OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice: Which Office Suite is Best?
The Evolution of OpenOffice: Apache OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice
Initially, OpenOffice.org served as the leading open-source office productivity solution. However, development diverged, resulting in the creation of two distinct projects: Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice.
It's important to note that Oracle Open Office, despite its name, was a closed-source offering and has since been discontinued.
Current Status of Both Suites
Both Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice remain actively maintained and continue to publish updated versions of their respective, yet comparable, office packages.
A common question arises: what are the key distinctions between these two suites, and which one represents the superior option?
Key Differences and Considerations
While both suites share a common ancestry, their development paths have led to noticeable differences. These variations impact features, update frequency, and community support.
Understanding these nuances is crucial when deciding which office suite best aligns with your specific requirements and preferences.
LibreOffice generally receives updates more frequently and incorporates new features at a faster pace than Apache OpenOffice.
The communities supporting each project also differ in size and activity levels, potentially influencing the availability of assistance and resources.
Ultimately, the "best" suite depends on individual needs. Both Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice provide robust, cost-free alternatives to proprietary office software.
The Divergence of OpenOffice and LibreOffice
Related: What Is Open Source Software, and Why Does It Matter?
The existence of both OpenOffice and LibreOffice, despite sharing a common origin, requires an understanding of their historical development.
The story begins with Sun Microsystems' acquisition of the StarOffice suite in 1999. Subsequently, in the year 2000, Sun made the decision to open-source StarOffice, resulting in the creation of OpenOffice.org.
This free and open-source office suite benefited from contributions from both Sun employees and a dedicated community of volunteers. It provided a viable office solution, particularly for Linux operating systems.
A Fork in the Road
A pivotal moment arrived in 2011 when Oracle completed its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Oracle rebranded the proprietary StarOffice as "Oracle Open Office," a move perceived by some as intentionally confusing.
Following this, Oracle discontinued StarOffice. A significant number of external contributors, including those from Go-oo – a group responsible for enhancements widely used in Linux distributions – departed the project.
These developers subsequently established LibreOffice, a direct fork of the OpenOffice.org codebase. Consequently, many Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, transitioned to bundling LibreOffice as their default office suite.
Initially, the future of the original OpenOffice.org project appeared uncertain. However, in 2011, Oracle transferred the OpenOffice.org trademarks and code to the Apache Software Foundation.
The project now known as OpenOffice is, in fact, Apache OpenOffice, and its development is overseen by Apache under the Apache license.
While LibreOffice has generally maintained a faster development pace and more frequent release cycle, the Apache OpenOffice project remains active. For example, Apache released the beta version of OpenOffice 4.1 in March of 2014.
Both suites continue to offer users free and open-source alternatives to commercial office software.
LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice: A Detailed Comparison
Both LibreOffice and OpenOffice are freely available office suites compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems. Each suite provides applications for common office tasks, including word processing, spreadsheet creation, presentation design, and database management.
A significant portion of their underlying code is shared between these two projects, resulting in a high degree of functional similarity. Their user interfaces and core features are also remarkably alike.
Visual Interface: A Closer Look
Consider the following image, showcasing LibreOffice Writer, the word processing component of the LibreOffice suite.
Now, observe a screenshot of OpenOffice Writer. While the programs share a common foundation, they aren’t entirely visually identical.
A key distinction lies in the presence of a sidebar within OpenOffice, which isn’t displayed by default in LibreOffice. This sidebar is specifically designed to optimize the user experience on widescreen displays, maximizing the use of vertical screen space.
Customization and Feature Parity
The sidebar functionality can, however, be activated within LibreOffice. This is achieved by navigating to Tools > Options, selecting LibreOffice > Advanced, enabling Experimental Features, restarting the application, and then selecting View > Sidebar.
With the sidebar enabled, the visual resemblance between the two programs becomes strikingly similar.
Functional Differences
Beyond the interface, subtle functional differences exist. For instance, LibreOffice’s status bar provides a continuously updated word count for the current document.
In contrast, OpenOffice requires users to manually access the word count via Tools > Word Count; the count isn’t displayed automatically.
Font embedding is another area where LibreOffice offers an advantage. This feature, accessible through File > Properties under the Font tab, ensures consistent document appearance across different systems, even those lacking the specified font. OpenOffice does not include this capability.
Concluding Remarks
While further distinctions can be identified, many are relatively minor. The average user may find it difficult to discern significant differences between LibreOffice and OpenOffice.
Both suites are free and open-source, allowing users to download and compare them directly. The differences are often subtle enough that a side-by-side comparison may not reveal substantial variations.
Understanding the Licensing Differences
The sidebars present in both OpenOffice and LibreOffice illustrate a key aspect of their development paths. The sidebar functionality within Apache OpenOffice represents a novel addition created directly by the OpenOffice project team.
Conversely, the experimental sidebar found in LibreOffice closely mirrors the design and functionality of its OpenOffice counterpart. This similarity is not coincidental.
Specifically, the code powering OpenOffice’s sidebar was directly adopted and integrated into LibreOffice. A crucial distinction lies in their licensing: Apache OpenOffice operates under the Apache License, while LibreOffice employs a dual licensing system of LGPLv3 and MPL.
This licensing compatibility allows LibreOffice to freely utilize and incorporate code from OpenOffice. However, the reverse is not true.
LibreOffice also boasts features, such as font embedding capabilities, that are absent in OpenOffice. This unidirectional code flow is a direct consequence of the differing license choices made by each project.
The licensing structure permits LibreOffice to integrate advancements from OpenOffice, but restricts OpenOffice from incorporating code originating from LibreOffice. This outcome stems directly from the distinct licenses governing each project’s development.
Consequently, over time, significant enhancements made to OpenOffice are likely to find their way into LibreOffice. However, substantial improvements developed within LibreOffice cannot be reciprocally integrated into OpenOffice.
This dynamic inherently provides a considerable advantage to LibreOffice, fostering faster development cycles and the inclusion of a broader range of features and improvements.
The Choice Between LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice
LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice both represent viable options for users seeking a robust, cost-free office suite. The functionalities offered by each are remarkably alike, making a discernible difference in user experience unlikely.
Should a recommendation be necessary, LibreOffice would be favored. Its development has been more vigorous, suggesting greater future potential.
However, selecting Apache OpenOffice remains a perfectly reasonable decision. It is likely to fulfill the needs of most users effectively.
A History of Division
The separation between the two projects is regrettable, particularly considering the established brand recognition enjoyed by OpenOffice.
At one point, Microsoft perceived OpenOffice as a significant threat. This concern led to the creation of promotional materials directly critical of OpenOffice, mirroring the approach seen in contemporary campaigns like Scroogled.
These earlier efforts demonstrate the competitive pressure OpenOffice once exerted on the dominant Microsoft Office suite.
Ultimately, both suites provide a powerful alternative to paid software.