More about LibreOffice, the open source office suite

More about LibreOffice

With a previous article, I did a brief review of the history of the LibreOffice project, from its beginnings as a word processor for home computers, to the multiplatform office suite we know today.

Linux users are well acquainted with the qualities of this office suite. But, there are many people who in schools were only taught that Microsoft Office exists, or that because their relationship with computing is basically with mobiles they only use Google Docs. Hence, although for many it may be obvious, it seems convenient to remember them.

LibreOffice is an office suite that is made up of the following applications:

  • Writer: Word processor.
  • Calc: Spreadsheet program.
  • Impress: Tool for creating presentations.
  • Draw: Utility for creating diagrams and diagrams.
  • Base: Wizard for creating and managing databases
  • Math: It is used to express mathematical formulas.

It is worth mentioning that although the office suite can be downloaded and used for free, it is possible to obtain corporate support.

  • Certified LibreOffice Developers: They are specialists with a proven ability to master LibreOffice code: develop new features; provide support to business users, find solutions and implement them. The solutions developed are made available to the community.
  • Certified LibreOffice Migration Consultants: These professionals apply the migration protocol developed by The Document Foundation or an alternative one to deploy LibreOffice in large organizations. Its objective is to minimize loss of productivity and resistance to change from proprietary alternatives.
  • LibreOffice Professional Trainers: They are people with the ability to create training programs at all levels to use the office suite. They can do this using the Foundation's protocols or an alternative one.

More about LibreOffice. Your strengths.

Some of the reasons to give the LibreOffice office suite a try are:

  • Multi platform: The program is compatible with almost all desktop operating systems; Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Haiku. In Chromebook you can use the Linux version on the most modern computers or a fork called Collabora Office in native form.
  • Portable version: The Windows version of the program can be downloaded onto a USB stick and used without installing.
  • Integration of all applications: From any of the suite's programs, documents from the other applications can be opened and created. For example, from Writer we can create a spreadsheet.
  • Accessories: LibreOffice can extend its functionality with more than 390 proprietary extensions and more than 800 LibreOffice extensions.
  • Writing help: If spelling isn't your thing, don't worry. LibreOffice has a grammar checking system and additional dictionaries between extensions.
  • Access to images: Through an extension you can access the Openclipart.org repository. Partial support for inserting emojis.
  • Script creation: LibreOffice works with the LibreOffice Basic, JavaScript, BeanShell, and Python programming languages.
  • Communication with document management software: Support for Alfresco, Google GDrive, Nuxeo, MS SharePoint, MS OneDrive, IBM FileNet Lotus Live Files, Lotus Quickr Domino, OpenDataSpace and OpenText ELS.
  • IImport of documents in proprietary formats: LibreOffice can open the following formats: CorelDraw (v1-X7), Corel Presentation Exchange, Adobe / Macromedia Freehand (v3-11), Adobe PageMaker, Zoner / Callisto Draw (.zmf), QuarkXPress 3.1 to 4.1, MS Visio (2000- 2013),
    DXF, MET, PBM, PCD, PCX, PGM, PPM, PPM, RAS, SGF, SVM, TGA, XBM, XPM, BeagleWorks, ClarisWorks, GreatWorks, MacPaint, MacWorks, SuperPaint, MacDraw, MacDraw II, RagTime for Mac 2- 3, ClarisDraw, MacDraft among others.
  • Database engines: FirebirdSQL is the default engine for database creation. It can also connect to MariaSQL and PostgreSQL.

Document Formats

LibreOffice can work seamlessly with native Microsoft Office formats with almost no compatibility flaws. But, its native format is the OpenDocument Format. This format was declared as an international standard under the name ISO / IEC JTC1 SC34.

The idea was to create an alternative to closed document storage formats that depend on the business decisions of private companies.

The use of ODF guarantees that the format in which the documents were stored does not determine the software with which it works (or vice versa). Files in the OpenDocument Format (ODF) are platform independent and do not depend on any specific software.

Although technically the same format is used regardless of the function of the program, to make it easier to locate the files, different names are used for the different applications. For example: .odt (text) .ods (for spreadsheets), .odp (for presentations)


3 comments, leave yours

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  1.   Alejandro said

    In this sentence there is not an error?
    LibreOffice can extend its functionality with more than 390 proprietary extensions and more than 800 LibreOffice extensions.
    I think in the end you wanted to put OpenOffice.

    1.    Diego German Gonzalez said

      You are right. Thanks for your notice.

  2.   jairus2020 said

    As a linux and openoffice user, I still find some details about this application that make the migration from Msoffice to this one traumatic, and it is its compatibility in format in documents such as powerpoint and printed, since having a presentation made in power point and read in impress the format is damaged and you have to adjust from the sources to images ... and the same happens when reading the document from openoffice to powerpoint ... they are details that make integration not easy