LibreOffice might be the best free and open-source office suite, but it still doesn't have a web app version, like Google Docs or Microsoft 365.That might finally change, as the LibreOffice Online project is coming out of retirement.The full-featured version of LibreOffice is only available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, though unofficial ports can be found on FreeBSD, Haiku, and other desktop platforms as well.
There's also the LibreOffice Viewer for Android, which cannot edit documents.A web app port could be great for locked-down environments, Chromebooks, and Google Docs-like live collaboration, but it has never reached a usable state.The Document Foundation, the organization that maintains LibreOffice, has decided to restart development on an online version.
The codebase for LibreOffice Online, which was officially shelved in 2022, will be reopened and open to contributions.The goal will be "having an online version by the community and for the community." It's worth noting that Collabora Online already exists as a web app based on LibreOffice code, but if you're not an organization, you have to self-host it with Nextcloud.Collabora even went full circle last year with fully-local desktop versions of its web apps.
The Document Foundation is still not planning to host or provide enterprise support for LibreOffice Online.That means a Google Docs-style centralized service for storing and editing your files in the cloud isn't happening.However, the foundation still wants to coordinate development and help improve the project.
Perhaps one day, it will be a Docker container you can easily install on a NAS for local web-based editing.Development on a web-based version of LibreOffice has started and stopped many times over the years, dating back to an ActiveX frontend for StarOffice—the predecessor to OpenOffice, which was forked to create LibreOffice.Another version created around 2011 used GTK 3 to render the interface, then streamed it to the web browser like a remote desktop session.
Finally, Collabora took on the task of building a web-native interface (seen above), which became Collabora Online.The Document Foundation explained in a blog post, "We will actively work with the community to identify how to foster LibreOffice Online, including its technological basis, QA and marketing.Note that this doesn’t mean that TDF will host or provide enterprise support for LibreOffice Online – that’s beyond the scope of the foundation.
For these things, users are strongly recommended to consult the commercial ecosystem around LibreOffice." Subscribe to our newsletter for LibreOffice Online updates Join the newsletter to follow LibreOffice Online's revival: receive focused coverage, community-led updates, and practical analysis on the project's direction and its place in the open-source office ecosystem.Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.
The project is still in the early stages of coming back to life, but more plans should be announced soon.Source: The Document Foundation Blog
Read More
