The Role of ODF in Digital Identity and Authentication

Reliable data flows, verifiable signatures and predictable structures are essential for digital identity systems, which touch every aspect of modern digital life. They authorise transactions, confirm requests and guarantee security policies. In this context, the Open Document Format (ODF) offers a transparent, computer-readable foundation for verifying the authenticity of documents and ensuring their long-term integrity. Each ODF file is a structured ZIP container with a consistent internal layout. It contains a set of XML files that are always located in the same position. These files include meta.xml for metadata, manifest.xml for the list of files and relationships, content.xml for document data and styles.xml for presentation rules. The files are either ODT (text), ODS (spreadsheets), ODP (presentations) or ODG (drawings). Because everything is in XML format and in the same location, identity systems can analyse the content without searching for it as they would with OOXML files, which vary greatly depending on the application used to create them. Identity systems can therefore focus on specific parts of a file rather than scanning raw binary blocks, which are present in OOXML files. This is important for signing, integrity validation, metadata extraction and policy enforcement. When documents move from one identity platform to

Announcement of LibreOffice 25.8.3

Berlin, 13 November 2025 – LibreOffice 25.8.3, the third minor release of the free, volunteer-supported office suite for personal productivity in office environments, for Windows, MacOS and Linux, is now available at www.libreoffice.org/download. The new version fixes 70 issues compared to the previous release, which came out in October [1]. LibreOffice 25.8.3 is based on the LibreOffice Technology, which enables the development of desktop, mobile and cloud versions – either from TDF or from the ecosystem – that fully supports the two document format standards: the open ODF or Open Document Format (ODT, ODS and ODP), and the closed and proprietary Microsoft OOXML (DOCX, XLSX and PPTX). Products based on the LibreOffice Technology are available for all major desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS), mobile platforms (Android and iOS) and the cloud. For enterprise-class deployments, TDF recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise optimized versions from ecosystem companies, with dedicated value-added features and other benefits such as SLAs and security patch backports for three to five years (www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/). English manuals for the LibreOffice 25.8 family are available for download at https://books.libreoffice.org/en/. End users can get first-level technical support from volunteers on user mailing lists and Ask LibreOffice website: ask.libreoffice.org. Downloading LibreOffice

The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 25.2.7

Berlin, 30 October 2025 – The Document Foundation announces the release of LibreOffice 25.2.7, the final maintenance release of the LibreOffice 25.2 family, available for download at www.libreoffice.org/download [1]. Users of LibreOffice 25.2.x should update to LibreOffice 25.8.x, as LibreOffice 25.2.x is approaching the end of its support period. LibreOffice 25.2.7 is based on the LibreOffice Technology, which enables the development of desktop, mobile and cloud versions – either from TDF or from the ecosystem – that fully supports the two document format standards: the open ODF or Open Document Format (ODT, ODS and ODP), and the closed and proprietary Microsoft OOXML (DOCX, XLSX and PPTX). Products based on the LibreOffice Technology are available for all major desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS), mobile platforms (Android and iOS) and the cloud. For enterprise-class deployments, TDF recommends a LibreOffice Enterprise optimized version from one of the ecosystem companies, with dedicated value-added features and other benefits such as SLAs and security patch backports for three to five years (www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/). English manuals for the LibreOffice 25.2 family are available for download at books.libreoffice.org/en/. End users can get first-level technical support from volunteers on the user mailing lists and the Ask LibreOffice

End of 10. Ten reasons to switch from Windows to Linux on your desktop

Today, Microsoft is ending official support for Windows 10. This leaves users who want to continue using the operating system with few alternatives — especially if they have an old PC that is not compatible with Windows 11’s demanding hardware requirements — other than buying a new PC. If you’re tired of struggling with your operating system instead of getting work done, it might be time to reconsider your setup. Linux isn’t just for servers and developers; it’s also a viable alternative to Windows for desktop use. Whether you’re looking for better performance, greater privacy, or a more intuitive user experience, Linux is the answer. Here are 10 reasons why switching to Linux is a good idea: No Forced Updates. Windows often interrupts your work with updates and sometimes restarts your system without permission. With Linux, you have full control over when and how you update. No surprises. No more restarts during a Zoom call! It’s Really Free. Linux costs zero in any currency. Most distributions are open source, meaning you can download, install and use them for free forever, with no licence fees or activation keys. There are also no “Pro” versions that hide features which are only available

LibreOffice turns 15: a celebration of freedom, collaboration and open technologies and standards

Fifteen years ago, we announced our ambitious plan to provide the world with a fully free and open office suite created by and for the community. Today, we are celebrating 15 years of LibreOffice — a milestone not only for the software itself, but also for the global movement that it represents. LibreOffice was born on 28 September 2010 when it was launched as a fork of OpenOffice. This was not just a technical split, but also a declaration of independence, transparency, and freedom. LibreOffice would be free: free to use, free to modify, and free from corporate constraints. From day one, our mission has been clear: to empower people through open technology. A community like no other LibreOffice has never been alone. Throughout its journey, it has been supported by a community of thousands of contributors and dozens of companies who have contributed to development, design, localisation, quality assurance and other services to support its growth. Many have simply dedicated their time, skills and passion to creating something unique and better for everyone. Over the years, the community has: Released dozens of major versions, each more powerful and significantly better than the last; Localised LibreOffice into over 120 languages,

LibreOffice and Software Freedom Day 2025 in Nepal

Updates from the Nepalese LibreOffice community: Recent protests and stress in Nepal have disrupted regular activities. Almost everything was affected, including in-person events being canceled rapidly. For open source software users, Software Freedom Day 2025 was a big celebration. But many felt disillusioned about the event. Despite all this, our community members in Nepal tuned in to an online call and turned Software Freedom Day 2025 into a success. Birendra Open Source Club – one of the student clubs and LibreOffice project contributors in Nepal, with support from Liaison Suraj Bhattarai and other key open source clubs, hopped onto Discord on 20 September. They carried out a series of talks among new and old enthusiasts and learners. The talks ranged from the importance of community and good first contributions, all the way up to open source in cybersecurity and open source pieces of hardware. Suraj shared a short talk about Open Formats and added a little fun with the Easter hunt available on the LibreOffice Asia site. Participants learned that a sense of freedom for software is only true when all the components, including formats or what we generally call “extensions,” share the same freedom as speech. It matters most