LibreOffice 7.0 arrives, improves performance and compatibility

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New version uses AMD-sponsored Skia graphics engine and Vulkan acceleration.

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Read more.

I wouldn't know if it's the Skia graphics engine and Vulkan acceleration but opening calc documents is like night and day for me, was previously using 6.4.

Still amazes me something like LibreOffice is free.

I would happily use this kind of thing if I could. The problem doesn't tend to be the use of the software in isolation. It tends to be compatibility with others when they open it in MS Office documents. Unfortunately, the only way to test for niggles cause by cross-compatibility issues is to test it on MS Office before sending it off. At which point you have to own Office and you might as well use that.

Every time I've tried to set up a computer for someone using Open Office or any other free thing, the problem has always been the same - they can use it fine, but it's the exchanging with others that always causes issues. They say improved compatibility with DOCX, but it is never going to be perfect.

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Originally Posted by philehidiot

I would happily use this kind of thing if I could. The problem doesn't tend to be the use of the software in isolation. It tends to be compatibility with others when they open it in MS Office documents. Unfortunately, the only way to test for niggles cause by cross-compatibility issues is to test it on MS Office before sending it off. At which point you have to own Office and you might as well use that.

Every time I've tried to set up a computer for someone using Open Office or any other free thing, the problem has always been the same - they can use it fine, but it's the exchanging with others that always causes issues. They say improved compatibility with DOCX, but it is never going to be perfect.

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We discontinued supplying Open Office in favour of Libre office for our customers that won't dip into their deep pockets. We've found good compatibility with MS Office. Main reason for changing from OO is they had a lull period and most of the developers jumped ship to Libre.

I have literally used the Microsoft stuff since I made the move from 123, Dataease and WordPerfect, is there a reason I should move?

If you don't mind paying for an office suite and like MS office not really, i only swapped because i don't like the ribbon interface and other changes Microsoft have been making (all the online stuff) and for how often i use office i couldn't justify the cost of the stand-alone version.

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Originally Posted by Corky34

If you don't mind paying for an office suite and like MS office not really, i only swapped because i don't like the ribbon interface and other changes Microsoft have been making (all the online stuff) and for how often i use office i couldn't justify the cost of the stand-alone version.

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Also depends what Office components you want/need.

The Family version of Office 365, or whatever the current name is, can be had for round £50 for the year, giving Word, Excel and, IIRC, Outlook. Good value at £1/week, or under.

Of course, naturally, I use Access, which bumps the price right up. So, I stick with my old version that maybe doesn't have all the bells and whistles but has been doing what I need of it for about 10 years.

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Originally Posted by [GSV]Trig

I have literally used the Microsoft stuff since I made the move from 123, Dataease and WordPerfect, is there a reason I should move?

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Only perhaps that MS seem to be moving steadilyvand inexorably towards the subscription "service not software" model, so it depends whether, at some point, you're prepared to never be able to upgrade your existing "product" version. And tht may depend on who, if anyone, you need to share/collaborate with.


I must give Libre another go. I do use an old version a bit on another machine, but my last major foray was with Calc under OO, and while it as fine in itself, quite a few things didn't work if you used OO Calc under actual Excel spreadsheet .... like some conditional formatting. I found that w2hen developing some stuff for a client that said "for MS Excel" and then complained bits didn't work. Having spent hours trying to work out why not I finally visited them on-site only to find that, to save money, they were runn8ng the spreadsheets under OO not MS Office.