Donations to The Document Foundation help us to grow our community, run our infrastructure, organise events and share knowledge. And as a result, LibreOffice keeps on improving for all users! Many thanks to all of our supporters. Here’s a quick infographic showing how we used your donations in 2022:
In the LibreOffice community, most of our activities take place online: development, design, QA, localisation, marketing and so forth. But we like to meet face-to-face too, at events and conferences – and last weekend we did just that, at the Chemnitzer Linux-Tage 2023 in Germany.
We had a booth with LibreOffice materials (flyers, stickers, pens and books):
As it was a Linux and free software-oriented event, almost all participants already knew about (and used) LibreOffice, but they had lots of interesting questions about our project.
Some visitors to our booth told us about deployments of LibreOffice in their businesses and organisations, while others talked to us about interesting use cases of LibreOffice in education and other areas.
Thanks to the Linux-Tage organisers for a great meetup! Now we’re looking forward to more events this year – and especially the LibreOffice Conference 2023 in September… 😊
Zdeněk Crhonek (aka “raal”) from the Czech LibreOffice community writes:
The Czech team translated the LibreOffice Base Guide 7.3 – and it’s now available on the documentation page. Our team consists of three translators: Petr Kuběj, Radomír Strnad and Zdeněk Crhonek, along with localized screenshot maker Roman Toman, and Miloš Šrámek, who prepared machine translations.
A second bit of news related to guides and documentation is that Stanislav Horáček created a Czech Bookshelf page. The Bookshelf is a project of LibreOffice’s Documentation team, where the guides are converted to HTML web pages. Stanislav created an automated script, and made the first conversion of the “Getting Started Guide” Czech translation. After polishing the script, he plans to convert all Czech guides.
Many thanks to everyone in the Czech community for their work! Learn more about LibreOffice’s documentation project here.
Data protection and privacy is very important to us – and our users – in the LibreOffice project, so we’re happy to see that the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is piloting the use of LibreOffice Technology.
The EDPS is the European Union’s (EU) independent data protection authority, which monitors and ensures the protection of personal data and privacy when EU institutions and bodies process the information of individuals. From their announcement:
In February 2023, the EDPS has started piloting the use of the Open Source Software Nextcloud and Collabora Online (based on LibreOffice technology). Together, they offer the possibility to share files, send messages, make video calls, and allows collaborative drafting, in a secured cloud environment.
This pilot project is part of a wider initiative, looking at alternatives to large-scale service providers to ensure better compliance with EU regulation 2018/1725 (covering the processing of personal data). We look forward to seeing the progress and results.
Last week, we talked to Ximena Alcaman who’s working on LibreOffice installer improvements as part of the Outreachy programme. Outreachy provides internships to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation in the technical industry where they are living.
Rachael Odetayo is also working on the the LibreOffice installer, and is being mentored by Marina Latini and Jussi Pakkanen, with support from sponsors SUSE and The Document Foundation. Let’s learn more about Rachael…
My name is Rachael Odetayo and I’m from Nigeria. I studied Mass Communication at the National Open University of Nigeria. Currently, I am proud to be participating in the Outreachy internship programme. In my free time, I enjoy reading, coding, cooking, and sharing my knowledge of the Bible with others.
I learned about Outreachy while searching for an opportunity to hone my skills and hopefully secure a tech job. Then an alum shared the application link in a group channel. He shared his experience with Outreachy, and how the programme helped him develop his skills and eventually landed him a job in tech. I was immediately drawn to the idea behind the Outreachy internship and the support it offered to those who might have trouble breaking into the tech industry.
I applied to Outreachy, and after a rigorous selection process, I was accepted as an intern with LibreOffice.
I am currently working on improving the LibreOffice installer for Windows. My work focuses on streamlining the installation process, making it easier and more user-friendly for Windows users. This includes improving the user interface, fixing bugs, and enhancing the overall performance of the installer.
I am excited about this project as it will have a significant impact on the experience of LibreOffice users on Windows. My goal is to simplify and improve the installation process for Windows users, but I can’t do it alone. It would be great if others could get involved and help out with this project.
They can assist in various ways. Windows users, for instance, can assist by testing the new installer and offering feedback on any problems or improvement they would like to see.
Software developers can assist by contributing code to fix bugs, enhance performance, or provide new functionality.
Additionally, those who are unable to contribute code or time can still aid the project by making a donation. Their assistance will go a long way in helping us achieve our goal of improving the LibreOffice installer for Windows.
In my opinion, equity, diversity, and inclusion are extremely important in the tech industry and in society as a whole. When an environment is diverse and inclusive, problems are better solved and decisions are made faster, and as well, the needs and experiences of different people are better understood.
My experience with Outreachy strengthened my understanding of the value of open source in the tech industry. As an Outreachy intern, I had the opportunity to contribute to LibreOffice, which deepened my understanding of the potential of open source. I personally witnessed how people from various backgrounds and locations can come together to create something more impressive than any one of them could have done individually.
Also because open source is collaborative in nature, and allows people to freely access and modify source code, that makes it an effective avenue for driving progress and innovation in the tech industry.
Yes. At the beginning of the internship, I found myself struggling to understand the technical terms my mentors use during our daily standup meetings. I was trying my best to keep up and understand what was going on, but it was like they were speaking a completely different language. One day after a particularly confusing meeting, I finally had the courage to mention it to one of my mentors (Marina). I asked if she could write a summary of our conversation in the group channel so I could review and make sense of it all. To my delight, she not only agreed but was also understanding and supportive.
From that day on, I was able to follow along. And I learned the importance of communication and asking for help. I’m grateful to have Jussi and Marina as mentors and I sincerely appreciate their hard work and effort to ensure we have a clear understanding of our tasks.
I would recommend the Outreachy program to individuals who are underrepresented in tech, including but not limited to women, people of color, people with disabilities etc. who are interested in pursuing a career in tech, and are eligible to participate in the programme.
Today we’re talking to Ximena Alcaman, who is working on LibreOffice installer improvements as part of the Outreachy programme. Outreachy provides internships to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation in the technical industry where they are living.
Ximena is working alongside Rachael Odetayo on the LibreOffice installer, and is being mentored by Marina Latini and Jussi Pakkanen, with support from sponsors SUSE and The Document Foundation. Let’s learn more…
Hi! My name is Ximena but most people call me Xime and I’m from Chile. I have a degree in Business Administration, but I recently switched to the tech world to become a software developer. In my free time, I enjoy coding and trying out new technologies. I also like to learn new languages and travel to new places. When I’m not doing all that, you can probably find me in the garden or in the kitchen baking something (hopefully) delicious!
I came across a post about the Outreachy internships and it immediately caught my attention. At first, I wasn’t very familiar with open-source, but after doing some research, I soon realized that it was the perfect opportunity for me to gain experience and build my tech career through this internship. On top of that, the chance to be a part of a fantastic community like LibreOffice and to contribute to a product used by millions is truly exciting.
The Windows installer is a crucial component of the LibreOffice project, as it’s the primary way in which millions of users can install and use the office suite on their computers.
However, the current installer for LibreOffice is based on old code, which makes it difficult to maintain.
Our project aims to address this issue by upgrading to a more modern installer, which will make maintenance a lot easier. We’re using tools like the WiX Toolset and MSI Creator to rework the LibreOffice Windows installer. Our goal is to move away from an outdated infrastructure and upgrade to a more modern one.
We’re in the early stages of this project and we could definitely use help from the community. For example, we’re currently trying to localize the right pipeline for the installer and gather the necessary information to build a proper JSON file. However, gathering all the necessary information within the large LibreOffice codebase can be quite difficult. So, if community members can help us to locate the necessary files, it would be greatly appreciated! We would also welcome any testing or bug reports as we continue working on the project.
After this, my belief in the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion has only been reinforced. The Outreachy program has been an incredible experience as it has provided me with the opportunity to work alongside people from different backgrounds and experiences. Outreachy allowed me to learn and grow in a welcoming and supportive environment, which I think is something crucial for underrepresented groups in the tech industry. I believe that having a diverse and inclusive environment is essential for innovation and creativity, and also for creating a more equitable society.
Before this experience, I had limited knowledge and understanding of open source, so I had the idea that it was only for advanced students from tech careers or experienced developers. However, my participation in the program has changed my perspective. Outreachy offers opportunities for people of all skill levels and backgrounds, so this made me feel more welcome and included as a newcomer in open source communities.
When the contribution period started, I had doubts about my programming skills and almost waited for the next cohort to apply again. It took me about two weeks to finally contact my current mentors and I also contacted Ilmari, who kindly provided guidance and support throughout that period. I highly recommend the Outreachy programme for anyone interested in open source, as it provides valuable opportunities to get involved in open source communities and gain experience.
