Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

I've been using LibreOffice for over a year. It seems to be very similar to OpenOffice. How do they differ?

More features and some different displays on LibreOffice; better stability on OpenOffice.

[color=#000000]Pete[/color][/url][url=http://www.Infantigo.xyz/][color=#000000]TheGolfer[/color] wrote:I've been using LibreOffice for over a year. It seems to be very similar to OpenOffice. How do they differ?

I would go for open office because of its simplicity and user friendly!

saam123 wrote:I would go for open office because of its simplicity and user friendly!

LO spent a lot of resources to make LO more user friendly than AOO based on user opinions. If you are used to AOO, most of these efforts are wasted because the changes are contrary to what you are familiar with. But from a new user's perspective I do not see where AOO is more user friendly than AOO.

The LO has a little bit higher compatibility with the foreign fileformats like the MS binary /doc, xls.../, and the MS OOXML /docx, xlsx.../ format.
But strongly recommended to use the native International Standard ODF fileformats with both open source office suites.

Zizi64 wrote:The LO has a little bit higher compatibility with the foreign fileformats like the MS binary /doc, xls.../,

Can you prove this statement? In my experience, this is generally not true: sometimes you get better results with AOO, sometimes with LO.

Villeroy wrote:If you are used to AOO, most of these efforts are wasted because the changes are contrary to what you are familiar with.

I would not say so. There have been actually two significant changes in the LO GUI: the start screen and the side panel. But the latter was ported from AOO. So, still no big difference (and the LO start screen is a really good improvement).

esperantisto wrote:

Villeroy wrote:If you are used to AOO, most of these efforts are wasted because the changes are contrary to what you are familiar with.

I would not say so. There have been actually two significant changes in the LO GUI: the start screen and the side panel. But the latter was ported from AOO. So, still no big difference (and the LO start screen is a really good improvement).

I struggle with changed main menues, submenues, constantly changing mnemonics in German and English versions.
One thing they definitively messed up completely is the date input.

Zizi64 wrote:
The LO has a little bit higher compatibility with the foreign fileformats like the MS binary /doc, xls.../,

Can you prove this statement? In my experience, this is generally not true: sometimes you get better results with AOO, sometimes with LO.

- The Libreoffice CAN SAVE into OOXML format. (Unfortunatelly, the MS not support the Strict version of the OOXML Standard.)
- You can find many posts in this forum, when the problem was: the AOO can not open a specific foreign type document (MS binary, OOXML, Works, WordPerfect) files, etc...), and the LO can.

And yes, I agree it: There are cases, when the AOO is better for opening a foreign fileformat, therefore I have installed both of the two open source office suites, but me (personally), and our company prefers the LibreOffice.

Villeroy wrote: I struggle with changed main menues, submenues, constantly changing mnemonics in German and English versions.

I see. I use mainly Russian or English GUI (and my set of shortcuts for most frequent actions) and might have not mentioned something. Really, I still switch between the two programs without much problem.

Zizi64 wrote: - The Libreoffice CAN SAVE into OOXML format.

And, again in my experience, in approximately 30% of cases a DOCX file saved from LO is broken and does not open neither in LO nor in MSO 2007/2010. Thus, if I need to make a file available for a MSO user, I save it to DOC. It is worth mentioning, by the way, that even in LO when you choose File → Send → Email as Microsoft Word document from the menu, it will produce a DOC, not a DOCX file, which is good in order to be on the safe side.

We are using approx. 98% of cases the native International Standard ODF file formats. There is not better alternative or solution.

And we send the documents in PDF (when not needed to edit it) or in hybrid PDF format (it is a feature of the LO), and only a few of cases in 'binary MS'/'OOXML' formats.

I will go for openoffice, not that I've been using it for our company, but for it's being user-friendly and stability we know how to use it inside and out.