

Worse, LibreOffice's Java interface is finicky.

Keeping current with Java updates and security patches is also your responsibility, which could be a deal breaker for organizations with strict IT policies. Unfortunately, LibreOffice doesn't come bundled with a Java Runtime Environment (JRE), so you have to download and install one yourself. You can use most of the suite's features without Java installed, but it's required for a few functions and Base won't work without it. Installation took longer than it should, mainly because of LibreOffice's reliance on Java. Version 3.5's new installers are MSI packages, sure to please sys admins. I installed the Windows version, which comes in two parts: one installer for the applications and another for the online help (available in 107 languages).
#Libreoffice for mac install only writer mac os x
Installation is free, but not easy LibreOffice is available for Windows 2000 and later, Mac OS X 10.4 and later (Intel and PowerPC), Linux, and Linux 圆4.
#Libreoffice for mac install only writer code
The new version 3.5 includes more than 30,000 code changes - making it, in the Document Foundation's words, "the best free office suite ever." Based on my tests, that claim might actually be true - but price isn't everything. Superficially, the two suites appear almost identical, and LibreOffice even carries over its version numbering from the last release.īehind the scenes, however, the Document Foundation and its volunteers have been hard at work, cleaning up the code, fixing bugs, and adding features. Like, LibreOffice includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet (Calc), a presentation maker (Impress), a drawing and diagramming program (Draw), and a database manager (Base). Meanwhile, buzz has been building around LibreOffice, a fork of the code by a consortium of former developers known as the Document Foundation. Oracle eventually donated the code to the Apache Foundation, which promises a new release this year. has long been one of the top competitors to Microsoft Office, but the open source productivity suite's future was clouded in 2009 when Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, which had maintained since late 1999.
