Re: Any ideas why lock files do not work in Chrome OS’ Linux VM?

[Christian Lohmaier]

On Sat, Oct 14, 2023 at 4:11 PM Paul Menzel
<pmenzel+libreoffice at molgen.mpg.de> wrote:
>
> Wanting to run LibreOffice on a Google Chromebook with Chrome OS
> 117.0.5938.157, one can enable the Linux development environment, a VM
> running Debian 11 (bullseye/oldstable), and install LibreOffice 7.0.4
> into it:
>
>      $ sudo apt update
>      $ sudo apt install libreoffice # 1:7.0.4-4+deb11u7
>
> The German tutorial *LibreOffice unter Google Chrome OS auf einem
> Chromebook nutzen* [1] says to disable create of lock files by editing
> `/usr/lib/libreoffice/program/soffice` and commenting out the lines below:

That tutorial is from 2021, so might no longer be necessary

>      SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING=1 export
>      SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING
>
> Then, under expert settings `useLocking` and `UseDocumentOOoLockfile`
> need to be set to `false`.
>
> Does somebody know, why this is needed?

probably it is not that it cannot create lock files in general, but
rather that creating additional files in whatever share the documents
are opened from prevents that - you should still be able to open the
document nevertheless in the case though, you might just have to pick
in a dialog whether to open the file read only or for writing, right?

> Could LibreOffice be improved to
> enable/disable file locking at runtime depending on the environment?

We'd need more details first as to what exactly is missing. Not being
able to create a lockfile should not prevent LO from opening files to
begin with. Does it work on an external thumb drive for example / what
kind of storage are you trying to open the documents from, etc...

> [1]:
> https://linux-in-der-schule.de/2021/05/03/libreoffice-unter-google-chrome-os-auf-einem-chromebook-nutzen/