in the first place, by making the selection of to-be-installed components more fine grained than it currently is?

But that dictionaries are implemented as bundled extensions is something I would consider more as an implementation detail than as a design decision to make them deinstallable post installation, and I would not extrapolate from "certain dictionaries are installed but unwanted" to "allow removing bundled extensions".
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2024-05-28 04:25:06 UTC
So let's keep the discussion at dictionaries. An installation option might be okay, though requires some effort and wont work in case of Linux distributions.

Vena, I wonder where what OS/DE you run (is hardware = Windows correct?; all details are available for copy/paste in the About dialog) and where you got the installer from.
Comment 5 vena.cava@virgin.net 2024-07-08 07:31:08 UTC
I have reviewed the discussion, and I think the status should be "NEW issue".

Which "About dialogue" that can be copy and pasted is being referring to above?

I use windows 10 (latest version) with an intel i5 8250U CPU in a HP laptop. 

Why would anyone who uses only English want built-in French and Spanish dictionaries? To me, unwanted language dictionaries are unwanted bloat?
Comment 6 vena.cava@virgin.net 2024-07-08 07:49:41 UTC
To answer the question about where did I get the installer for LibreOffice 28.2 from in a comment above:
 
I download the MSI installation file for latest master version of LibreOffice 28.2 from the LibreOffice website in the usual way, and install the files with the built-in Windows installer. 

Sometimes, for convenience, I use Winget package installer to update released versions of LibreOffice when a number of apps need updating. Winget does not update the development versions of LibreOffice, so would not have updated nor installed LibreOffice 28.2.