LibreOffice Writer review | Laptop Mag
Our Verdict
An open-source Word alternative lauded for delivering nigh-premium features at zippo price, it might not be pretty, but LibreOffice Writer is a word processing underdog that punches well above its weight.
For
- Free, open-source software
- Word-familiar navigation and interface
- Well documented support bachelor
Against
- Collaboration tools are practically non-real
- Online variant requires server setup
- Formatting issues with PDFs and Word documents
Laptop Magazine Verdict
An open up-source Discussion alternative lauded for delivering about-premium features at zero cost, it might not exist pretty, but LibreOffice Writer is a word processing underdog that punches well higher up its weight.
Pros
- +
Free, open up-source software
- +
Give-and-take-familiar navigation and interface
- +
Well documented support available
Cons
- -
Collaboration tools are practically non-existent
- -
Online variant requires server setup
- -
Formatting issues with PDFs and Word documents
LibreOffice is the phoenix that rose from the ashes of the now-discontinued OpenOffice, an open-source alternative to Microsoft Role that ended support a decade ago. A nonprofit under the name of The Document Foundation came together from members of the OpenOffice customs, and LibreOffice is their creation. Together, they seek to ensure the continued availability of free and open-source alternatives in the office suite market. Information technology has been over ten years and LibreOffice is even so going potent, due in role to frequent updates and support paired with a decent assortment of tools within the LibreOffice suite.
The Document Foundation has provided users with many alternatives to similar Microsoft 365 products. The wider LibreOffice suite includes Calc (a spreadsheet app similar to Excel), Print (presentation software akin to PowerPoint), Draw (a vector-based counter to Microsoft Visio), Math (a mathematical formulae tool that has no real Microsoft counterpart) and Base (an culling to Microsoft Access).
LibreOffice's crown gem, Writer, is as well included in this suite. LibreOffice Writer is a powerful alternative to Microsoft Word, and for some, it'south even ameliorate. It harkens back to a simpler Microsoft effort that was less crowded with tightly specific features and instead focused on its core purpose.
So I spent some fourth dimension getting to grips with LibreOffice Writer to see how information technology fares against the contest.
LibreOffice Writer: Freemium without a take hold of
There are many products and services that promise to evangelize premium tools for complimentary. However, many times at that place's a hidden grab. It could be that sure features are stripped away and hidden behind paywalls, forcing you to upgrade to gain the features you lot really require. It's possible the software is laden with intrusive ads or comes arranged with third-party software that'due south substantially spyware to snoop on your information (BonziBuddy, anyone?). It'due south too at present commonplace for companies to monetize their user's data directly past selling off your information to third-party marketers.
When it comes to LibreOffice, however, there is no underlying effort to make money off of its user base. Hither, gratuitous means gratis. LibreOffice is developed by a worldwide customs of people committed to promoting open standards and delivering quality tools to everybody. That's why LibreOffice is freely distributed –– to be used, modified or shared as desired by all.
And while that sounds like a lot of hippy gobbledygook, we're talking well-nigh average people banding together to supply a production that isn't otherwise offered to you as a service by a soulless corporation responsible for unleashing Windows Vista into the wild. And that's actually kind of cool.
LibreOffice Author blueprint & interface
In that location are no prizes for guessing where a lot of the inspiration for LibreOffice Author'due south design comes from. From the floating ruler to the placement of elements in the GUI, the Microsoft Discussion influence is obvious. That's not a bad thing, either. If you lot're looking to pull users away from the almost popular word processor on the market, it makes perfect sense to offering something with creature comforts. And while information technology is familiar, it certainly resides in the uncanny valley of word processors. Writer's chunky pixelated icons and dated blueprint give off a Mega Bloks over Lego vibe.
I'd later find that the pixelated icons in question were, for some reason, just the default look and could be changed to less ugly versions through options tucked away in the menus. It was a niggling clunky to navigate. But in a mode, if it wasn't for those awful-looking default icons, I might not have noticed the customization options available. I'd say it was serendipitous, only nobody actually says serendipitous.
Though Writer'south pre-installed themes are underwhelming to say the least, other customization options allow yous to shrink icons down to a reasonable size, alter their style, and likewise change the individual colors of the GUI. In just a few moments, I put together a dark mode. And while information technology was a piffling cumbersome, it was overnice to have that level of personalization available. For fans of the competition, there are too ways to customize the toolbar area to resemble that of both Google Docs and Microsoft Word's Ribbon.
Aside from the visual aspect of these changes, they're likewise going to help y'all maximise your potential screen existent-manor. Non to mention get a leg-upwardly on familiarizing yourself with the plan if y'all're switching from the competition.
The standard drove of formatting tools are available where you'd look: within the primary toolbar. At that place are more advanced formatting options found via the ribbon or drop-down menus.
At that place are also shortcuts to in-depth formatting and extras in the right-mitt sidebar. In that location, you'll discover context-sensitive properties tabs for formatting, layouts, styles, navigation and a gallery. It's a handy sidebar that helps for slightly quicker admission to some more in-depth formatting than using the drib downs or navigating the default menus.
The overall design is functional, if at times convoluted. It lacks the rounded edges you find in Google Docs or Give-and-take and feels like a very no-frills affair. To sum information technology upwardly accurately, LibreOffice Writer is visually a Microsoft Word demake. But at the terminate of the day, this is a give-and-take processor. How many styles exercise y'all actually demand when you lot're writing upwards your NaNoWriMo Star Trek civil state of war drama, "Klingon with the current of air"?
LibreOffice Writer Support: By the people, for the people
With updates oft delivered multiple times a calendar month, LibreOffice is anything simply undersupported. There are constant efforts to fine-tune and amend upon the tools in place. With a global customs's efforts, there are always new ideas or improvements to be harvested and be acted upon. As such, you're probable to detect that any issues you lot run into with regards to performance accept already been noticed by others and are in the process of being investigated.
While LibreOffice tin't offer the same level of support as paid-for services or something as robust as Google Docs, it has a fantastic grassroots community that is always willing to help and advise where possible. The suite is too well documented, all sourced from a community that really uses the products and attempts to deliver pertinent information in means that the boilerplate user can follow. There's a Wiki, an IRC channel, FAQs, mailing lists and fifty-fifty an ask.fm-styled Q&A section on their homepage.
You lot can't fault The Document Foundation on its efforts to encompass a lot of bases here. Although it can't offer live support or a dedicated team of back up agents, the group has done more than most services — even premium ones.
LibreOffice Author features and compatibility
LibreOffice is one of the few major office suites out there to work on all major operating systems. No thing if you run Windows, macOS, or Linux — you'll have admission to all the features and tools without the stresses that compatibility can frequently give. The default format of documents saved inside Author is ODF. It's an XML-based format that will work on all platforms and on most, if not all mod word processors. So should you adopt LibreOffice (or any of the other OpenOffice derivatives), the people you work and interact with won't have to switch from their preferred software to access or edit files you share with them.
LibreOffice Writer is compatible with near of your standard document types like raw text, rich text, Apple Pages and Microsoft Give-and-take. Its file compatibility doesn't simply end there, with a decent array of formats both old and new available. Looking through the accepted file formats is similar sifting through a cursory history of long-gone word processors, with support running back as far equally 1997 for various versions of popular software. Want to open that old document you made in Korean word processor Hangul back in '97? You tin can, surprisingly, exercise just that.
This isn't to say that everything is opened perfectly, nonetheless, with some Word documents and PDFs losing formatting upon loading into LibreOffice. Though, if you're looking for admission to simple Word documents and PDFs, you won't accept too many issues from LibreOffice Author.
While compatibility with other word processors is indeed a benefaction, what exactly makes LibreOffice unique? Well, that's where things are less impressive. Most of the features that make up Author are ordinarily available elsewhere. The program at large feels like a repository for reverse-engineered features from its competitors, and it forces LibreOffice to hang a lot of its allure on the fact that it'due south gratis.
There are collaborative tools — sort of. Shared files tin be edited past multiple users, all the same, merely i user tin can edit at a fourth dimension. When compared to alternative products, information technology sounds a lot like "there are as of yet, no collaborative tools". There'due south likewise an pick to admission LibreOffice as an online toolset with the grab being y'all volition need to spend the time and effort to set up that up yourself. With no readily hosted cloud-based service available, LibreOffice finds itself a step behind the contest.
Writer includes the traditional gear up of formatting options you can expect to find in about word processors. You can also depict, create tables, insert forms and edit basic web pages through a WYSIWYG (What you see is what yous get) organisation. There are a number of templates to choose from to give your documents a petty extra oomph, just the standard pickings are slim to say the least.
Thankfully, LibreOffice has a repository of templates and extensions to choose from, and so you lot can bolster both your template library and further expand the features available with numerous tertiary-political party additions. Keep in listen, yous aren't going to detect anything every bit plentiful or graphically impressive every bit Word's offerings.
Overall, the existent draw of OfficeLibre Writer is that it can do what most other word processors can exercise — competently, and free. Information technology doesn't reinvent the wheel and it doesn't practice a whole lot of showboating. If you're looking for a program that'south bringing something truly unique to the table, this isn't information technology.
Bottom line
In the U.K., we have a brand called Ronseal. Information technology'south a well-known visitor that manufactures garden and DIY products. A lot of its recognition was garnered by its simple branding and straightforward catchphrase, "it does exactly what information technology says on the tin."
LibreOffice Author is a discussion processor, and information technology has many of the features you'd expect to find in one. It doesn't accept much about it in terms of style, merely it has the substance that you'll require when information technology comes to most (if non all) writing tasks.
Writer is platonic for the individual who needs a home-based piece of software to handle word processing tasks. It exists as a viable gratis alternative that other companies may charge for, and information technology's a labor of dearest from the worldwide customs of open-source-minded developers who continually make efforts to supply the average user with affordable and competitive software. You tin can't knock that. Who doesn't want to root for the underdog?
LibreOffice is a remarkable collaborative endeavor with tools on a par with some of the best examples in office and productivity software. It's as well in a continuous country of development, cared for and improved upon by hard-working individuals yr-circular. Don't be quick to judge a book by its cover and you'll be rewarded with a real word processing workhorse.
Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/libreoffice-writer
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