Common users can select a typical installer (default components, including UI languages and spelling dictionaries matching current language settings), while professionals may customize it. LibreOffice's installation procedure is pretty lengthy. Similar to Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer is a word processor which comprises standard functions and comprehensive tools for writing text, whether the goal is to create simple to-do lists and quick notes, or to develop complex ebooks with tables of contents and diagrams. Separate modules are dedicated to performing mathematical formulas, editing documents and spreadsheets, creating slideshows and graphics, and managing databases: Writer, Calc, Draw, Impress, Base, and Math.
Want to see for yourself? LibreOffice 5.1 is totally free, runs on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows and can be downloaded today.Built as a project fork from, LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite that contains tools similar to Microsoft Office. Besides better file and cloud support, the change you're most likely to notice is that LibreOffice is far faster than before. LibreOffice 5.1 has also been improved "under the hood," thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteer developers. The program also now supports importing Microsoft Write (.wri) documents and Apple Keynote 6 (.key) presentations, and Gnumeric spreadsheet files. It also does a better job of importing RTF files and Microsoft Visio projects. LibreOffice also boasts improvements for importing old Microsoft Office documents in binary formats: DOC, XLS, and PPT files. So, if you think only Microsoft Office can fully support Microsoft Office document formats, think again. The Document Foundation says this standard tends to change with each new release of Microsoft Office, often in big ways, making it a challenge for LibreOffice to keep up.įor that matter it makes using the same document difficult between Office versions. As the Document Foundation's Italo Vignoli points out, this is a transition that's been going on nine years.
Instead, Office saves documents using a " transitional" version of OOXML by default. In practice, no version of Microsoft Office, including Office 2016 has ever used the "strict" version of the standard.
Technically, Microsoft's OOXML format is an ISO standard. Besides its support for Open Document Format (ODF) 1.2, LibreOffice 5.1 also boasts improved compatibility with Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) format, Microsoft Office's default file format. The new LibreOffice also comes with improved document format support. If you're like me, and you keep a lot of work papers on cloud services, this makes LibreOffice more useful than ever. Once that's done, you can easily access your remote files with the File Menu's "Open a Remote File" and "Save to Remote Server" choices. LibreOffice should work with services that supports the open Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) protocol.įirst you'll need to set up a remote service.
This means you can create, edit, and save files to these cloud and Internet services just as easily as if they were on your PC hard drive or local area network. The supported servers include Alfresco, FTP servers, Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft OneDrive, and WebDAV. LibreOffice 5.1 has also added integration with remote servers. The trio also got new top-level menu selections - Writer "Styles " Calc "Sheet " and Impress "Slide." These make all three core applications easier to use. I found all three programs to work faster after only a day or two of getting used to the new menus.
They're designed to provide faster access to the most-used features. What The Document Foundation, LibreOffice's parent organization, has done is reorganize the menus for Writer, Calc, and Impress - LibreOffice's word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program. Unlike Microsoft Office, which long ago embraced the annoying ribbon interface, LibreOffice has stayed with the tried and true menu-based interface that any Microsoft Office 2003 user will recognize at a glance. This new version offers a reorganized user interface.
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