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LibreOffice

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LibreOffice
Developer(s)The Document Foundation
Initial release25 January 2011 (2011-01-25)
Stable release
Repository
Written inC++ and Java
Operating systemBSD, Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows[3][4]
PlatformIA-32, x64 and PowerPC[4]
Available in114 languages[4]
TypeOffice suite
LicenseGNU LGPLv3[5]
Websitewww.libreoffice.org

LibreOffice (pronounced /ˌliː.brəˈɒ.fɪs/) is a free and open source office suite developed by The Document Foundation as a fork of OpenOffice.org. It is largely compatible with other major office suites, including Microsoft Office, and available on a variety of platforms. LibreOffice has no licensing fees, is available in a large number of local languages and gives users the opportunity to participate in its development.[6]

LibreOffice is a hybrid word, meaning "Free Office". Libre means free (as in freedom) in French and Spanish.

LibreOffice has been downloaded approximately 7.5 million times since its first stable launch in January 2011.[7] It is the default office suite in many Linux distributions, such as Fedora,[8] Linux Mint,[9] openSUSE,[10] and Ubuntu.[11]

LibreOffice can be run on Microsoft Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 4 or newer) or newer, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or newer, and Linux-based systems running Linux kernel version 2.6.18 or newer.[3] Ports for FreeBSD and OpenBSD are being maintained by contributors to those projects, respectively.[12][13][14]

History

Initial release

LibreOffice Writer 3.3 running on Ubuntu

On 28 September 2010, several members of the OpenOffice.org project formed a new group called "The Document Foundation". The Document Foundation created LibreOffice from their former project in response to Oracle Corporation's purchasing of Sun Microsystems over concerns that Oracle would either discontinue OpenOffice.org, or place restrictions on it as an open source project, as it had on Sun's OpenSolaris.[15][16][17][18]

It was originally hoped that the LibreOffice name would be provisional, as Oracle was invited to become a member of The Document Foundation. Oracle rejected requests to donate the OpenOffice.org brand to the project[19] and demanded that all members of the OpenOffice.org Community Council involved with The Document Foundation step down from the OOo Community Council, citing a conflict of interest.[20]

The Go-oo project was discontinued in favour of LibreOffice.[21] Improvements made by the project were merged into LibreOffice. Enhancements made in other forks are also expected to be incorporated into LibreOffice.[22][23] Also underway is the reduction of Java dependency,[24] with the goal of minimizing security issues and improving application stability.[citation needed]

As a result of the fork of OpenOffice.org into LibreOffice, and the resulting loss of developers, Oracle announced in April 2011 that it was terminating the commercial development of OpenOffice.org.[25] In June 2011, Oracle announced[26] that it would contribute the OpenOffice.org code and trademark to the Apache Software Foundation, which decided to accept the offer and start an incubation process within the foundation.

Google began to contribute programmers to LibreOffice in June 2011.[27]

Version 3.3

Impress in LibreOffice 3.3.0
Screenshot of LibreOffice Calc 3.3

LibreOffice 3.3.0 Beta 1, which was based on the beta release of OpenOffice.org 3.3, was made available on 28 September 2010—the day "The Document Foundation" was announced to act as the suite's public figurehead. The first stable version of 3.3 was released on 25 January 2011.[28] Because The Document Foundation and most of the software's new and former developers considered LibreOffice a direct continuation of OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice 3.3 continued the OpenOffice.org version numbering.

LibreOffice 3.3 features several functions not found in its OpenOffice.org counterpart, mainly as a result of Sun and then Oracle's requirement of assignment of copyright to themselves. Most of the features found in the 3.3 release were directly adapted from several already-created plugins, as well as the Go-oo fork. Among features unique to LibreOffice are:[29]

  • SVG image import
  • Lotus Word Pro and Microsoft Works import filters
  • Improved WordPerfect import
  • Dialog box for title pages
  • Navigator lets one heading be unfolded as usual in a tree view.
  • "Experimental" mode that allows unfinished features to be tried by users
  • Some bundled extensions, including Presenter View in Impress
  • Colour-coded document icons
  • On Linux, the GStreamer multimedia framework is used to render multimedia content such as videos.

Version 3.4

Redesigned Move/Copy Sheet dialog in Calc
Improved GTK+ theme integration

The second major release of LibreOffice is version 3.4, first released on 3 June 2011.[30][31] Early versions of v3.4 contained some bugs, including compatibility issues with Microsoft Office, and was therefore only recommended as suitable for early adopters.[32] By 3.4.2, the release was considered suitable for enterprises.[33]

New features and improvements in 3.4 include:[34]

  • Memory usage improvements[35]
  • Improvements to Calc, including improved speed and improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables (formerly called DataPilot in OOo/LO), support for an unlimited number of fields, and a redesigned Move/Copy Sheet dialog[31][36]
  • There is now no need to close Writer's style edit dialog to check how a new style looks.[37]
  • Several thousand lines of German comments were translated into English.[31]
  • Over 5,000 lines of dead code were removed from Writer, Calc and Impress.[31]
  • Improved GTK+ theme integration[31]
  • The Linux version renders fonts via Cairo so that text in LibreOffice is rendered the same as the rest of the desktop.[36]
  • Reduction of LibreOffice's reliance on Java[35]
  • Continuing the transition to GNU Make for building LibreOffice[38]

Release schedule

Table showing the release cadence

The Document Foundation intends to release new major versions of LibreOffice once every six months and to eventually align with the March/September schedule of the other major free software projects.[30]

The Foundation provides two different versions of LibreOffice. The latest version is available for users looking for the latest enhancements while the previous version caters to users who prefer stability.[39]

Features

Included applications

Component Description
Writer A word processor with similar functionality and file support to Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. It also can act as a basic WYSIWYG editor.[6]
Calc A spreadsheet program, similar to Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. It has a number of unique features, including a system which automatically defines series of graphs, based on information available to the user.[6][40] LibreOffice Calc still has a function called "Solver" but it is slightly different to that in OpenOffice.org.[citation needed]
Impress A presentation program resembling Microsoft PowerPoint. Presentations can be exported as SWF files, allowing them to be viewed on any computer with Adobe Flash installed.[6][41] LibreOffice Impress also includes 3D transition effects.[citation needed]
Base A database management program, similar to Microsoft Access. LibreOffice Base allows the creation and management of databases, preparation of forms and reports that provide end users easy access to data. Like Access, it can be used as a front-end for various database systems, including Access databases (JET), ODBC data sources, and MySQL or PostgreSQL.[6][42]
Draw A vector graphics editor and diagramming tool similar to Microsoft Visio and comparable in features to early versions of CorelDRAW. It provides connectors between shapes, which are available in a range of line styles and facilitate building drawings such as flowcharts. It also includes features similar to desktop publishing software such as Scribus and Microsoft Publisher.[43]
Math An application designed for creating and editing mathematical formulae. The application uses a variant of XML for creating formulas, as defined in the OpenDocument specification. These formulas can be incorporated into other documents in the LibreOffice suite, such as those created by Writer or Calc, by embedding the formulas into the document.[44]

LibreOffice also includes a PDF creator and a PDF import tool.

Supported formats

LibreOffice can import and export documents in several file formats;[6] its native format is the OpenDocument Format (ODF). Formats supported (for reading and writing) include those used by Microsoft Office, including the Office Open XML specification used in Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, which use the .docx, .pptx and .xlsx extensions, as well as to the older file formats used in Microsoft Office 95 and 97-2003, which use .doc, .ppt and .xls extensions. It also supports Rich Text File format (.rtf) and OpenOffice.org XML format.[45] LibreOffice can save password-protected XLS files. It uses only one basic encryption method compatible with many spreadsheet applications (for example Gnumeric).[citation needed]

LibreOffice has VBA macro support. It can import files from MS Works and Lotus Word Pro. LibreOffice Draw has native functionality to open SVG files, whereas OpenOffice.org Draw requires an extension.[46][47][48] There is improved EMF drawing and WordPerfect Graphics import.

Exporting to a number of non-editable formats is supported. All documents can be exported to the PDF format,[6] as well as presentations to Adobe Flash (SWF).[49] LibreOffice also has the ability to import documents in read-only mode in the Uniform Office Format,[50] Data Interchange Format[50] and the formats of Microsoft Works,[50] WordPerfect,[50] Lotus 1-2-3.[50]

Common features

Unlike OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice uses the GStreamer multimedia framework in Linux to render multimedia content such as videos in Impress and other programs. Visually, LibreOffice uses the large "Tango style" icons that are used for the application shortcuts, quick launch icons, icons for associated files and for the icons found on the toolbar of the LibreOffice programs.[51][52] They are also used on the toolbars and menus by default. OpenOffice.org uses small icon sizes and the "Classic" or "Galaxy" icon style by default.[51][53][54] LibreOffice also ships with a modified theme which looks native on GTK based Linux distributions. It also renders fonts via Cairo on Linux distributions; this means that text in LibreOffice is rendered the same as the rest of the Linux desktop.[36] The first run wizard from OpenOffice.org that guides a user through the setting of user name and the registration process has been removed from LibreOffice.[55]

Future Developments

In 2011, it was announced that plans are under way to port LibreOffice to both Android and iOS.[56]

LibreOffice Online will allow for the use of LibreOffice through a web browser by using the canvas element. Development is ongoing and it has not yet been released.[56]

Users

The Document Foundation (TDF) estimated in September 2011 that there were 10 million users worldwide who had obtained LibreOffice via downloads or CDs. Over 90% of those are on Windows, with another 5% on Mac OS X. LibreOffice is the office suite of choice for many Linux distributions, and is installed when the operating system is installed or updated; based on IDC reckonings for new or updated Linux installations in 2011, TDF estimated a subtotal of 15 million Linux users. This gives a total estimated user base of 25 million users.[57]

In 2011 the administrative authority of the Île-de-France region, which includes the city of Paris, included LibreOffice in a USB key given to students which contains free open source software. The USB key is given to approximately 800,000 students.[56]

The Document Foundation has set a target of 200 million users worldwide before the end of the decade.[57]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/
  2. ^ Italo Vignoli (6 June 2024). "LibreOffice 24.2.4 Community available for download". Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b "System Requirements" (Uses CSS3). libreoffice.org. 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Productivity Suite Download". LibreOffice. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  5. ^ The Document Foundation (2007). "GNU LGPL License". Retrieved 7 January 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g The Document Foundation (undated). "Features". Retrieved 10 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  7. ^ Iain Thomson. "On its first birthday, LibreOffice has reason to celebrate". Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Features/LibreOffice". fedoraproject.org. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Linux Mint 11 "Katya" released". The H. Heinz Heise. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  10. ^ "openSUSE 11.4 Will Be First To Roll Out With LibreOffice". opensuse.org. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  11. ^ "Features/Office applications". ubuntu.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  12. ^ bapt (13 August 2011). "bapt/libreoffice-ports — GitHub". libreoffice-ports. GitHub. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  13. ^ The OpenBSD port of LibreOffice is being maintained by Robert Nagy in collaboration with The Document Foundation.
  14. ^ LibreOffice was ported to OpenBSD in time for the 4.9 release.
  15. ^ The Document Foundation (28 September 2010). "OpenOffice.org Community announces The Document Foundation". documentfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  16. ^ Collins, Barry. "OpenOffice group breaks away from Oracle". PC Pro. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  17. ^ Clarke, Gavin. "OpenOffice files Oracle divorce papers". The Register. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  18. ^ Paul, Ryan. "Document Foundation forks OpenOffice.org, liberates it from Oracle". Ars Technica. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  19. ^ "OpenOffice.org Community announces The Document Foundation". The Document Foundation. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  20. ^ Paul, Ryan. "Oracle wants LibreOffice members to leave OOo council". Ars Technica. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  21. ^ "Your Office Suite". Go-oo. Archived from the original on 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  22. ^ "The Document Foundation FAQ". The Document Foundation. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  23. ^ Edge, Jake (28 September 2010). "Michael Meeks talks about LibreOffice and the Document Foundation". Linux Weekly News. Eklektix. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  24. ^ "[tdf-announce] TDF offers preview of future product and technology developments — The Document Foundation Mailing List Archives". listarchives.documentfoundation.org. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  25. ^ Paul, Ryan (2011). "Oracle gives up on OpenOffice after community forks the project". Ars Technica. Retrieved 19 April 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  26. ^ "Statements on OpenOffice.org Contribution to Apache" (Press release). Oracle Corporation. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  27. ^ Noyes, Katherine (20 June 2011). "Google Throws Its Weight Behind LibreOffice". Linux Line. PC World. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  28. ^ Name (required) (25 January 2011). "The Document Foundation launches LibreOffice 3.3". Blog.documentfoundation.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  29. ^ "New Features". LibreOffice. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  30. ^ a b "Release Plan". The Document Foundation Wiki. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  31. ^ a b c d e The Document Foundation (2011). "The Document Foundation Announces LibreOffice 3.4.0". Retrieved 3 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  32. ^ "Release Notes » LibreOffice". Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  33. ^ The Document Foundation (2011). "LibreOffice 3.4.2 for enterprise users". Retrieved 2 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  34. ^ "Release Notes 3.4". Wiki.documentfoundation.org. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  35. ^ a b "LibreOffice 3.3 Frees Open Source Office Suite". developer.com. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  36. ^ a b c "LibreOffice 3.4 New Features and Fixes". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  37. ^ Miklos Vajna. "Apply button to style edit dialog in Writer". Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  38. ^ Meeks, Michael LibreOffice is the future of Free Software Office suites
  39. ^ italovignoli (1 July 2011). "LibreOffice 3.4.1 provides stable new features for every user". The Document Foundation Blog. The Document Foundation. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  40. ^ "LibreOffice Calc". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  41. ^ "LibreOffice Impress". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  42. ^ "LibreOffice Base". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  43. ^ "LibreOffice Draw". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  44. ^ "LibreOffice Math". Libreoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  45. ^ "Common/XML File Formats — LibreOffice Help". Help.libreoffice.org. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  46. ^ SVG Import Filter - OpenOffice.org wiki
  47. ^ SVG Import Extension - OpenOffice.org repository for extensions
  48. ^ SVG Tiny Import/Export (does not work with OOo 3.1) - OpenOffice.org repository for extensions
  49. ^ "Impress Features". LibreOffice. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  50. ^ a b c d e "File formats — Apache OpenOffice.org Wiki". Wiki.services.openoffice.org. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  51. ^ a b "Tango style OpenOffice.org". Tango.freedesktop.org. 12 September 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2011. Cite error: The named reference "tango" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  52. ^ "OpenOffice.org 3.0 icons". Ui.openoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  53. ^ OpenOffice.org icon sets
  54. ^ "Evolution of toolbar icons". Ui.openoffice.org. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  55. ^ "OpenOffice.org first start wizard". Wiki.services.openoffice.org. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  56. ^ a b c Ryan Paul. "LibreOffice gaining momentum, heading to Android, iOS, and the Web". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  57. ^ a b "The Document Foundation celebrates its first anniversary". The Document Foundation Blog. Retrieved 28 September 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LibreOffice.

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