WPS 11.x - available in Package Installer & How-to change language UI if installed via .deb

Here is where you can post tips and tricks to share with other users of MX. Do not ask for help in this Forum.
Post Reply
Message
Author
PPC
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:22 am

WPS 11.x - available in Package Installer & How-to change language UI if installed via .deb

#1 Post by PPC »

Hi,
I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but, on some forum threads people talked about WPS as an alternative Office suite to LibreOffice. Because it's closed source I know it won't be added to the repository and someone said it could be added to the Package Installer, like some other closed source software (Chrome, etc). Someone else said that the best place to get WPS (for non chinese/english speaking users) would be using a Flatpak file, that came with lots of interface languages options.
I installed the deb file from the official WPS site and, true, I found no other user interface languages options other than chinese and english, and there were non that I could find online, not for the WPS 11.X...

My point is that I found WPS with many user interface languages in MX's Package Installer, in the Flatpak tab! So, Mx already offers this Office suite!

Warning- for people with low disk space- it's supposed to be a download about 200 mb but the Flatpak "install" also downloads many, many additional files. Once installed the WPS flatpak uses close to 2 Gb of disk space.

You can, like I did, install WPS via deb file, from the official site (since MX's Package Installer still does not offer this file), then install WPS via flatpak in Package Installer, copy the desired "MUI" language folder that should be available under a folder that should be named something like:
/var/lib/flatpak/app/com.wps.Office/x86_64/stable/ff9efdaf3b7c318988ea16b8716966f92d20e4707fdcdd9c9df6e93959c91128/files/share/wps/office6/mui/

to the "installed from deb file" WPS, under:
/opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/mui/

Restart the WPS installed from the deb file and if it shows up in the intended language (you may have to choose UI language from the bar, on the top right), then you can go back to MX's Package Installer - Flatpak tab and delete WPS from there, saving about 2 Gb of disk space.
Note: at least in my system the first WPS screen that allows to create or open a new file always opens in English, even if most of the rest of the UI is in my own language- it's not a full translation yet). Also If you dislike this first screen simply start WPS using a empty document file (ex, a .docx file than opens directly in WPS's word processor).

That said, I read the Linux EULA, available, after installation, under: /opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/mui/default/ and it does not seem as restrictive as the one people discussed on some forum thread. So: yes, it's closed source, yes, it's chinese software, but also, very similar to MS Office and, according to my experience and most posts I read on-line, much more compatible with MS Office than LibreOffice (which is a big win for users coming from Windows or having to use documents created in MS Office). That compatibly is the only reason I installed WPS, since I've been a long time LO user, I'm too "used" to LO writer to really use another office suite as my daily driver...

Sorry for the long post, I hope this info is useful for someone else (I probably should have made 2 different posts 9_9 )

P.

User avatar
Pierre
Posts: 310
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:23 am

Re: WPS 11.x - available in Package Installer & How-to change language UI if installed via .deb

#2 Post by Pierre »

the WPS office suite is an alternative to both Libre Office & M$ Office,
and is targeted, primarily the at Windows Users ..

there is an Free version for Linux Users, as well:
http://wps-community.org/download.html
for the stand-alone *.deb file.
NB: it's main downside is that it is generally available in US English & has few other languages, available.
- in that downloaded file.

PPC
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:22 am

Re: WPS 11.x - available in Package Installer & How-to change language UI if installed via .deb

#3 Post by PPC »

to Pierre:

Thanks, I forgot to add the WPS *.deb webpage link in my original post.
Also thanks for reminding me about the "free" version: Windows and Android WPS versions are "trial" (functional but a bit crippled) versions, wich is not the case for WPS for Linux. It's a 100% free and 100% working office suit.

Adding to the knowledge base: to prospective WPS non-english/chinese speaking users- even after changing the User's Interface language, you still have to download and install the right Language Correction Dictionary for your language, from http://wps-community.org/download/dicts

Side note: When I was looking on-line for info about it I noticed that there was a WPS plug-in for windows that was supposed to give VB macros compatibility. That, unfortunately, as far as I know, does not work under Linux :-(
I'm still using LibreOffice as my main office suite, like I said in my original post, I have WPS as a back-up for dealing with .docx files...

P.

Post Reply

Return to “Tips & Tricks by users”