this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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2325
LibreOffice downloads on the rise as users look to avoid subscription costs | The free open-source Microsoft Office alternative is being downloaded by nearly 1 million users a week (www.computerworld.com)
submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Interest in LibreOffice, the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, is on the rise, with weekly downloads of its software package close to 1 million a week. That’s the highest download number since 2023.

“We estimate around 200 million [LibreOffice] users, but it’s important to note that we respect users’ privacy and don’t track them, so we can’t say for sure,” said Mike Saunders, an open-source advocate and a deputy to the board of directors at The Document Foundation.

LibreOffice users typically want a straightforward interface, Saunders said. “They don’t want subscriptions, and they don’t want AI being ‘helpful’ by poking its nose into their work — it reminds them of Clippy from the bad old days,” he said.

There are genuine use cases for generative AI tools, but many users prefer to opt-in to it and choose when and where to enable it. “We have zero plans to put AI into LibreOffice. But we understand the value of some AI tools and are encouraging developers to create … extensions that use AI in a responsible way,” Saunders said.

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[–] sentient_loom 66 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Nice. Maybe now Microsoft will respond by ~~offering non-subscription options~~ inventing a new proprietary industry-standard file format so their bloated ransomware remains mandatory.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Fortunately platforms like docs are providing sufficient competition that I don’t think they’d be able to lock it down as effectively as they once could.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They'll have to settle for "warning" the user if they detect a file that was made by libreoffice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The warning can be disabled from the settings

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

It's still enabled by default and acts as FUD for the average user who won't know to disable it and will get spooked by it.

That it can be opted out of doesn't change its propaganda value at all.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago

I agree, I would never give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt.