[Solved] I use OpenOffice, should I change to LibreOffice

[Canna W]

Hi,

I'm a simple-minded computer user in her 70s. I have used OpenOffice for years now, with great satisfaction - not least because the help I have got from this forum has been invaluable - really supportive. I am however hearing from friends that Office Libre has superseded OpenOffice, and I'm wondering if I ought to change over, and how easy or difficult this would be. What would also be relevant is whether or not I would continue to get support from this forum if I stay with OpenOffice...

I use a desktop computer with Windows 11 and Google. I use OpenOffice very simply too. I don't need it for anything complicated.

I'd be most grateful for your advice.

[robleyd]

From another user in your age group: if OpenOffice does what you need, there is no real reason to change to LibreOffice. You would find that you would need to adjust to a somewhat different menu structure and user interface which might be a hurdle for you.

LibreOffice does have many additional features that are not available in OpenOffice but if you are not a power user that may not be a sole reason to change.

[Canna W]

Many thanks! It sounds sensible to stay with OpenOffice.

[RoryOF]

I will only be in my 70s for a small number of months to come. I agree with robleyd about there being little reason to change from OpenOffice if it works OK for one. I've used StarOffice, then OpenOffice since 2007, having changed about 2009 to linux as operating system. I can open any old legacy files, many presentations originating at those times and updated, several book-length writings, (some still in progress - I wish I could spell procrastinating...) all using OpenOffice.

Why do I not change to LibreOffice? My first reason is that I write with /View /Non printing characters turned on, and found the blue rendering of these on LibreOffice distracting, I understand that this is or will be fixable in current or shortly forthcoming version of LO. I also found the relocation of items from menus in LO to be distracting. I have a set of macros that help with steering my writings and do not need the distraction of having to adopt these to LO (if that is necessary). I doubt that any added facilities in LO will be of assistance to me - the old 10% rule applies, that one uses 10% of a program's facilities 90% of the time.

[LastUnicorn]

I would say you would be best to switch anyway. There are several good reasons for making the switch, some of which are mentioned here: [Tutorial] Considering a Switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice? Some Useful Information

@RoryOF Rory it is now possible to change the colour of non-printing characters in LibreOffice. I loathed the blue ones too, though I still thought it worth switching to LibreOffice. At this point in time, to do that the user needs to either install a new Theme — for example 'Office 2003 Blue' Theme — or create a new Theme oneself, which isn't an onerous task, a few mouse clicks and you're good to go. Once you have the new Theme in place then go (menu) Tools > Options... > LibreOffice > Appearance > Customisations > Writer Non-Printable Characters and choose the colour from the drop-down that you want the non-printing characters to be in. The reason for this currently convoluted routine to change the colour is that it isn't currently possible to change this colour for the default 'Automatic Theme'. This was due to, in my opinion, the TDF folks being a bit too keen to push out the new feature, they should have waited to enable this for the Automatic Theme. This situation is now slated to change when version 25.8 is released in August. From there it should all be a bit easier, though that said it isn't difficult to achieve now.

LibreOffice - Black NPC's.png (30.22 KiB) Viewed 1593 times

P.S. The current situation I describe is for LibreOffice on Windows, what happens in Linux I can't say.

[MrProgrammer]

I'm wondering if I ought to change over, and how easy or difficult this would be. What would also be relevant is whether or not I would continue to get support from this forum if I stay with OpenOffice...

Though I see the topic is marked [Solved], I will add my support to those recommending you stay with OpenOffice for now. Like robleyd and RoryOF, I am in my 70s. I use OpenOffice and plan to continue with it as long as possible. I've used OpenOffice for 15 years and am very familiar with it's features, menus, and dialogs, so I do not want to switch to LibreOffice where many of those things have been rearranged. I know that LibreOffice has additional features, but OpenOffice serves my needs just fine and I don't need any of those new features. Several of the moderators here share my feelings about OpenOffice and would continue to provide support for it in the forum.

I would say that the main concern about the longevity of OpenOffice would be support for it as the operating system (Windows in your case, MacOS in mine) continues to evolve. OpenOffice has few developers who can provide updates to OpenOffice as Windows or MacOS changes. But my hardware is old enough that it won't get any software updates from Apple; the latest MacOS versions don't run on my computer. So I hope to continue with OpenOffice until this machine needs to be replaced, perhaps at the end of the decade. I keep my Apple hardware about ten years. I don't know how the situation will play out on the Windows side, but Windows 11 is fairly recent with no replacements announced yet.

At some point we may both need to switch to LibreOffice, but I am avoiding that for now and think that you can avoid it for a while too.

[Hagar Delest]

Since LibreOffice has improved the save process to prevent the risk of loosing documents, I would switch.
See: [Tutorial] The Dreaded Pound Signs: file reduced to ####.
I know that it is not a frequent issue, likely to be linked to some weird alignment of planets, but since there is a way to avoid it completely, better be on the safe side.

[Canna W]

Many thanks everyone for all you input - which was much appreciated. After reading through it, and talking to a friend, I've decided to download Office Libre after all.

[LastUnicorn]

P.S. To explicitly answer one of your questions: If you run into issues with LibreOffice then you can still post into this forum as usual. Folks will be happy to help.