LibreOffice Now Available On Apple's Mac App Store 132
sfcrazy writes: It's an event of historical magnitude: One of the most popular Open Source projects, LibreOffice, is now available directly from Apple's Mac App Store. You can get LibreOffice on OSX with automatic updates, long-term maintenance, and optional professional support, for the first time. There are two editions of LibreOffice available on the Mac App Store: LibreOffice from Collabora and LibreOffice Vanilla. While the Vanilla edition can be downloaded free of cost, LO from Collabora has a price tag of $10.
"Free through the App store" is an implicit endorsement that plain old "free" can't beat, even taking open-source licensing out of the picture.
Collabora? (Score:4, Interesting)
Seems like Collabra basically ship more or less vanilla open office but you get professional support for your money and they might be more responsive to bugs you file or something. Not 100% sure.
As for free through the App Store, well, I've had that thruogh my "apt" store (ho ho ho) for as long as LO has existed. Yet another leading innovation from the world of Linux :)
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Honestly, who gives a damn?
Now, instead of this being some exotic piece of open source software people aren't so sure of, suddenly it's become mainstream, available to a bunch of people who want stuff that works but don't care to build stuff from a kid, and just want to click the "make go now" button.
So, your choice, be all smug that you've had it on Linux for a long time ... or be glad that Microsoft is going to keep losing money as more people switch to free software.
Making it easier for more people to ge
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stuff that works but don't care to build stuff from a kid,
A kid? I've heard people say "fucking libreoffice" before, but I didn't realise that there was literally fucking involved. Building something from a kid sounds sound pretty extreme. I mean sure first you make the kid, then you thekid to make your software, but there's a 15 year lag between the first and second part.
I jest but I really have no idea what they typo was meant to be!
So, your choice, be all smug that you've had it on Linux for a long time
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LOL, kit ... a kit. Damn typos.
It's unbecoming, and it's why the rest of the people don't want to hear about open source .. the smug douchebag factor is off-putting.
Oh no, don't get me wrong ... intra-geek, smug is sort of de-rigeur and funny. It's just so
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Oh sure, but we're on slashdot here.
While I admit that I don't have the requisite great big bushy beard to be 100% true to the image, we are on, if not the spiritual home, at least a strong spiritual outpost of smug Linux users.
If I encountered someone AFK, or, frankly on a less special interest forum, I would just point them to the app store rather than scoff about how Apple was so late to the party.
Come to think of it I should scoff about how WYSWIG office tools are pathetic and you should pull texlive fr
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No, no ... the big bushy beard is for Big Iron UNIX people, Dungeon Masters, and lumbersexuals. The still-filling-in beard, goatee, or chinstrap is for the Linux people.
You can, I'm not so sure about should. Again, don't scare the normals. they spook easily.
As long as it doesn't break any of the vi key sequen
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No, no ... the big bushy beard is for Big Iron UNIX people, Dungeon Masters, and lumbersexuals. The still-filling-in beard, goatee, or chinstrap is for the Linux people.
This chap seems pretty Linuxy these days
https://upload.wikimedia.org/w... [wikimedia.org]
As long as it doesn't break any of the vi key sequences, there's nothing worse than being almost vi.
Well, you get GUI menus with vim if you run gvim, so that's better, right?
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As for free through the App Store, well, I've had that thruogh my "apt" store (ho ho ho) for as long as LO has existed. Yet another leading innovation from the world of Linux :)
I sincerely hope that the Smiley at the end of your sentence means that your stated "accomplishment" (hosting software on a web/ftp site) is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
I wonder (Score:3)
If there will be in app purchases.
Great News for Mac Users! (Score:1)
This is "historic".
I recommend that the people whose Macs I support only purchase software from Apple's Mac Store. This means that a very good office suite can be had through the Apple eco-system.
This is very good news.
(It also saves time for those who never update third-party software because updates will come through Apple Updates.)
HooRay!
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True, but Microsoft Office is even worse.
Historical Magnitude? (Score:2)
Re:Historical Magnitude? (Score:5, Funny)
Perhaps you meant...EXTRAORDINARY magnitude.
No, TFS says "historical magnitude" just to refer to the fact that LibreOffice largely looks like Microsoft Office did over a decade ago.
(P.S. I say this as a fan of LibreOffice....)
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So then it looks like Microsoft Office did, back when Microsoft Office was good.
I wouldn't exactly call Office 2003 "good." I'm not going to get into the "ribbon wars" -- personally, I could never stand it, but I understand some others love the ribbon and find it useful.
But I'm just talking about the fact that MS Office was a bloated piece of crap a decade ago too. I can't remember when it wasn't significantly bloated after the applications migrated from DOS. Go back and look at the versions of many applications prior to Windows 95 -- much, much smaller, but basically most of the
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Devil's advocate:
I can't really complain about Microsoft Office when back in college a few years back and had two semesters of term-paper heavy classes, it had the best tools for managing MLA style citations and the works cited page I could find.
Another reason I use MS Office (and this isn't really product praise) is that most other office programs import/export 99.9% of the formatting correctly. This means that there winds up being a small item that doesn't come over correctly which wreaks major havoc on
Re:Historical Magnitude? (Score:4)
You mean before they added that ribbon bullshit?
Sign me up!
(I already use LibreOffice too :) )
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Don't you find Libre Office to be incredibly buggy?
Delete rows, crash, paste a table from the web, crash, click close, wait for save dialogue and it crashes instead!
And conditional formatting was very broken last time I tried to use it a lot. And the charts are very lacking and horrible to work with - a bizarre UI maze mess. And Macros are weird, vague and over complicated.
Maybe Open Office is better?
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Don't you find Libre Office to be incredibly buggy?
Delete rows, crash, paste a table from the web, crash, click close, wait for save dialogue and it crashes instead!
And conditional formatting was very broken last time I tried to use it a lot. And the charts are very lacking and horrible to work with - a bizarre UI maze mess. And Macros are weird, vague and over complicated.
Maybe Open Office is better?
Personally, I think that this is the first step towards Apple taking over LibreOffice.
This would be a Very Good Thing for everyone.
Apple would most likely keep LibreOffice Libre, and OSS; but, like with so many of the F/OSS Projects they have either adopted, created, or taken-over, they would no doubt rather rapidly start to address the longstanding bugs that you mentioned above, and gradually elevate LibreOffice to being a true MSOffice competitor.
I think Apple has actually been planning this for qui
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Actually, I'd say I prefer the MS Office Suite from a decade ago.
I too hate the ribbon. And I'm thinking hate is not strong enough of a word. I use this UI device as a handy example of what you should not do in a User Interface -- but likely, now that UI is a "professional field" nobody with common sense or aesthetics need apply. The interface is more important than your content, and you'd understand that if you were TRAINED.
But we have to use the current MS Office, just like we have to use the current Adob
More trustworthy than Sourceforge? (Score:2)
It's possible that these versions come bundled with less crapware than sourceforge versions [techgage.com]
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More like probable... OSX apps from the App Store install w/o a wizard.
Re: More trustworthy than Sourceforge? (Score:1)
The stock LibreOffice bundle from the Document Foundation also does not have an installer. Just your standard .dmg and drag-to-Applications kind of deal.
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Yes. Apple does not like or allow crapware add on in the app store.
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They provide their own crapware and tolerate no competition in that market.
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They provide their own crapware and tolerate no competition in that market.
Citaton, please?
I have never seen a piece of software authored or distributed by Apple have any sort of extraneous bullshit, like has nearly ruined the software download world under Windows.
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Almost anything is more trustworthy than Sourceforge these days.
The direct downloads from the Document Foundation have always been crapware-free; you just have to click past a request for donations to get to them. Windows is the only platform that gets an installer; Mac has a .dmg like most Mac applications do. Linux has RPM and DEB versions, though most users get it from their distro's repositories instead.
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Very few people using a Mac probably even care now.
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A year from now, nobody will remember or care when this was added to the app store. I've ripped farts that people have remembered for longer.
Very few people using a Mac probably even care now.
Sorry, I'm confused. You mean they don't care about his farts or about LibreOffice? Be clear, man! How are we supposed to have an intelligent conversation otherwise??!
does it still require x? (Score:1)
does it still require x? i'm too lazy to look. Yawn.
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Open Office hasn't required it for years, and its successor LibreOffice never did.
Hellooo? GPL violation? (Score:1, Troll)
If the Mac app store is anything like the iOS app store, it would be a GPL violation to put LibreOffice in there:
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/lice... [fsf.org]
Re:Hellooo? GPL violation? (Score:4, Informative)
That's fine and all. But it doesn't matter since LibreOffice is distributed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, not GPL. http://www.libreoffice.org/dow... [libreoffice.org]
I don't know offhand if there's a conflict between the App Store and MPL.
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Why would it be a GPL violation? LibreOffice isn't distributed under the GPL.
Not to mention the fact that the iOS app store has been compatible with the GPL (V2 and earlier) for some time now, after complaints about this very issue - Apple changed the terms in response some time ago.
Plus, the App Store on OS X is not like the iOS one - it downloads a bundle that you can run that can contain anything you like, including the full source code if you really want.
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It's distributed under the LGPL according to the Libre Office web site which is presumably the licence under which the version of OO from which was forked was distributed. The same issues should apply as with the GLP though.
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or even the GPL.
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GPL zealots have filed suit against Apple causing GPL'd apps to be removed. They are upset that the binary downloaded form the Apple App Store can not be redistributed, that it is DRM'd to an account. Having the source code available so anyone could have the app built for their device is not enough for them. They are paying a political game and misrepresenting things as if it is Apple's fault. And if GPL-based app users get hurt that is too bad according to the FSF.
Software wants to be FREEEEEEE!!!!*
*...so long as it's our concept of "free".
GPL Zealots had VLC removed from Apple App Store (Score:1)
VLC was kicked out of the AppStore due to GPL violation (not Apple, but he publisher pulled it). What's to prevent the same from happening here?
Wrong. Apple did not kick anything out because of the GPL. GPL zealots sued Apple despite the fact that users could get the source and do whatever they wanted. It was this lawsuit that caused VLC to be remove. GPL zealots had it removed. What was the "crime"? The binary could not be used on multiple devices, the binary had DRM that restricted it to one account. It didn't matter that source was available and anyone who cared could build their own or have one built for them by someone technically inclined.
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Isn't the real GPL violation that the sources don't include the keys that are needed to obtain the binary? The sources are essentially intentionally crippled, and are not the full source necessary to obtain the binary as distributed through the app store. IIRC, mac app store doesn't do DRM of any sort.
Much smaller file size in the App Store (Score:2)
Is this App Store version missing functionality? I checked the existing (manually installed) LibreOffice, and the Finder says: "616.2 MB". But the App Store says it's 213 MB.
That's a pretty big difference in size. Can anyone explain?
Marketing ploy by Collabora (Score:2)
Collabora is not doing LibreOffice any favors by putting a version that is not ready for the mainstream out for public consumption. More likely, they're using the Vanilla as a means to drive people to their $10 version.
Seems a bit underhanded.
File size difference (Score:2)
My manually installed LibreOffice has a file size of 616.2 MB, or so Finder reports. I check out its page in the App Store, and it says "213 MB". Then I install that one, and on disk it now says 868.8 MB. Anybody knows why there are such large differences?
Collabora marketing ploy (Score:2)
Collabora isn't doing LibreOffice any favors by putting a prerelease version that is not ready for prime time out for public consumption. More likely, they are introducing the public to a buggy experience, and then offering to fix the experience using a non-prerelease version that costs $10.
Seems a bit underhanded.
Failed model (Score:1)
The fact that this is just happening now illustrates the fact that the app store model just doesn't work to bring you reasonable content. A walled garden is always still a walled garden.
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The fact that this is just happening now illustrates the fact that the app store model just doesn't work to bring you reasonable content. A walled garden is always still a walled garden.
That doesn't even begin to make sense.
I'm pretty sure that Collabra, not Apple, decided when to submit LibreOffice to the Mac App Store.
So, how does that make a "Walled Garden" argument?
And besides, the Mac App Store (in stark contrast to the iOS App Store) is not, repeat not a "Walled Garden". it is simply a place to purchase (or in the case of Free software, simply download) OS X Applications that you can be reasonably sure are free from malware [apple.com], and which comply with certain "best practices" (sandb
NeoOffice... (Score:1)
has been on the Mac App Store for years. It trails OpenOffice development a bit, but incorporates lots of Mac specific tech, eg. it was Retina friendly first.
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This, right here.
At work, I normally find myself either at the command prompt or a text editor. Outside of the corporate-imposed Lync, Office, and Outlook, I'd have no use for Microsoft's products at all.
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Unfortunately some people must use PCs for some tasks.
Fortunately there are Macs available for those who would rather not use PCs.
Even better, you can run Windows software on your Mac if you have Windows software that you must use. There are many solutions for doing this that work very well.
Windows is a limited environment that has a lot of problems. The MacOSX a larger environment that solves those and other problems and sub-sets the Windows environment within it.
Life is good.
...and Linux. Don't forget Linux.
In fact, Macs remain the ONLY PCs that can legally run (I think) ANY OS.
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Yep. Android for x86, or indeed any other version that someone wishes to build for the Mac hardware.
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Yep. Android for x86, or indeed any other version that someone wishes to build for the Mac hardware.
Who on God's green earth would want to run THAT OS on ANYthing but a mobile device?
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"Even better, you can run Windows software on your Mac "
In this more enlightened era, most Mac fans no longer consider running Windows on a Mac a stoning offense. You just have to be stoned to want to do it.
Re:It's About Time!!!! (Score:5, Informative)
Thanks for the memories -- it's been a long long time since I've seen that troll.
Here's the earliest version I could find with a zero effort search: http://kottke.org/98/11/my-mac... [kottke.org] Maybe there is an earlier one?
Gonna call bullshit on this (Score:4, Informative)
I just performed two copy tests on my 2013 MacBook Pro, 2.7 Ghz i7, 16GB RAM. I copied the exact same file (3.78 GB) from one location to a different location on the same disk drive. The test was performed under two operating systems on that machine:
- The latest beta release of Yosemite (10.10.4): 32.69 s
- The latest insider preview of Windows 10 (build 10130): 19.56 s
This isn't a full benchmark suite by any means, but if I can copy a 4GB file orders of magnitude faster than you can copy a 17 MB file on your MacBook Air or on your Windows PC, then you have some very screwed up stuff going on.
I don't want to start a holy war here
Yeah, that is precisely what you were attempting to do.
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I think he was referring to Windows Vista/7/early-8 , where file transfers (especially transfers of a ton of little files in one batch) tended to be a time-suck.
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It just took me 4.2 s to copy a 30 MB file on my bogged-down work computer, with an HDD running Windows 7.
I'm not buying it.
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It just took me 4.2 s to copy a 30 MB file on my bogged-down work computer, with an HDD running Windows 7.
I'm not buying it.
Reading comprehension is not your strong suit. The previous poster was talking about a tonne of little files. Even deleting a tonne of little files takes a long time for some reason even with a direct delete skipping the recyle bin.
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The OP was talking about ONE file. I don't care what Penguinisto was talking about, his comment about multiple tiny files was irrelevant. My test as based on copying one file as specified by the OP.
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It's a bit shocking to see a pile of 6-digit UID users who didn't instantly recognize the OP as a riff on a famous troll post. Really?
Perhaps you should all brush up on your gorilla warfare training.
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Wow... alright then, woosh over my head. :)
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I don't want to start a holy war here
Yeah, that is precisely what you were attempting to do.
Wow, someone doesn't recognise a classic troll when they see one.
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2 Gigs of RAM
Well, there's your problem, sonny!
Obviously, from my Username, you might guess that I'm no Windows fan; but fair's fair.
How much RAM does your MBA have?
And the IIfx was a BLISTERINGLY-fast machine... in 1990. Quite the impressive architecture.
br> But RAM-starve ANY machine, and it will make you want to claw your brain out, waiting.
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LOL. Of all people, someone named "macs4all" ought to recognize a variation on this ancient Mac troll post [kottke.org]. As a couple others have commented in this subthread, I'm amazed and how many people it's hooked.
You attempt to berate me; but at least I had the balls to hang my Karma out, MR. AC.
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I have a Windows 2000 system still in non-stop for almost 15 years.
Cool - what's the IP addy? An almost completely unpatched SP1/2 level box should be awesome to play with, assuming it actually works. ;)
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You do realize uptime dick size wars are now considered passé right? Regular patching is good for your soul.
Whatever happened to patching without rebooting? (Score:2)
VMS had this 25 years ago.
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Regular patching is good for your soul.
Valar aptgetis.
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Context is everything. I'd be interesting to see how you patch a windows 2000 server without needing reboots.
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You must have one of those Windows systems that's so slow, even the malware crashes.
Re:great news (Score:5, Informative)
Typical Windoze idiot comment there AC.
Reality Check: You can install all the software you want on a Mac without having to go through the Apple Apps store. But since you've been drinking Windoze Koolaid for so long you probably are not aware of that. The vast majority of the software we use on our Macs did not come via the App store. The App store is just one of many ways to get software on the Mac. Chill out.
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I demand this be corrected immediately for false advertising.
It's actually not called "GratisOffice." [wikipedia.org]
Or, in this case, "Free as in speech, and free as in... well, it costs as much as a couple beers."
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I do realize you just forgot the Sarcasm tag here... but in The Freaking Article it says there are two versions. A free one, tagged Vanilla, and the $10 Collabora one has support.
Besides that, Libre is more Free as in Speech than Free as in Beer.
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Even the free one would require that you be on the Mac App store to get it, which requires you to be tracked by having an Apple ID. Far better to bypass the store entirely and get libre office directly.
Re:$10? SO MUCH FOR BEING LIBRE! FALSE ADVERTISING (Score:4, Insightful)
Even the free one would require that you be on the Mac App store to get it, which requires you to be tracked by having an Apple ID. Far better to bypass the store entirely and get libre office directly.
Which you have always been able to do on OS X and still are able to do.
What this does is open up LibreOffice to a whole new demographic who wouldn't have done that before.
I'm not seeing a downside here, other than "apple bad, lolz". More exposure for large open source projects is a good thing, surely.
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Even the free one would require that you be on the Mac App store to get it, which requires you to be tracked by having an Apple ID. Far better to bypass the store entirely and get libre office directly.
Paranoid much?
Apple doesn't sell, or give, personal information to anyone.
And seriously, why in the fuck would the NSA be interested in which Office Suite you run?