LibreOffice

Software Overview

LibreOffice is an open source office suite, similar to Microsoft Office (even the application icon colors match), that allows you to create various types of documents. LibreOffice possesses a clean, easy-to-use interface. It partially resembles Microsoft Office, so if you are jumping ship from Office you should have no problem adjusting.

LibreOffice consists of the following programs:

• Writer - A word processor
• Draw - A vector graphics editor
• Calc - A spreadsheet application
• Impress - A presentation creator
• Math - A mathematical equation creator
• Base - A database management application

Once you begin creating a document you’ll find that each application in the suite offers familiar features to the corresponding Microsoft Office application. For example, Writer documents are a substitute for Word documents and provide many of the traditional styles and formatting options, such as fonts, text indentation, table insertion, and the format paintbrush. Calc, which is a substitute for Excel, features a similar spreadsheet to Excel but is noticeably missing the macro functionality.

Impress is LibreOffice’s answer to PowerPoint and is great for creating basic slide presentations. Draw is comparable to Microsoft Visio and Publisher and is a good option for creating diagrams, even presentations. Base is similar to Microsoft Access, with similar features, such as reports, SQL, and forms. And finally, LibreOffice’s Math application is a useful tool for creating formulas and incorporating them into other LibreOffice suite documents created by Writer and Calc.

While it doesn’t offer all of the same functions, LibreOffice is an attractive alternative to Microsoft Office. It’s compatible with a large variety of office productivity formats, including Microsoft Office files, such as .DOCX and .XLSX. If you’re looking for a cheap (it’s free) office suite solution, LibreOffice is a great option.

▶ Primary file extension

▶ Other file extensions used by LibreOffice 5

Updated: October 17, 2016