When Writer has more than one document open, then the window with the cursor
focus is automatically raised above all other windows.  This feature is contrary
to X Window System Guidelines in the ICCCM: although clients may send hints,
raising and lowering of windows is a function that should be left to the window
manager.  As long as the window manipulation is left to the window manager, all
applications will have a consistent UI.  But because OO autoraises/lowers it
windows, its UI is not consistent with other applications.

See the definitive guide to X Window operations: the Inter-Client Communication
Conventions Manual (ICCCM) available at http://tronche.com/gui/x/icccm/. 
Regarding the assumption by applications of functions that rightly belong to the
window manager, it says:

"For example, the claim is often made: "The client I'm writing is important, and
it needs to be on top." Perhaps it is important when it is being run in earnest,
and it should then be run under the control of a window manager that recognizes
"important" windows through some private protocol and ensures that they are on
top. However, imagine, for example, that the "important" client is being
debugged. Then, ensuring that it is always on top is no longer the appropriate
window management policy, and it should be run under a window manager that
allows other windows (for example, the debugger) to appear on top."

In practical terms, the current autoraise function is annoying when working on
more than one document because you often wish to see all of one document while
leaving one in the background.  But to cut from the background document, it is
auto-raised, obscuring the first document.

A related issue is the automatic mapping and unmapping of style windows.  For
instance, if the cursor is in a table, the table style window automatically pops
up.  Hopefully, it pops up adjacent to the document window, because if it
didn't, attempts to use it by moving the cursor towards it causes it to be
unmapped (ie to disappear) as the cursor leaves the document window in transit
to the stylist window.

This issue may be related to Issue 18186, which was closed in 2003 with no
explanation.

I realize that since OO has to run on a number of platforms (Windoze, Mac, etc.)
that perhaps this feature was included to be consistent with one of those GUIs.
However, that is no reason to force a (for instance) Mac-style on Linux or PC
users.  Ideally, it should detect the OS and emulate the style for that OS, or
at least provide an option for turning it on or off.

Thank you for looking at this problem, you guys do a great job.

Jim