[Solved] OpenOffice or LibreOffice?

[twoolds]

1) I am upgrading, and am looking for an analysis of OpenOffice vs LibreOffice, and would appreciate pointing me to something to read.

2) If a person changes to LibreOffice, do your old OpenOffice files load, & with the same formatting, colors, etc?

3) Most important, I saw a while back, but cant find again, some advice regarding saving, renaming, backing up some user files, before upgrading. So that your preferences are installed in the new version. (In addition to backing up all the OpenOffice files I have created of course). I have read the complete announcement above, and don't see any advice in there. Can anyone point me to that info?

Thanks!

[RusselB]

While I prefer OpenOffice to LibreOffice, some people prefer LibreOffice. Both suites use the Open Document Format for saving files.
LibreOffice, to my understanding, has more compatibility with Microsoft Office than OpenOffice does.
One item, in particular that I've seen mentioned, is the fact that Microsoft Office supports an IFERROR function, which OpenOffice doesn't have... there is a work around using IF and ISERR
LibreOffice supports the IFERROR function, though I think it changes the name slightly... the compatibility is still present.

As to the backing up that I think you are referring to, that would be your user profile, which you can access by using the Windows Start Menu, and typing %appdata% in the Programs and Files search box, which should have the cursor already in it when you hit the Windows key on your keyboard, which brings up the Start Menu.

[Zizi64]

My Opinion:
Apache OpenOffice AND LibreOffice.

I prefer the LO, but I always install the latest AOO too (at least the portable version). The AOO and LO can run in same time on the Windows.

There are some differences between the AOO and LO:
For example the Calc application of the LO has can handle than three conditions of the 'conditional format' feature. This will work partially, when you open a LO Calc document in AOO.

[twoolds]

Thanks to both, this helps a lot, & gives me some direction of where to go from here.

[esperantisto]

While I prefer OpenOffice to LibreOffice, some people prefer LibreOffice. Both suites use the Open Document Format for saving files.

LibreOffice uses so called extended ODF by default.

LibreOffice, to my understanding, has more compatibility with Microsoft Office than OpenOffice does.

In my experience, LO in some cases has slightly better compatibility with Word DOC/DOCX files. However, I’ve encountered cases when AOO performs better. As for Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentation, I find no difference, but I don’t work much with those formats.

I find AOO a much better solution for working with large files and generally much more stable as compared to LO. But I have and use both suits.

[RoryOF]

I use OpenOffice exclusively. My main use is for Writer, often on large files (1000+ pages); I find it extremely stable on linux. I also use it for the occasional presentation (always in .odp format, delivered on a linux laptop).

[Lupp]

Unfortunately(?) the most recent releases of LibO (V5.1.y) are introducing are rather extensive overhaul of the user interface (menu structure mainly). I am afraid that the remaining chances to overcome the silly schism and to reunify the branches will soon be overstayed.

[KMcCMedia]

I have experienced regular hangups using Libre Office on my Windows 7 laptop; a real deal breaker. Though I noticed that Open Office (which works fine for me in Windows) seems to have abandoned the import filters that used to allow it to open my old Word Perfect 5.1 documents.

Tough problem, as I like to live in the past sometimes.

My solution has been to dual boot the computer with an Ubuntu install in a separate partition. Libre Office is native in Ubuntu and part of the package. It seems to work fine there. So when I need to import a WP51 doc; do it in Ubuntu and save the translation in a common space. Then I can work on it in either Windows with OO or Ubuntu with LO.

[RoryOF]

My advice to those using legacy formats is that they should always abandon such formats and convert to the ODF formats of OO/LibO. If OO/LibO will at present do the conversion, then the files should be converted that way, otherwise an online service such as http://www.zamzar.com may provide the conversion. The problem with legacy formats is that suddenly support for these can be lost - there is the classic tale of NASA needing to find and rebuild disused punched paper tape drives to allow access to early satellite telemetric information

Edit: I understand that support for WP formats was abandoned in more recent OO because the licensing of the code did not suit OO's terms of use.

[KMcCMedia]

Interesting about OO's terms of use.

In my case, I was loading old documents, not saving back into them. It's just that there are enough of those chestnuts around that I could want to be able to do that again from time to time, without having to go out and find everything and convert it en-masse. I suppose I still could probably muster a copy of WP51 and a virtual DOS machine and get at them that way if everything goes away someday...

[danielc]

I have both on my computers but I'm using LO less as I find the new version seeming trying to do too much unlike the low key AOO. Also part of my work entails copying and pasting data from a spreadsheet to a siebel database and LO somehow loses one column of data while AOO has no problem with that. An that became the deal breaker.

[Villeroy]

I have both on my computers but I'm using LO less as I find the new version seeming trying to do too much unlike the low key AOO. Also part of my work entails copying and pasting data from a spreadsheet to a siebel database and LO somehow loses one column of data while AOO has no problem with that. An that became the deal breaker.

If you file a bug to the LO project, there is a good chance that the problem will be fixed soon. This is not the case anymore with AOO.

How exactly do you paste data from a spreadsheet to a "siebel database"? What is the actual type of database under your "siebel database"? Do you paste somewhere in the window of another application? Which column gets lost? Do you see the column when pasting to some other application, let's say a simple text editor? Always the first one, last one, a specific one?
I would connect a Base document to that database, let's say MySQL database, and register the database document. Then I could copy a range of cells, select the [Tables] icon in the data source browser, paste and map the source columns to their respective target columns.

[esperantisto]

If you file a bug to the LO project, there is a good chance that the problem will be fixed soon. This is not the case anymore with AOO.

But you also have a very good chance to face new problems in LO that don’t exist in AOO, such as:
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/sho ... ?id=101068

[danielc]

Hi Villeroy, the database is a customized web application with Siebel as its backend. The first column from my spreadsheet, which is a blank column, somehow does not get pasted where it should be in the first field/column of the database when I open it with LO. When I pasted the copied block into a text editor the blank first column does not paste while a blank columns C, F, G etc registers as a tab. I cannot file a bug report with LO because I can't post screenshots of the application due to privacy issues. As I do not have the same problem when opening the ods file in AOO or earlier OO versions, the immediate solution to my problem was to drop LO as my main office suite. Strangely, I also feel that AOO seems to be/feel less resource hungry on my old XP systems but I do not wish to stir up a hornets nest because there is no way for me to prove it and I am changing my computers to windows 10 so I can't really comment fairly on this.

[DaveP]

I'm about to replace my wife's "creaking" old desktop, but seeing this thread I'm a bit concerned which Office suite I should install.
- I use OO and it does virtually everything I want.

But a recent article in Computer Active mag said that OO is really struggling for resource which is affecting their ability to issue updates and suggests that support may be brought to an end. I've just seen an online PCWorld article headed: 'OpenOffice coders debate retiring the free, open-source productivity suite'.

Does anyone know if there are any similar problems at LO?

[RoryOF]

They are both free, you can try each at no cost. The situation is a religious war: LibreOffice broke from the OO stable and is promoted by activists who mostly have a hatred of OO. OO is more stable and more conservative, LibreOffice suffers from rampant featuritis and less stable code. For most purposes it won't matter which you use.

[DaveP]

Wow! Thanks for a very quick response RoryOF !

Yes, I got the gist of the religious war! I realise that anything "free" can end tomorrow... and you're right, it might be a good idea to try out LO.
For myself, it's all about "the devil you know" and I'll probably stick with OO - and install it on my wife's desktop as well so I know what to do when she asks for help.

But I just wondered: how accurate is the story of OO considering product retirement?
- Hmm but if I jump to LO is the same thing liable to happen there as well anyway?

[RoryOF]

The Chairman of the AOO project published a discussion note on possible roads ahead for the AOO project, among which were included his thoughts on what an orderly retirement of the project might involve; the various media commentators, who, one presumes, are professional wordsmiths, did not read this with the care it deserves (and which they would doubtless require applied to their scribblings) and immediately trumpeted the death of the AOO project. If their other writings are as inaccurate as their reporting of that discussion note then God help all who read their writings and believe them.

[DaveP]

Thank you very much for that info!

That's really a shame though because over the years I've picked up good tips from the CA mag - especially with the advent of Windows 10 where their tips on closing the leaking holes in the Microsoft "spy" package have been invaluable. You win some and lose some. I suppose!

[gkissinger]

I have written several database apps using AO BASE, HSQL split DB. These are used in medical clinical offices and each contain over 1.1 Gb in code, forms, drawings and reports. I've tried porting my apps to LO 4.x and the new 5.x release. I have to say that I am mystified as to the number problems I had. For example, list boxes on AO and LO use different bound fields, the font size can not be changed on controls on browse controls, and reverts to a standard 9pt SEGOE, no matter what font is specified on the control dialog. Since my forms are all read only LO 5.x opens every form with a yellow bar across the top, notifying the user that form is read only. (maybe this can be changed, but I didn't see how in a cursory glance). Loading forms with over 1,000 record lists is much slower, and even closing one form and opening another is much slower. Implementation of fonts also appears different between AO and LO, labels display differently. I also experienced total freezes several times. There were other issues, but at this point it was unusable for me. Overall, the only positive thing I can say is that the visual GUI (icons) in LO are more modern. I was really disappointed with LO as I too have read the articles describing the eventual demise of AO development and I can't understand the level of obvious issues with LO...

[Zizi64]

I have written several database apps using AO BASE

And what about the projects created in the LibreOffice? (Unfortunatelly there are incompatibility issues between the two opensource office suites today, because the speed of the development is basicly different.)

Note: the 'Fresh' versions of the LibreOffice are not for daily works. They are published for testing by the volunteers of LO in the world. If you found a bug in the 5.3.0 version, then you can report it on the bug reports pages.

[gkissinger]

As I said, I experienced the same problems on the "stable" 4.x releases - but you have a point, I should make the effort to document and report the bugs...

[ryeisenman]

I have generally been using OpenOffice in the past and have been trying LibreOffice 5.2.3.3 on Windows 7

When accessing a spreadsheet, I find that my Open Office 4.1.3 opens much faster than Libre Office

Open Office takes about 10 secs to open a spreadsheet from a cold start.
Libre Office more like 30 secs. During which time it hangs with 'no responding' for a bit.

So my conclusion is that I am sticking with Open Office.

[Zizi64]

My LO 4.4.7 launched now (with a 1 Mib .ods filesize spreadsheet) in 6 seconds on my Win7.

My LO 5.3.3 Portable and LO 5.2.7 Portable launched with the same 1 Mib .ods file in 20 seconds.
My AOO 4.1.3 Portable launched with the 1 Mib .ods file in 8 seconds.

[John_Ha]

Many people choose AOO because it is much more stable than LO. I recently tried out LibreOffice Writer but it was hopelessly unreliable for my purposes and I dropped it like a hot brick.

If Calc is similar to Writer then:

If you want to live on the bleeding edge, and if you value new and more function over stability, and if you are only working on small spreadsheets, then LibreOffice might be a good choice for you.

If you want rock solid stability, with marginally fewer functions (which can usually be worked around), rigorously tested software that is not full of bugs, and you are doing anything more complex or large, then choose AOO. If you are a business, choose AOO because the cost of instability is far to great to bear.

It's not just "oldies" who think this - see, for example, the recent post Re: URL conversion of %23 to "#" and 404 in which new poster taadev says:

This is by far the best Office version and my first use was Libre; your's is far more stable!