LibreOffice downloads on the rise as users look to avoid subscription costs
www.computerworld.com
The free open-source Microsoft Office alternative is being downloaded by nearly 1 million users a week.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27426660

Interest in LibreOffice, the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, is on the rise, with weekly downloads of its software package close to 1 million a week. That’s the highest download number since 2023.

“We estimate around 200 million [LibreOffice] users, but it’s important to note that we respect users’ privacy and don’t track them, so we can’t say for sure,” said Mike Saunders, an open-source advocate and a deputy to the board of directors at The Document Foundation.

LibreOffice users typically want a straightforward interface, Saunders said. “They don’t want subscriptions, and they don’t want AI being ‘helpful’ by poking its nose into their work — it reminds them of Clippy from the bad old days,” he said.

There are genuine use cases for generative AI tools, but many users prefer to opt-in to it and choose when and where to enable it. “We have zero plans to put AI into LibreOffice. But we understand the value of some AI tools and are encouraging developers to create … extensions that use AI in a responsible way,” Saunders said.

  • Reannlegge@lemmy.caEnglish
    20·
    6 days ago

    Maybe this will also get more people to use Linux as they get used to the free office. As the market share of Linux grows so to will the developers working on Linux software.

  • namingthingsiseasy@programming.devEnglish
    15·
    5 days ago

    In my opinion, it’s most important for kids to learn to use these tools above all. Schools need to take the charge on using products like these instead of corporate offerings. Once that takes place, I think (hope) the floodgates will open and that we’ll finally start breaking free of the shackles of these kinds of corporate software.

    • isles@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      It’s a silly, self-reinforcing cycle, isn’t it? Admins see MS Office in the workplace and think it’s important for kids to learn it.

      • namingthingsiseasy@programming.devEnglish
        2·
        23 hours ago

        You’re right! But I see this as a perversion of education. Education should not be a job training programme. It should teach you how to think and learn. It should be a place where you “learn how to learn” to put it more accurately.

        So if you learn how to use LibreOffice in schools, you should be able to adapt when you arrive in the workplace and use MS Office instead - especially if you are still young.

        And in my opinion, having experience with two office suites makes you more productive in the end anyway. I think it helps teach you how to translate capabilities from one product to another and makes you more knowledgeable about how each of them works. At least that’s what happens to me in my experience when I learn two analogous pieces of software.

  • paequ2@lemmy.todayEnglish
    13·
    6 days ago

    As a long time Google Docs user, I downloaded Libreoffice (again after many years) 6 months ago—and it’s been great! Come on in, the waters fine!

  • k0e3@lemmy.caEnglish
    10·
    6 days ago

    The fact that I can scroll horizontally with shift+scroll wheel is reason enough to stay with LibreOffice. Why did MS get rid of that? Almost every other Windows app does this except their shitty Office products.

  • clonedhuman@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    6 days ago

    LibreOffice is great. And it’s free.

    Also piracy is a great alternative to paying subscription fees, and it’s not terribly difficult to do.

    • peteyestee@feddit.orgEnglish
      5·
      5 days ago

      It’s not even really worth it to pirate. Just stop using it if you don’t absolutely need it.

  • skozzii@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    5 days ago

    This whole situation has made me realize how much I used American goods and services as a Canadian. I used to see them as near equal when buying products, but now that I know they can be used to attack me I am going with non-US for everything and diversifying my tech. Lots of other great choices out there. I use obsidian for note taking and was delighted to find out they are Canadian owned.

    Really eye opening. I moved my cloud from office365 to sync.com, my email from Gmail to tuta mail, my domain registration from namecheap to whc.ca. IPTV instead of subscriptions for TV, cancelled adobe and use gimp. I was able to get rid of all my US-subscription services and apps that tracked me. European or Canadian companies are just as good, I just haven’t given them an opportunity.

    I still have to use Facebook for some things unfortunately , but there is no way around that as the community is there.

  • balootgaloot@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    5 days ago

    Boy Star Division has certainly come a long way since 1985.

    Ah edit: Star Office of course. I accidentally shared the name of the StartWriter company. I remember StarOffice 3.0 on Solaris.