Guys, I thought I would try go-openoffice to see if there was a difference that I could tell from the way I use it. In short, installed go-oo and the dependencies. go-oo WILL start for root, but WILL NOT start for normal users. The error dialog received at the same time the splash appears says Fatal Error: "The application cannot be started. The user interface language cannot be determined." Launching it from the command line results in the following error: 15:26 alchemy:~> soffice [Java framework] Error in function createSettingsDocument (elements.cxx). javaldx failed! OK, that doesn't jive with the dialog reported error, but I'm sure they are related. I have googled it and the only thing I ran across was the suggestion to check /etc/locale.gen to determine if the correct language was uncommented. I believe it is: 15:32 alchemy:~> noc /etc/locale.gen en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 en_US ISO-8859-1 The strange part is the fact it starts for root, but not a regular user (that normally sounds like a permissions problem). Java runtime permissions?? Where? Let me know what to check and whether you want me to file it as a bug and I'll be happy to. -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com