Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 95885
automatically becomes default application for doc, xls, and ppt files
Last modified: 2013-01-29 21:44:05 UTC
I discovered that OOo 3.0 always sets itself to be the default application for Microsoft Office files without prompting. We installed OOo for the docx support. Hopefully, our mac users might use OOo for docx files other people send them and get used to it and only use OOo at a later time. Right now, they are upset that Microsoft Word is not opening their doc files. Unless there is a system wide way for me to stop the automatic default application changing I need to uninstall OOo to keep them happy. Thank you.
You could modify the Info.plist file to remove the file types you don't want to be used.
I looked at the info.plist file before submitting this as a bug. I only found where it lists doc, ppt, and xls along with about 20 or 30 more extensions. It doesn't say anything about becoming the default app. I think that is the list of extensions that OOo should show up for when you click "Open with". That is the only place that doc is mentioned. txt, html, and jpg are also mentioned there, but OOo somehow doesn't become the default for them automatically. Deleting that branch of the plist does prevent OOo from being the default app for doc, ppt, and xls files, but it also prevents it from showing up when I click "open with". Maybe there is something else to put in that branch to say don't become the default app automatically for these extensions but still allow the user to select OOo when clicking "Open with"?
To change the default application for a document type and read some informational material you may have a look here: http://neowiki.sixthcrusade.com/index.php/Setting_the_Default_Application