Python+StarOffice, anyone? (was Re: Database editor?)

[Alex Martelli]

"pehr anderson" <pehr at pehr.net> wrote in message
news:3992A66A.638501B8 at pehr.net...
> Dear Oliver,
>
> I believe there is an MS Access equivalent bundled into
> StarOffice 5.2. I've found this latest version of star office
> to be a pretty good replacement for *all aspects* of MS Office.

I'd love switching from Office 2000 to StarOffice if it was
really possible.  But how does StarOffice expose its inner
workings to external programs/scripts, e.g. in Python?  I
had tried to understand how to drive it from Python (like I
can do with Office 2000 and Automation -- but in Windows
only) and load Python into it (like I can do from Office's
VBA with ScriptControl and Python's ActiveScripting
compliance -- but, again, in Windows only!) at the time of
5.1, but just couldn't find out how, or even whether, it was
possible at all.

Seamless porting from Windows to Linux of Python+StarOffice
vertically integrated solutions would be VERY neat, but even
if I found a Windows-only solution (e.g. based on Automation
and COM) it would be far better than nothing -- at least it
would be freely redistributable without requiring the end-user
to buy Office 2000 licenses, which aren't exactly cheap.

But -- is it feasible at all?  If it is, where can I find documentation
as rich as that which I get for Office2000 on MSDN &tc...?


Alex