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LibreOffice Marks 40th Year With Browser-Based Overhaul (theregister.com) 28
LibreOffice, the open-source office suite that began as StarOffice in 1985, has marked its 40th anniversary with new features that it says could transform how users interact with the software. At the FOSDEM 2025 conference, developers unveiled LibreOffice 25.2, which introduces browser-based functionality and real-time collaboration capabilities through a technology called conflict-free replicated data types.
A key development is ZetaOffice, a version built for the WebAssembly runtime that enables the full office suite to run inside web browsers across operating systems and CPU architectures. The project, which entered public beta last November, allows websites to embed LibreOffice applications with complete user interfaces for editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
While the browser-based version currently requires about a gigabyte of code and additional memory to run, developers at Allotropia are working to modularize the codebase for faster loading times. The software, released under the MIT license, can be controlled via JavaScript and operates without requiring an internet connection, unlike Google Docs or LibreOffice's existing Collabora Online version.
A key development is ZetaOffice, a version built for the WebAssembly runtime that enables the full office suite to run inside web browsers across operating systems and CPU architectures. The project, which entered public beta last November, allows websites to embed LibreOffice applications with complete user interfaces for editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
While the browser-based version currently requires about a gigabyte of code and additional memory to run, developers at Allotropia are working to modularize the codebase for faster loading times. The software, released under the MIT license, can be controlled via JavaScript and operates without requiring an internet connection, unlike Google Docs or LibreOffice's existing Collabora Online version.
Time to look at OpenOffice (Score:3)
It sounds like it's time to start investigating alternative word processors.
Re: (Score:1)
Yes, why not switch to the out of date, barely maintained ancient version of Libreoffice. That sounds like a smart plan (if you're a moron).
Perhaps you might ask yourself why the mere *existence* of a separate, entirely optional web interface for LibreOffice would make you abandon it, even though it will literally make zero difference to you if you keep using the existing interface?
Re: (Score:2)
Problem with almost all projects of this nature, is that they tend to get taken over by activists over time.
And activists then proceed to enshittify the product, as they focus on their activism.
Humans are inference machines, and OP is simply inferring likely potential outcome from plentiful examples from the past.
Re: (Score:2)
I would hazard a guess that you replied to a troll from an out of touch Microsoft employee. Nice reply all the same.
Re: (Score:2)
"Out of date" is not a valid criticism. My experience with html interactions leads me to believe that this is a very bad way to implement a word processor. (Also, my needs don't include really advanced features that LibreOffice actually provides. I'd appreciate easy generation of multiple indexs much more than many of the things they actually have.)
P.S.: The best markup system for generation of indexes that I actually encountered was MSWord 5.1a for the Apple LC+ (or possibly LC2). That had the problem
I never understood why... (Score:4, Insightful)
...some people want to run ever more complex stuff in a browser.
A browser is a tool for displaying web pages. It is not, and should not be, an OS
Re:I never understood why... (Score:4, Insightful)
Basically, it comes in handy if you don't have admin access on your local machine and just need word a processor without being able to install anything.
I'd imagine that this comes in handy for school students, but probably not so much for office workers.
What I don't understand is why it took LibreOffice so long to develop this. If they had this 15 years ago, maybe Chromebooks using Google Docs would have never needed to become a requirement for many schools to use.
Re: I never understood why... (Score:2)
Did you look at the memory requirements for the web version? Running it on a limited device would be crap. The advantage of Google docs is that most of it doesn't run on your machine.
Re: (Score:2)
It's worth noting here that LibreOffice didn't take this long to develop this. They have had this for 10 years now, but their Google Docs equivalent was called Collabora Online. The news here is that LibreOffice isn't becoming Google Docs, it's becoming Microsoft Office - i.e. the standalone desktop program now has these online collaboration features.
Also it's easy to talk hindsight, but Google Docs not only broke new ground with the online office paradigm, but they actively had to ignore / make up internet
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I used to think so after using a few save game editors for a few games I play I can appreciate the convenience of things just working regardless if you are Windows, Linux, or macOS.
Of course that Jurassic Park quote comes to mind:
Your Programmers Were So Preoccupied With Whether Or Not They Could (run all software in a browser), They Didn't Stop To Think If They Should.
The problem is now we have bloated web "apps" because people want to do more and more.
At some point we'll inevitably reach The Birth and Dea [destroyallsoftware.com]
Re: (Score:2)
It makes LibreOffice a direct competitor to Microsoft's online office products.
Re: (Score:2)
A browser is a tool for displaying web pages.
Ok boomer. You do you. I expect more from my browser than the 1998 internet experience thanks.
Re: (Score:2)
So, Arduino programming on the web app and FreeCad on my usb.
LibreOffice Begins its Decline (Score:2)
One of the more compelling parts of LibreOffice is that it's not a data-sucking "cloud" based software. If they're announcing that they're changing that, it removes a large portion of incentive to use it.
I assume this is a precursor to announcing AI features, probably teaming up with one of the larger data vacuums to "provide" the "service" for folks. Nothing cloud related doesn't eventually end up in the data-suck that is AI. It's a backslide in user-focused development into "how do we best leverage our us
Re:LibreOffice Begins its Decline (Score:4, Informative)
The key point is that you can install it yourself on your own servers.... So you get the benefits of portability and access from anywhere, without the downside of giving someone else access to your data.
Re: (Score:2)
The key point is that you can install it yourself on your own servers.... So you get the benefits of portability and access from anywhere, without the downside of giving someone else access to your data.
So far.
Web-based without Sucking (Score:3)
One of the more compelling parts of LibreOffice is that it's not a data-sucking "cloud" based software.
You are missing the point. The reason people often use data-sucking cloud-based software is because it makes it ridiculously easy to share and edit documents collaboratively regardless of what local OS they use. Now, if OpenOffice can come up with a web-based server that we can install on our own machines then we can have all the advantages of cloud/web-based software without the data-sucking part.
Re: (Score:2)
You like to fire off posts to the internet half-cocked it would appear.
Time for enshittification (Score:2)
It is somewhat ironic, but certainly not surprising, to celebrate a software package's anniversary by announcing a major push to enshittification. Hopefully there will be a fork that removes these 'functionalities'.
Weird reactions (Score:2)
Some guy: "Hey look! I made Linux run inside a PDF file!"
/. reaction: "Oh cool! You da BOSS! That's amazing!"
Libreoffice: "Hey look! We made an office suite run inside a browser!"
/. reaction: "Boo! Enshittification! Activism! Woke! Grumble mumble get off my lawn!"
LibreOffice is awesome. And this web thing is completely optional, so perhaps the doomers might want to cool their jets.
Re: (Score:2)
"LibreOffice is awesome. And this web thing is completely optional, so perhaps the doomers might want to cool their jets."
As long as it stays optional I have no problem with it at all. Personally I'd rather they put some effort into improving the charting in the spreadsheet.
Re: Weird reactions (Score:2)
The spreadsheet is an order of magnitude or so too non-performant, in that Excel can handle about an order of magnitude more data without cratering.
Also, when will Calc get live pivot tables? What year is it?
Congratulations (Score:2)
I guess that means that this year is the 38th year of not handling ISO 8601 dates properly except in countries that have adopted ISO 8601 as their official date format.