- #WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE WINDOWS 10#
- #WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE SOFTWARE#
- #WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE CODE#
- #WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE LICENSE#
(In fact, both versions got it from the same source: IBM’s Symphony.)
#WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE CODE#
Indeed, Apache has had to replace OpenOffice code that was copyleft-only, but when it introduced a big new sidebar, LibreOffice was able to incorporate it immediately. It means that LibreOffice can take code from Apache OpenOffice (that’s the point of permissive licences) but Apache OpenOffice can’t take code from LibreOffice (that’s the point of “copyleft” license)s. The difference in licences puts Apache OpenOffice at a disadvantage. Not everybody wants to write free code for somebody else’s benefit. However, OpenOffice has changed from a “copyleft” (GPL) licence to a permissive Apache license, which means anybody can use the code for commercial purposes. “Copyleft” licences try to ensure that the code contributed by open source programmers can only be re-used on the same terms.
#WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE LICENSE#
LibreOffice is being developed under two “copyleft” licences: GNU’s LGPLv3 and the Mozilla Public License (MPLv2).
#WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE SOFTWARE#
Indeed, Christian Schaller, a software engineering manager at Red Hat, recently wrote An Open Letter to Apache Foundation and Apache OpenOffice team to suggest that they “re-direct people who go to the website to the LibreOffice website instead.” But then IBM pulled out as well, giving its Symphony code to Apache.Īpache looks determined to continue the development of Apache OpenOffice, but without Sun, Oracle or IBM programmers, and without the sort of community support that powers LibreOffice, it’s hard to see the point. IBM needed the code for its own office program, Lotus Symphony, which was another OpenOffice fork. It laid off the programmers and gave the code and trademarks to the Apache Software Foundation, under Apache’s liberal open source license.Īt that point, a handful of IBM employees were doing the majority of OpenOffice programming. After LibreOffice came out, Oracle released one version of Oracle Open Office before deciding that the project wasn’t worth the effort. Sun Microsystems was also failing, and it was taken over by Oracle, the database software company. Dissatisfaction with Sun’s stewardship eventually prompted most of the open-source developers – along with backers such as Novell, Red Hat, and Canonical – to defect, and they forked the code to create LibreOffice. As a result, it never developed much of a community. Much of the programming was done by Sun staff, and open source contributors were obliged to give Sun rights to use their code in its commercial version of Star Office. OpenOffice was born when Sun Microsystems bought a failed German program, Star Office, and made it open source. This includes faster development, better distribution, a slicker website, and a greater focus on meeting customers’ needs. Third, LibreOffice has a better marketing strategy. Second, LibreOffice’s choice of open source licences gives it an advantage. First, LibreOffice has many more programmers and far more community support. There are three reasons why I think LibreOffice will win. There’s no great hurry, and OpenOffice still has many fans, but I think it’s better to switch to Libre sooner rather than later. However, I expect them to diverge, because Apache OpenOffice will not be able to keep up with the speed of LibreOffice’s development. The two suites are still very close, and LibreOffice includes OpenOffice Basic. LibreOffice is a forked version of OpenOffice.
#WHICH IS BETTER LIBREOFFICE OR OPENOFFICE WINDOWS 10#
Should I switch to Libre or is it time to go back to Microsoft? I like Windows 10 and have a Windows phone. I have invested a lot of time in becoming familiar with OpenOffice Basic. Now I am told that LibreOffice is better. When I found out about the LibreOffice development, I decided to ignore it. Apart from the cost, I was frustrated in getting macros to do what I wanted. I switched from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice a few years ago.