dpkg: error processing openoffice4.0-debian-menus_4.0-9714_all.deb

The installation doesn't go without a hitch:

Errors were encountered while processing:
 openoffice4.0-debian-menus_4.0-9714_all.deb

This means there were error processing the packages, hence reading back:

dpkg: error processing openoffice4.0-debian-menus_4.0-9714_all.deb (--install):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/bin/soffice', which is also in package libreoffice-common 1:4.1.2~rc3-0ubuntu1

This means that you are trying to install OpenOffice.org while having LibreOffice installed. Eithe remove LibreOffice and continue the OpenOffice.org installation or forget about OpenOffice.org(or go for force-overwrite).

To do the first you must run:

sudo apt-get -f remove libreoffice-common

Then install OpenOffice.org.

Force Overwite

One way can be telling dpkg to force overwrite the exiting file. This command can be risky as in some cases, you may end up overwriting necessary files.So use it at your own risk.

To enable force-overwrite mode , pass -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-overwrite" parameter to apt-get.

sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-overwrite" install <package-name>

If you are trying to install a file using dpkg pass --force-overwrite to dpkg command.

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite <some_file.deb>

In order to make that error disappear this is what I did:

1. follow OpenOffice instruction here, in particular remove LibreOffice symlinks to "fake" soffice executable

2. when it's time for installing desktop-integration packages, force the install: sudo dpkg --force-all -i *.deb. I know this is usually discouraged ...

That of course overrides the error we are experiencing, but I already deleted the symlink manually anyway.