[Tutorial] Considering a Switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice? Some Useful Information

[LastUnicorn]

Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice and ODF Specifications
I think it would be fair to say that Apache OpenOffice is cruising into obsolescence and dying a slow death. It hasn't had a major update or improvement in years and does not use the latest Open Document Format (ODF) specifications for its files. (Also see OpenDocument Format. The information there is a bit dated as it (currently) only mentions ODF v1.2 but you get the general idea.) At the time of writing this (October 2022) the latest ODF version is v1.3. This has been implemented in LibreOffice but not in OpenOffice. It is very unlikely that OpenOffice will ever implement it. For more details on this see: I thought ODF was a universal format document. On this basis alone you would be best advised to switch to LibreOffice instead of OpenOffice.

Other Reasons to Switch
There are other reasons for switching over to LibreOffice: put succinctly, LibreOffice is actively developed and improved, the same cannot be said of OpenOffice. In day-to-day use using LibreOffice isn't much different to using OpenOffice, in most ways they are very similar, and LibreOffice should open all your 'old' OpenOffice documents without problems. It is also the case that of late at this forum reports have been made of multiple issues with OpenOffice on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. The issues stem from OpenOffice not launching at all to issues with not being able to open files due to 'permissions' problems or failure to reliably 'copy and paste' data into OpenOffice. Often times these kinds of issues are solved by just installing LibreOffice.

Downloading LibreOffice and the 'Versions' Available
As from February 2024 LibreOffice changed the way version numbering is done for the downloads available. This new numbering scheme plan is as follows:

The intention is to make available new major releases on around a six-monthly schedule according to the scheme that a new major release will be made in February and August of any given year and numbered as follows (for example):

2024.2.0 — this would be the major release for the month of February.
2024.8.0 — this would be the major release for the month of August.
As you can see for this the numbering scheme is Year.Month.Bug-Fix-Release. So reading the above the 2024.2.0 is the first release of a February major release. Likewise 2024.8.0 is the first release of an August major release. As you can see the tag of a major release is being applied to the month of release for any given year.

As each major release will have new bugs incremental bug-fix-releases will also be made for each major release version as time moves forward. So you can get releases like (for example):

2024.2.1
2024.2.2
2024.2.3
and so on as each bug-fix-version is applied to the major, February or August, release. These bug-fix-releases are known as micro releases.

Traditionally, in line with the old numbering scheme for LibreOffice, major releases are known as LibreOffice Fresh and micro releases, above a certain level, are known as LibreOffice Still. The Fresh releases are for people that want the latest features, though at the risk of new bugs having been formed in that new major release version. The micro 'Still' releases are for people that want to maximise stability as new bugs will have been addressed and fixed in the Still micro releases.

LibreOffice recommend that if a user favours stability over new features that users install micro releases at at least Year.Month.3 or Year.Month.4 or higher micro release levels: it is these micro levels and above that determine if a release is regarded as a Still release. Personally I prefer to go down the Still route as I favour stability over new features. This is not to say that LibreOffice is a bug-ridden mess – it isn't – but like any software of any complexity new bugs will always be an issue.

In line with this at the download webpage, for most of the year, two downloads will be offered, a Fresh download and a Still download. Choose according to your own preferences. However, do note that you can switch between installing Fresh or Still so any decision you make is not set in stone. For further information and guidance on 'versions' see this webpage: LibreOffice Release Plan

For initial confusion caused when the new numbering scheme was introduced see this thread: [Solved] LibreOffice Version Numbers: now 24.2.0!

LibreOffice and Update Notifications
There is a setting in LibreOffice at (menu) Tools > Options... > LibreOffice > Online Update > Online Update Options > Check for updates automatically If that box is ticked then LibreOffice will give a notification when an update is available. However, (as things currently stand) it only checks to see if an update is available for LibreOffice Fresh. If you have LibreOffice Still installed then this option is not of much use to you as you are, effectively, being given the option to replace your Still version with a Fresh version. So be aware of this if you install Still, you might want to untick that box. This has been raised with LibreOffice developers to change this situation but whether or not it gets implemented only time will tell. You can see the issue report here and perhaps add your voice to the requests to amend this component of LibreOffice: Add option to disable Update Notifications for Technological Enthusiast ("fresh") Releases

LibreOffice and Java JRE
If you do decide to switch to LibreOffice and you install LibreOffice 64-bit you may want to install a 64-bit implementation of Java JRE. This is required for some components of LibreOffice, but not all. You can get a download of Oracle JRE here: Java Downloads for All Operating Systems. For Windows systems the installer file to download is Windows Offline (64-bit). (If you switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice 64-bit and you have no further need for JRE 32-bit on your system then it would be safe to uninstall JRE 32-bit if you so wish. If you install LibreOffice 32-bit then you should retain, and/or update, your JRE 32-bit installation and direct LibreOffice 32-bit to use that.)

LibreOffice User Documentation
For extensive user documentation see: LibreOffice Documentation. Note that documentation of LibreOffice Fresh will be limited as Fresh is always a work in progress and there is little point in trying to create documentation for a program version in which some components of the program are being actively developed and hence changing. (This is one of the reasons why I prefer to use LibreOffice Still — the most complete documentation is available for it.)

File Associations and Installing LibreOffice Alongside OpenOffice
It is perfectly possible to have both OpenOffice and LibreOffice installed at the same time, so you can do that if you just want to try LibreOffice to see if it is suitable for you. In what follows I will assume that you already have the latest version of OpenOffice installed and you want, in addition, to install LibreOffice. (The reasons for specifying 'the latest version' is that OpenOffice's installer used to follow different routines and offer different install options in earlier versions.)

When you install LibreOffice it will grab all the ODF file associations .odf, .odg, .odm, .odp, .ods, .odt etc. and so double-clicking a file will cause LibreOffice to open that file by default. If you want the file associations to revert back to being opened by OpenOffice by default then the easiest way to achieve that is to reinstall OpenOffice and the file associations will be passed back to OpenOffice. In this scenario the OpenOffice installer will ask where to unpack the installation files to — by default it will offer to place them in a folder on your Desktop; just agree to that and once the install routine is over you can safely delete that entire folder. Next you will be offered the option to 'Modify' or 'Repair' your OpenOffice, just chose 'Repair' and at the end of the Repair routine your documents will be back to opening with OpenOffice by default. You can follow a similar routine with LibreOffice if you so wish. In essence: the last program to be installed/Repaired, OpenOffice or LibreOffice, will have the file associations assigned to it by default. It is also worth noting that installing/repairing will not affect the files in your OpenOffice Profile folder or your LibreOffice Profile folder — your previous settings will be retained.

If you do try installing LibreOffice alongside OpenOffice and decide you don't want LibreOffice then just uninstall LibreOffice and the uninstall routine should automatically revert your file associations back to OpenOffice. (If that doesn't happen you now know what to do.)

If you would prefer to set file associations manually then please see this guide for how to proceed: [Tutorial] Setting the default program to open files

Cleaning-up After Testing LibreOffice
If you installed LibreOffice and decide that you want to keep it and also that you want to completely uninstall OpenOffice then you might want to do the following. Firstly, uninstall OpenOffice. Once that is done, and assuming you won't be using OpenOffice again, then you might want to delete the OpenOffice User Profile from your system if you deem you will have no further use for it. To do that copy this text (in red, including the percent symbols) %AppData% Once you have copied it paste it into the the Address Bar of Windows File Explorer and then click Explorer's 'go' button/arrow or just press the Enter key on your keyboard. Doing this will open, for the current logged-in user of the system, the folder where OpenOffice's User Profile is stored. So look in there for the folder titled 'OpenOffice' and delete that entire OpenOffice folder and your OpenOffice User Profile will be gone. (If you tried LibreOffice and decide that you don't want it then just repeat this procedure, uninstall LibreOffice, but manually delete the LibreOffice folder instead of the OpenOffice folder.)

I hope the above helps when considering a switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice. To be honest I think the switch is the best way to go.

[John_Ha]

Some other things to consider include:

Critical bugs which cause complete data loss in AOO seem to have been fixed in LO

LO seems to have fixed a number of bugs which cause complete data loss in AOO namely:

1. LO seems to have fixed the bug which gives Format error discovered in sub-document, namely Issue 128356 - Track Changes and Annotations on text range can cause corruption. Applies to 4.x (all versions?). It affects AOO users who use Edit > Tracked changes.
2. LO seems to have fixed the bug which causes complete data loss where files are full of #####, namely Why is my Writer file full of #####?. I suspect (guess may be a better word) that LO now does not use buffered writes to disk.
3. LO seems to have fixed the bug where AOO does not prevent a PC shutting down while AOO is still writing the file causing the file to be truncated and/or completely corrupted; and possibly the user profile becoming corrupted, namely Issue 126869 - Analysis Task: Lost/Corrupted Documents after Save/Shutdown - Comment 46. I suspect LO prevents the OS shutting down the PC until LO has completed writing the file and the user profile.

Lost images in AOO Writer and Impress

LO has significantly improved the image handling code (which both AOO and LO inherited from OpenOffice.org) which causes AOO randomly to lose some or all images in a document or presentation. See 16. Lost images ... and a word of caution about using AutoRecovery. LibreOffice 6.1 and later is now probably better than AOO in [Tutorial] Some useful hints on using images. LO is now much less likely to lose images. Search the forum with images lost for many threads.

LO has better compatibility with Microsoft files

LO has better compatibility (more function, especially later added function) with Microsoft files and, while you should always save your LO Writer files as .odt files, and never as .docx files, etc, LO does have the capability to write .docx files if you are obliged to send someone a .docx file. See [Tutorial] Differences between Microsoft and AOO/LO files for a description of differences and for why you should always work in, and save Writer files as .odt, Calc files as .ods, Impress files as .odp, etc. If you do not save as .odt etc you risk losing data and/or formatting. Unfortunately many users switch off the error message warning them of potential data and/or formatting loss when saving to formats other than .ODF.

Two items which are commonly found in .docx files are Textboxes (which are not part of Microsoft's OOXML standard but are often used) and rsid tags (rsid tags are used to identify in which editing session a given change was made). AOO does not recognise Textboxes or rsid tags and all content they define is therefore lost. LO seems to recognise some Textboxes but not others but does recognise rsid tags. Note that AOO will not write any of the content defined by Textboxes and rsid tags if the file is saved as a .odt file.
.

LO warning message when saving in .docx (or other non .odt) format.

DO NOT SWITCH OFF THIS WARNING!!
.

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LO developers seem to favour adding new function over rigorous testing to ensure stability

In my experience, LO is somewhat less reliable than AOO and irritating bugs often seem to be introduced when new versions are released. LO offers two versions - the "bleeding edge" version for enthusiasts who value added function over reliability; and an earlier, hopefully more stable, version which has had more time for bugs to be identified and fixed. LO has an active development team which addresses bugs but even so, I stick with the older version.

[Mountaineer]

LibreOffice release notes

On the download page by LibreOffice.org there is a link for the release notes. Consider reading them before you install. If there is no new Feature you need / no bugfix you recognize, I recommend usually the still version.

The last new feature I used immediately was filter by colour, as some friends with excel use colour-markings in their files....

Parallel Versions

If one needs to test versions it is also possible to have more than one installed. For Windows I use the "separate install GUI" currently with 3 versions:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Ins ... n_parallel

[TerryS24]

I strangely see no mention of the "Still" line nor links to it on https://libreoffice.org (the link in OP's sig is "Downloads" page). So I'll test 7.6.5 (no bug-fix version given) with the assumption that it's still more bug-fixed than 24.2.

Also should mention the ".msi" installers are for both 32- and 64-bit, so everyone only needs one download (I think that wasn't specifically mentioned)... it's only the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) version people need to worry about when choosing 32- vs 64-bit. (I assume you choose at install time and it's not automatic.)

Thanks to the OP and other replies on the important differences and opinions on the state of things between LO and AOO/OOo!

[erbsenzahl]

I strangely see no mention of the "Still" line nor links to it on https://libreoffice.org (the link in OP's sig is "Downloads" page).

These terms (still vs. fresh) were used some time before, at the moment they are called like this:
still → This version is slightly older and does not have the latest features, but it has been tested for longer.
fresh → If you're a technology enthusiast, early adopter or power user, this version is for you!
Check: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/

[Mountaineer]

...
Also should mention the ".msi" installers are for both 32- and 64-bit, so everyone only needs one download (I think that wasn't specifically mentioned)...

Is not mentioned because it is WRONG!
You choose the OS on the Website as Win 32 or Win 64 and are lead to different files named x86 or x86-64

Compare at the latest download archive:
https://downloadarchive.documentfoundat ... atest/win/

[Mountaineer]

..... it's only the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) version people need to worry about when choosing 32- vs 64-bit. (I assume you choose at install time and it's not automatic.)
...

Not only. Years ago, I've chosen 32bit, because I needed to use an ODBC-driver, wich had 32bit 64 was "experimental")
.
As most people don't need java for LO, it is no option at install. You can activate this later from Tools->Options (or preferences on MacOS).
Only some assistants and extensions are written in java. Most notably: The default database for Base is written in java, but one can use other databases without Java.
Also LibreOffice integrated the java coded ReportBuilder extension, so for this reports you will also need java.

[TerryS24]

...
Also should mention the ".msi" installers are for both 32- and 64-bit, so everyone only needs one download (I think that wasn't specifically mentioned)...

Is not mentioned because it is WRONG!
You choose the OS on the Website as Win 32 or Win 64 and are lead to different files named x86 or x86-64

Oops! My bad ... thinking "x86-64" meant 32+64-bit.

As most people don't need java for LO, it is no option at install. You can activate this later from Tools->Options (or preferences on MacOS). Only some assistants and extensions are written in java...

Thank you for that additional information! Yes, I think it was 2 extensions I installed with OpenOffice that needed Java ... I'm hope they're available for LibreOffice as well. (writer2xhtml, writer2tex, if I remember correctly ... haven't had a chance to look for them yet for LO.)

I haven't really used LO much because I'm playing with PDFs in python, though I created 1 other page. I'll fix or delete my other post. I'd hate to confuse anyone!