LibreOffice vs OpenOffice: What's the Difference?

OpenOffice, once considered dead, has made a surprising comeback under the Apache umbrella. In this article, we'll explore the differences between LibreOffice and OpenOffice.

Apache released beta 4.1 of OpenOffice in March 2014, marking a new chapter for the project. However, many people may not know that what we now refer to as OpenOffice was actually donated by Oracle to the Apache Foundation. This change led to most Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and its flavors, switching to LibreOffice.

One significant difference between LibreOffice and OpenOffice is their development pace. LibreOffice has been releasing versions more frequently, while OpenOffice seemed stagnant. The volunteer community that worked on OpenOffice largely deserted the project, creating LibreOffice as an alternative based on the same codebase.

Oracle's involvement in the project also played a crucial role in shaping the difference between the two office suites. In 2011, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, which had previously bought StarOffice in 1999. The company renamed StarOffice to Oracle Open Office, aiming to create confusion. However, this move did not deter the OpenOffice community from continuing their work.

Looking back at history, we can see that Sun Microsystems released the StarOffice codebase and renamed it OpenOffice in 2007. LibreOffice and OpenOffice share the same open-source code, which raises the question of why there are two versions. Despite being based on the same code, each has its unique features and development paths.

In summary, while both LibreOffice and OpenOffice use the same open-source codebase, they have distinct differences in their development pace and community involvement. LibreOffice has been more active in releasing new versions, whereas OpenOffice has struggled to keep up with the pace of innovation. Despite this difference, both office suites remain popular choices for users seeking free and open-source productivity software.

Libreoffice vs openoffice