14 DAY TRIAL // The Document Foundation has just released a new version of LibreOffice, the open-source productivity suite that’s often considered the best alternative to the more expensive Microsoft Office.
LibreOffice 6.4.5 is actually the fifth minor release of version 6.4, so it’s not necessarily an update that brings new features, but actually one that’s focused on bug fixes.
There are over 100 bug fixes and improvements in this update, according to TDF, and just like before, the focus is on document compatibility and interoperability with other productivity suites, including Microsoft Office itself.
Major update next month
What you need to know, however, is that this is one of the last updates released before LibreOffice 7.0 is supposed to get the go-ahead. This is a major update, and the dev team says the go-ahead should be given in some 30 days.
“LibreOffice 6.4.5 is optimized for use in production environments, even by more conservative users, as it now includes several months of work on bug fixes. Users of LibreOffice 6.3.6 and previous versions should start planning the update to LibreOffice 6.4.5, as the new major LibreOffice release – tagged 7.0 – is going to be announced in early August,” The Document Foundation explains.
The new LibreOffice update is available on all supported desktop platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. And of course, users are recommended to update to the latest version, especially if they previously encountered problems with various document formats coming from other productivity suites.
It’s a well-known fact that moving from Microsoft Office to other suites, including LibreOffice, sometimes causes compatibility problems when working with documents, so all these updates are more than welcome, especially for those who have already performed the migration.
And in the last few years, the number of those who embraced LibreOffice has improved substantially, including among organizations and even authorities across the world.