An accounting firm courting a new client that has agreed to share some old books with them, so the accountants and their support staff can put together a proposal and show the client how the firm can benefit them. The documents included in the portfolio are an account summary, created in Microsoft Word; spreadsheets in Excel; and a PowerPoint presentation. These were sent to the client before staffs from the two organizations meet face-to-face.
Microsoft has dominated the business world for the past few decades, and one reason for this is their office suite, Office. Most people refer to presentations as PowerPoint presentations and by default, most people will say they are going to write a letter or report in Word, rather than a word processor. Over the years, Microsoft has developed the suite into a tool where people in different parts of the world can collaborate on a document at the same time. It is also easy to send a document to someone and the document will look the same on the receiver's screen as it is on the sender's screen. The document most likely will not have broken parts, and the receiver can make edits and send it back with little or no problems. The suite is popular because it is an excellent tool to compose and share information and ideas.
Office also has helped Microsoft keep consumers and PC manufacturers tied to Microsoft Windows. Most PCs in businesses and homes run Windows 10 or 11, and the latest and most robust version of Office is exclusively run on the latest versions of Windows. This is how the Redmond, Washington-based company promotes progress and helps advance technology.
However, there are many who don't fit into this pathway to progress. Their vision is different, and they are not fully served by Microsoft or not served at all by the large corporation. Often those who like to tinker with computer software and hardware will not follow Microsoft's trajectory. They may like to use hardware that would is not designed to run Windows or cannot run the latest versions of it well. Many in this group prefer using older laptops and desktops, and they have various reasons for this. LibreOffice, an open-source office suite that is supported by a non-profit organization, fits better into those other pathways that some people are on. Office is flexible. It has versions for Mac OS, and there is also an online version that can be accessed through a Web browser, running on any operating system. However, its latest versions are designed to run only on the latest versions of Windows. LibreOffice does not restrict its best for one group of operating systems. Users can experience the latest version of LibreOffice on many different desktop operating systems.
Mac users, particularly those who like to keep their computers for more than 10 years, are an example of users who may appreciate this. LibreOffice is more robust than the latest version of Office for Mac. It has more applications and features. The latest version also works on older versions of Mac than the latest version of Office. Version 24.8, the latest version when this article was published, runs on MacOS 10.15 Catalina, which can run on Macs released in 2012. The latest version of Office only runs on Mac OS 12 Monterey and later, and Microsoft states that the latest version of Office works on the latest three versions of Mac OS. LibreOffice helps Mac users keep their 12-year-old Macs relevant, and Linux operating systems can be installed on Intel Macs. LibreOffice helps keep older Macs useful tools long after other software have left them behind.
Many non-Mac users also like to use older computers. There are still millions of computers that run Windows 7, 8, 8.1. The latest version of Office does not run on these versions anymore, but the latest version of LibreOffice does. Users may install Linux on old computers. Windows 10 and 11 may not run well on these computers, and they are not designed to handle 11. Some users may not like the latest versions of Windows and prefer to only use them on their work computers. They may like some feature of their older laptops or desktops, such as the number of USB ports or the keyboard. Regardless of the reason for keeping an older computer, running old Windows or another operating system, the latest version of LibreOffice will most likely run on the computer long after Microsoft has left it behind.
The suite works equally well on Windows, Mac OS, Linux operating systems, and ChromeBooks. This means that a version of LibreOffice will have the same applications and features, regardless of the operating system on which it has been installed. For example, the latest version at the time this article was published, 24.8, installs on Windows 11, Mac OS, and a Linux system designed for Raspberry Pi with the same features and applications. There are differences in fonts from operating system to operating system, and the installation process differs on each operating system. The design and capabilities of a version of LibreOffice is the same across operating systems. This means that there is not a major learning curve when someone switches to another computer with another operating system. Those interested in installing Linux on their computers may want to try LibreOffice on Windows first, so they have an office suite they are familiar with before they switch.
One key reason that LibreOffice is the same across systems is because it is open-source. This means everyone has access to the code used to write the suite. People can study the code and freely make changes to it. Programmers, therefore, have made the suite to work with the computers and operating systems they like to use.
LibreOffice is the same type of application as Office, but it is designed to be more inclusive and more flexible. This is because the goals that drive it are different from Microsoft's goal. The suite is designed to be a flexible tool that people can conform to their needs and mold it to work in the way they want it to, in their situation. It probably will never become as popular as Office, but because everyone has the right to examine it and modify it, it will probably always be there, ready to serve each user in the way he or she wants to use it.
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