Category: Tips & Tricks

Information on the ODF standard and how to move your organization to ODF-compliant document solutions

The document has been forked in a textual format (Pandoc’s Markdown) by Paolo Dongilli, to keep track of versions and changes, correct typos, add new content and easily fork it for localization purposes. It is available on GitHub: https://github.com/paolodongilli/ODF-Guidance.

This guidance gives general information on the standard, as well as more detailed information for chief technology officers and government procurement officers.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction to Open Document Format (ODF)
2. Procure ODF solutions
3. Base ODF solutions on user needs
4. Validators and compliance testing
5. Platforms and devices
6. Accessibility
7. Privacy and security
8. Avoid macros in documents
9. Integrate ODF with enterprise tools
10. Extensions, plugins and custom solutions
11. Collaborate on documents
12. Change tracking in ODF
13. Embed fonts in ODF documents
14. Corporate styles and templates
15. ODF spreadsheets and formulas
16. Support and training
17. Overview of productivity software
18. Costs and benefits of ODF

In July 2014, the UK government has selected Open Document Format (ODF) – LibreOffice native document format, officially published as international ISO/IEC standard 26300 on November 30, 2006 – as the standard for editable office documents to be used across all government offices.

The documents in this collection (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/open-document-format-odf-guidance) look at the ODF standard and related procurement issues. These include how to make sure applications and services dealing with editable documents are ODF-compliant.

There are four documents in the collection: 1. Open Document Format (ODF): an introduction; 2. Open Document Format (ODF): procurement; 3. Open Document Format (ODF): user needs; and 4. Open Document Format (ODF): validators and compliance testing. They are a useful resource for all LibreOffice advocates.

The Document Foundation issues a press release in English – and in other languages, according to the availability of volunteer translators – for major and minor software releases, and for other significant announcements such as new Advisory Board members. Press releases are key to get media coverage, and have been instrumental for the growth of LibreOffice awareness around the world (although we have had to overtake the brand awareness of another product).

Press Releases are regularly published on this blog, and are categorized under Press Releases in order to make them easy to find. On the main menu (top black bar) under Media Hub it is possible to access the category page: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/category/press-releases/ (screenshot on the left), to get the history of announcements.

The Document Foundation and LibreOffice produce a large number of articles in every kind of media, especially online: from dailies to tech magazines and blogs in every possible language. Keeping track of every publication is a real challenge, but there is a resource accessible from this blog under Media Hub > Press Clippings on the main menu (top black bar): http://www.scoop.it/t/tdf (screenshot on the left). It is a list of articles in magazines and blogs, mostly in English, updated at the end of each week (on Sunday).

Articles are spotted by search engines, but it is possible to add links manually. So, if you spot a nice article about The Document Foundation or LibreOffice, please send the link to italo@libreoffice.org. The article will be added at the end of the week, and will be available to all readers.