InfoWorld awards Best of Open Source to LibreOffice
LibreOffice is one of the winners of InfoWorld BOSSIE – Best of Open Source – Awards 2011.
OpenOffice.org desperately needed a rejuvenating shot in the arm, and it’s come in the form of the LibreOffice project, a variant of OO.o developed by the Document Foundation (the folks behind the ODF standard).
LibreOffice launches faster, runs more reliably, and sports an incrementally better set of features than OpenOffice.org – but what’s most important is the accelerated pace of development for the product.
The newest features show that much more attention to improving performance and making the product more like a business tool and less a me-too effort.
The latest version, LibreOffice 3.4.3, adds many useful functions: improved HTML export; better text rendering in Linux; better support for OLE links when importing an Excel document (crucial if you’re migrating away from Microsoft Office); fewer dependencies on Java for import/export and other tasks (another annoying shortcoming in OpenOffice.org); and a nonmodal Firefox/Chrome-like “Find” dialog.
They’re good additions all around.
LibreOffice’s spelling/grammar checking is still primitive compared to Microsoft Office, and there’s still a lot of clunkiness to the program.
But the whole package is finally headed in the right direction.
Doug Dineley, Executive Editor/Test Center, InfoWorld:
In every software category worth mentioning, you’ll find a competitive open source solution. And in some cases, open source is the only solution. Our 2011 Bossie Award winners represent the best that open source has to offer in application development, desktop productivity, mobile computing, and the data center.
By the way, behind the ODF standard there is OASIS and not TDF, which is a supporter of the standard and will soon apply for OASIS membership.
A great work deserves the better recognition.
LibreOffice is demonstrating that things can be done in a positive and efficient manner breaking the traditional bureaucratic mold that sometimes obstructs the good wishes of the people who support open source.
Congratulations!
Geee… I disagree, the stability of the Libre Office is not good at all, and I have had more issues with Libre Office in two months than I have had with Open Office in 8 years! The forum is a complete waste of time, no one of any consequence responds to issues despite multiple attempts to solve serious crash issues issues when using certain “features”. .
I have gone back to OOo as it remains stable.
Congratulations Folks! Keep on the good job!!!
Used OpenOffice for about five years. It did an okay job. Changed to LibreOffice because OOo was moribund.
Not so happy with LO. It has inexplicable oversights that weren’t an issue with OOo. No automatic updating. Version numbering is obtuse. Worse issue was a monumental crash when attempting to upgrade to v3.4.2. Took my computer out. Had to reformat. Don’t know why.
Thinking of going to IBM Lotus Symphony. May be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Congratulations!
While for some years, I was using and promoting OOo. But changed to LibreOffice as soon as it was available.
There were some hitches during the period of change from 3.3.x to 3.4.x (on some Linux machines).
So I went back to 3.3.x and waited another release. Then with 3.4.2, “everything” work fine.
I support this project due to the independance (TDF: a non-profit org / Stiftung, rather than a corporation), the nature of real open source community (a real positive example), and because it is multiplatform available AND of course, because it is a great product with great progress of further improvements.
Greetings from Switzerland.