An artificially complex XML schema as a lock-in tool

A document format is a tool for sharing knowledge and, as such, should be as simple and accessible as possible in relation to the complexity of the document content itself. This remains true even when the format is based on an XML schema that is hidden from users when the document is displayed on screen.

Unfortunately, while an XML schema can be simple, it can also be unnecessarily complex, bloated, convoluted and difficult to implement without specific knowledge of its features.…

The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 25.2.5

LibreOffice 24.8 has now reached the end of life, so all users have to update their free office suite to the latest release

Berlin, 17 July 2025 – The Document Foundation announces the release of LibreOffice 25.2.5, the fifth maintenance release of the LibreOffice 25.2 family for Windows (Intel, AMD and ARM), macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux OSs, available for download at www.libreoffice.org/download

LibreOffice Podcast, Episode #4 – Documentation in Free and Open Source Software

Good software needs good documentation. But how do we define “good” in this sense? And what does the future hold? Find out in episode 4 of the LibreOffice Podcast! (This episode is also available on PeerTube.)

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The Role of XML in Interoperability

When different systems, applications or organisations need to communicate with each other and actually understand what is being said, interoperability is key. It enables a hospital’s software to communicate with an insurance company, for example, or one vendor’s inventory system to synchronise with another’s logistics platform.

At the heart of many of these data exchanges is XML.…

Danish Ministry switching from Microsoft Office/365 to LibreOffice

Flag and text saying Danish Ministry switching from Microsoft Office/365 to LibreOffice

Following the example of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is moving 30,000 PCs from Microsoft Office/365 to LibreOffice, the Danish Ministry of Digitalisation is doing the same.

Caroline Stage Olsen, the country’s Digitalisation Minister, plans to move half of the employees to LibreOffice over the summer, and if all goes as expected, the entire Ministry will be free from Microsoft Office/365 later in the year.…

XML: a technology at the heart of our daily lives

In my last article, I mentioned XML several times, perhaps assuming that all users had a basic understanding of it. Rereading it, I realised that an introduction to XML was needed for non-technical users, those who use XML every day without realising it, when they open a document, check the weather, place or receive an order online, or issue a digital invoice.…