The Sponsorship Package for the LibreOffice Conference 2022 in Milan is now available:
2022milanconferencesponsorshipConference Sponsorship Package
Author: Italo Vignoli
LibreOffice Conference: Call for Papers
LibreOffice Conference 2022 will be a hybrid event, both in presence and remote, scheduled for the month of September, from Thursday, September 29th at 9:00AM CEST, to Saturday, October 1st at 1:00PM CEST (https://conference.libreoffice.org/2022/). In addition, there will be a community day on Wednesday, September 28th. The event will be in Milan, northern Italy.
It will be possible to present from remote on Friday, September 30th (details will follow). Workshops will be possible only in presence, and should be agreed with organizers in order to schedule them in a specific room (which will be recorded but not streamed).
The Document Foundation invites all members and contributors to submit talks, lectures and workshops for this year’s conference. Whether you are a seasoned presenter or have never spoken in public before, if you have something interesting to share about LibreOffice, the Document Liberation Project or the Open Document Format, we want to hear from you!
Proposals should be filed by July 15, 2022, in order to guarantee that they will be considered for inclusion in the conference program.
The conference program will be based on the following tracks:
- Development, APIs, Extensions, Future Technology
- Quality Assurance
- Localization, Documentation and Native Language Projects
- Appealing Libreoffice: Ease of Use, Design and Accessibility
- Open Document Format, Document Liberation and Interoperability
- Advocating, Promoting, Marketing LibreOffice
- Diversity and Inclusion, New Generation
Presentations, case studies, and technical talks will discuss a subject in depth and will last 30 minutes (including Q&A). Lightning talks will cover a specific topic and will last 5 minutes (including Q&A).
Please send a short description/bio of yourself as well as your talk/workshop proposal to https://events.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice-conference-2022/. If you want to give multiple talks, please send a separate proposal for each.
Please check if you need a VISA to travel to Italy on this page (available in Arabic, English, Russian and Chinese): https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/. If you need a VISA, please get in touch with Italo Vignoli (italo@libreoffice.org) as soon as possible, to get an invitation letter.
If you cannot travel to Italy and prefer to present from remote, please add a note to your talk proposal, in order to allow organizers to schedule your talk on Friday (and organize a test session in advance).
If you do not agree to provide the data for the talk under the “Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License”, please explicitly state your terms. In order to make your presentation available on TDF YouTube channel, please do not submit talks containing copyrighted material (music, pictures, etc.).
Thanks a lot for your participation!
Announcement of LibreOffice 7.2.7 Community
Berlin, May 12, 2022 – LibreOffice 7.2.7 Community, the seventh minor release of the LibreOffice 7.2 family, targeted at desktop productivity, is available for download from https://www.libreoffice.org/download/.
End user support is provided by volunteers via email and online resources: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/. On the website and the wiki there are guides, manuals, tutorials and HowTos. Donations help us to make all of these resources available.
For enterprise-class deployments, TDF strongly recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners, with long-term support options, professional assistance, custom features and Service Level Agreements: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/.
LibreOffice 7.2.7’s changelog pages are available on TDF’s wiki: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.2.7/RC1 (changed in RC1) and https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.2.7/RC2 (changed in RC2).
LibreOffice Community and the LibreOffice Enterprise family of products are based on the LibreOffice Technology platform, the result of years of development efforts with the objective of providing a state of the art office suite not only for the desktop but also for mobile and the cloud.
LibreOffice Technology based products for Android and iOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/android-and-ios/, while for App Stores and ChromeOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-from-microsoft-and-mac-app-stores/
LibreOffice users, free software advocates and community members can provide financial support to The Document Foundation with a donation via PayPal, credit card or other tools at https://www.libreoffice.org/donate.
LibreOffice 7.2.7 is built with document conversion libraries from the Document Liberation Project: https://www.documentliberation.org.
LibreOffice 7.3.3 Community available for download
LibreOffice is now available for download also on SourceForge
Berlin, May 4, 2022 – LibreOffice 7.3.3 Community, the third minor release of the LibreOffice 7.3 family, targeted at technology enthusiasts and power users, is available for download from https://www.libreoffice.org/download/. In addition to the LibreOffice website, starting from tomorrow it will be possible to download LibreOffice from SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/libreoffice/files/libreoffice/stable/.
Logan Abbott, SourceForge’s President and COO, says: “We’re happy to add to our open source download library an amazing open source office suite such as LibreOffice, which is without a doubt one of the best office suites ever and one which I personally use often. I highly recommend it to anyone that needs a powerful FOSS office suite.”
The LibreOffice 7.3 family offers the highest level of compatibility in the office suite market segment, starting with native support for the OpenDocument Format (ODF) – beating proprietary formats in the areas of security and robustness – to superior support for DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files.
Microsoft files are still based on the proprietary format deprecated by ISO in 2008, which is artificially complex, and not on the ISO approved standard. This lack of respect for the ISO standard format may create issues to LibreOffice, and is a huge obstacle for transparent interoperability.
LibreOffice for enterprise deployments
For enterprise-class deployments, TDF strongly recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners, with long-term support options, professional assistance, custom features and Service Level Agreements: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/.
LibreOffice Community and the LibreOffice Enterprise family of products are based on the LibreOffice Technology platform, the result of years of development efforts with the objective of providing a state of the art office suite not only for the desktop but also for mobile and the cloud.
Products based on LibreOffice Technology are available for major desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux and Chrome OS), mobile platforms (Android and iOS) and the cloud. They may have a different name, according to each company brand strategy, but they share the same LibreOffice unique advantages, robustness and flexibility.
Availability of LibreOffice 7.3.3 Community
LibreOffice 7.3.3 Community represents the bleeding edge in term of features for open source office suites. For users whose main objective is personal productivity and therefore prefer a release that has undergone more testing and bug fixing over the new features, The Document Foundation provides LibreOffice 7.2.6 and soon LibreOffice 7.2.7.
LibreOffice 7.3.3 change log pages are available on TDF’s wiki: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.3.3/RC1 (changed in RC1) and https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.3.3/RC2 (changed in RC2). Over 80 bugs and regressions have been solved.
LibreOffice Technology based products for Android and iOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/android-and-ios/, while for App Stores and ChromeOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-from-microsoft-and-mac-app-stores/
LibreOffice individual users are assisted by a global community of volunteers: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/. On the website and the wiki there are guides, manuals, tutorials and HowTos. Donations help the project to make all of these resources available.
LibreOffice users are invited to join the community at https://ask.libreoffice.org, where they can get and provide user-to-user support. People willing to contribute their time and professional skills to the project can visit the dedicated website at https://whatcanidoforlibreoffice.org.
LibreOffice users, free software advocates and community members can provide financial support to The Document Foundation with a donation via PayPal, credit card or other tools at https://www.libreoffice.org/donate.
LibreOffice 7.3.3 is built with document conversion libraries from the Document Liberation Project: https://www.documentliberation.org.
Open Letter for the Right to Install any Software on any Device
To: Legislators in the European Union
In copy: Citizens of the European Union
The universal right to freely choose operating systems, software and services
Software design is crucial for the ecodesign and sustainability of products and hardware. Free Software systems and services enable reuse, repurposing and interoperability of devices. The universal right to freely choose operating systems, software and services is crucial for a more sustainable digital society.
The ongoing digitization of infrastructures and services comes along with a continuously growing number of electronic devices that are connected to the Internet – be it in private, public or business environments. Many of these devices need more energy and natural resources to be produced than the energy they consume during their entire lifespan. And way too many of these devices are being wasted and not reparable simply because the software stops working or is not being updated anymore.
Once the pre-installed software stops users from continuing to use their hardware, restrictive ownership models prevent users from helping themselves to enjoy longer use of their devices. Restrictions span from physically locking down hardware, to technical obscurity by using proprietary software, to legal restrictions via software licenses and end user license agreements. This way, manufacturers often prohibit repairability, access and reuse of their devices. Even after purchase, customers often do not really own their devices. They are not able to do what they want with their very own devices. If you cannot install the software you want on your own device – you don’t own it.
We, the signees of this open letter,
- recognize that free access to the hardware and software determines how long or how often a device can be used or reused.
- declare the increased longevity and reusability of our devices to be inevitable for a more sustainable digital society.
That is why we ask legislators around Europe to make use of the historic chance and enable a more sustainable use of electronic products and devices with a universal right to install and run any software on any device. To this end, we demand that:
Users have the right to freely choose operating systems and software running on their devices
Our tablets, phones and other connected devices are general purpose computers. Replacing software and operating systems on these devices enables us to extend the initial lifespan of a device and to make full use of our hardware. For the ability to reuse and repurpose our resources in a creative and sustainable way we need the universal right to install and develop any operating system and software we want on any of our devices. Any legal, technical or other obstacles to reuse these devices for any purpose must not be allowed.
Users have the right to freely choose between service providers to connect their devices wit
Users must have the free choice of providers offering software related services, meaning they can use the device from one manufacturer with the service provided by another. Many connected clients today go to waste simply because their online services go offline. Free choice of services allows these clients to be reused by connecting to another service.
Operating systems and embedded software determine possible interactions between generic sensors, modules and systems with their connected online services. For users to exercise free choice of services, they must be able to use the device from one manufacturer with any online service, which could be supplied by any other third party or by themselves. Connected services as well as the software on connected devices and applications must offer interoperability and full functionality of a device’s initial purpose with the use of Open Standards.
Devices are interoperable and compatible with open standards
Software designs and architectures determine accessibility and compatibility of hardware via standards, drivers, tools, and interfaces. Proprietary software and protocols hinder competition among manufacturers, undermine repairability of devices and create an artificial incompatibility of different devices within the same infrastructure. Interoperability of single devices however is crucial for the creation of sufficient, sustainable and long-lasting IT infrastructures. To enable interoperability, manufacturers must ensure that any data necessary to run a device’s primary function is compatible with and possible to import/export in open standards.
Source code of drivers, tools, and interfaces are published under a free license
Smaller components of a device often require specific drivers, tools, and interfaces to operate. Users need full access and free reusability of the source code of those drivers, tools, and interfaces to analyse and integrate a device within a set of interconnected devices from different manufacturers. Source code reusability is also key to exercise the full right to repair for any third-parties from professional repair shops to repair cafés to end users.
A free license is any license that gives everyone the four freedoms to use, study, share and improve the software, including Free Software and Open Source Software licenses. The obligation to publish drivers, tools, and interfaces under such a free license after market entry is key for full access to our devices and exercising the universal right to repair.
EU Ecodesign: 38 organisations demand the right to access and to reuse hardware
Open Letter on Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) Website
LibreOffice 7.3.2 Community available for download
Berlin, March 31, 2022 – LibreOffice 7.3.2 Community, the second minor release of the LibreOffice 7.3 family, targeted at technology enthusiasts and power users, is available for download from https://www.libreoffice.org/download/.
The LibreOffice 7.3 family offers the highest level of compatibility in the office suite market segment, starting with native support for the OpenDocument Format (ODF) – beating proprietary formats in the areas of security and robustness – to superior support for DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files.
Microsoft files are still based on the proprietary format deprecated by ISO in 2008, which is artificially complex, and not on the ISO approved standard. This lack of respect for the ISO standard format may create issues to LibreOffice, and is a huge obstacle for transparent interoperability.
LibreOffice for enterprise deployments
For enterprise-class deployments, TDF strongly recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners, with long-term support options, professional assistance, custom features and Service Level Agreements: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/.
LibreOffice Community and the LibreOffice Enterprise family of products are based on the LibreOffice Technology platform, the result of years of development efforts with the objective of providing a state of the art office suite not only for the desktop but also for mobile and the cloud.
Products based on LibreOffice Technology are available for major desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux and Chrome OS), mobile platforms (Android and iOS) and the cloud. They may have a different name, according to each company brand strategy, but they share the same LibreOffice unique advantages, robustness and flexibility.
Availability of LibreOffice 7.3.2 Community
LibreOffice 7.3.2 Community represents the bleeding edge in term of features for open source office suites. For users whose main objective is personal productivity and therefore prefer a release that has undergone more testing and bug fixing over the new features, The Document Foundation provides LibreOffice 7.2.6.
LibreOffice 7.3.2 change log pages are available on TDF’s wiki: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.3.2/RC1 (changed in RC1) and https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/7.3.2/RC2 (changed in RC2). Over 80 bugs and regressions have been solved.
LibreOffice Technology based products for Android and iOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/android-and-ios/, while for App Stores and ChromeOS are listed here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-from-microsoft-and-mac-app-stores/
LibreOffice individual users are assisted by a global community of volunteers: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/community-support/. On the website and the wiki there are guides, manuals, tutorials and HowTos. Donations help the project to make all of these resources available.
LibreOffice users are invited to join the community at https://ask.libreoffice.org, where they can get and provide user-to-user support. People willing to contribute their time and professional skills to the project can visit the dedicated website at https://whatcanidoforlibreoffice.org.
LibreOffice users, free software advocates and community members can provide financial support to The Document Foundation with a donation via PayPal, credit card or other tools at https://www.libreoffice.org/donate.
LibreOffice 7.3.2 is built with document conversion libraries from the Document Liberation Project: https://www.documentliberation.org.