LibreOffice

It is quite true that Microsoft’s Office productivity suite is a must-have tool, especially in a work environment. It is equally true that there are plenty of alternatives, alternatives that come without a price tag. So instead of spending money on MS Office, you could get a free alternative, such as the properly good productivity suite LibreOffice. It comes with tools to create text documents, slideshows, diagrams, maintain databases, and compose math formulae.

If you’re familiar with OpenOffice.org, then I have to tell you this: back in 2010, LibreOffice was forked from OpenOffice.org. In the autumn of 2010, after Oracle purchased Sun Microsystems, several members of the OpenOffice.org project decided to leave. They formed a group called The Document Foundation and created LibreOffice. Then in the spring of 2011 Oracle ended OpenOffice.org’s development and donated the code and trademark to the Apache Software Foundation – and that is how Apache OpenOffice came to be. But I digress, so let’s get back on track.

LibreOffice is a cross-platform application; it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Focusing on Microsoft’s operating system alone, the system requirements for running LibreOffice on a PC are: Pentium III, Athlon or a more recent processor; 512MB of RAM memory; up to 1.5GB of free disk space; 1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colors; Windows operating system (anything from XP to Windows 8), Java for certain features of the software (Base in particular needs Java).

Just like MS Office, LibreOffice is made up of several components:
Writer – create and edit text and graphics in letters, reports, documents, and web pages.
Calc – perform calculations, analyze information, and manage lists in spreadsheets.
Draw – create and edit drawings, flow charts, and logos.
Impress – create and edit presentations for slideshows, meetings, and web pages.
Base – create and edit databses.
Math – create and edit scientific formulae and equations.

You can install all these components on your PC or you can pick and choose. When the setup wizard that helps you install LibreOffice asks you to pick between a Typical or a Custom installation, go with the custom option and thus you’ll be able to pick the components you want to install.

All the components are clearly presented on LibreOffice’s start screen. If you used OpenOffice.org in the past, you would immediately feel at home. And if you haven’t, you would very quickly figure out the interface and you won’t have any problems accessing LibreOffice’s wonderful functionality.

With LibreOffice you get to enjoy a properly good productivity suite without having to spend any money on it. Wonderful Office functionality is provided for the great price of free!