free software

  • Schleswig-Holstein wants to continue switch to open source

    Schleswig-Holstein coat of armsThe government of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein is doing further work to implement its aspiration “to consider digital sovereignty holistically” and to switch extensively to free software for its administration, German news site heise reports. Furthermore, it published a strategy (PDF) for “Open Innovation and Open Source” last Monday. The starting signal was the change to LibreOffice as the standard office suite from some 25,000 workstations in April. The new strategy describes the additional measures towards the envisaged “digitally sovereign IT workstation”. This accordingly includes switching to the +1.Linux operating system. This is described as a “suitable and professionally supported” distribution for public sector with a modern, easily adaptable interface.

    In its strategy paper, the government describes the switch to the open ODF (Open Document Format) file format, an open co-operation platform based on NextCloud, as well as Open Xchange groupware with email, calendar and address book as additional measures. In addition to these the plan for “digitally sovereign basic services and specialist services” and a suitable telephony system called Oskar (Open Source Communications Architecture).

    “As frictionless as possible”

    Microsoft Windows, Office, Teams & Co. will be a thing of the past. “The prerequisite for the widespread use of open source products is that the usual functionalities at least function reliably at the same quality,” emphasises Digital Minister Dirk Schrödter (CDU). “We will make the transition as smooth as possible for employees and support the well-planned migration process with training.”

    “Public administration would not be able to function today without smoothly working digital systems,” says Schrödter, promoting the migration. Authorities need “reliable IT components, the purchase of which guarantees freedom of choice, customisation options, competition and control over their own digital infrastructure.” Ensuring digital sovereignty is “at least as important as energy sovereignty”. It is also important to avoid a heavy dependence on proprietary providers.

    “Fundamental change in work culture”

    The state government also hopes for improved IT security, lower costs, more data protection and easier interaction between different systems. An earlier government had set a goal of “completely replacing” Microsoft & Co. in 2017, whilst the previous coalition backed off a bit in 2022, but stuck to the plan in principle.

    The conditions for a switch could hardly be better now, says Schrödter: “The clear trend towards collaborative, location-independent collaboration in the cloud offers a unique opportunity to take the path to digital sovereignty at a time when a fundamental change in work culture is already imminent.”

    Schleswig-Holstein sees the promotion of the regional digital economy as a modern form of industrial policy. “Instead of investing our IT funds in licence fees, we use them to finance development and support contracts,” explains Schrödter. Overall, this strengthens Schleswig-Holstein as a location.

    Other areas of action include the establishment of an Open Source Program Office (OSPO) in the state administration, a strengthening of the DigitalHub.SH, which is intended to connect offices and companies and a stronger focus on more participation via open government with independently verifiable hardware and software. The state also wants to participate in the German Administrative Cloud in order to join the German Centre for Digital Sovereignty (Zendis). The federal government is also pushing ahead with its own open source office suite, openDesk.

  • Torvalds ignores AI hype

    Linus Torvalds headshotLinus Torvalds, the creator and lead developer of the Linux kernel, has been speaking about Artificial Intelligence, according to The Register; and he’s not impressed by what he has witnessed to date.

    Speaking at the Open Source Summit in Vienna last month, Torvalds was asked for his views on modern technologies, specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence, usually abbreviated to GenAI.

    His reply included the following remarks:

    “I think AI is really interesting and I think it is going to change the world and at the same time I hate the hype cycle so much that I really don’t want to go there, so my approach to AI right now is I will basically ignore it.

    I think the whole tech industry around AI is in a very bad position and it’s 90 percent marketing and ten percent reality and in five years things will change and at that point we’ll see what of the AI is getting used for real workloads.

    His remarks about the hype cycle are particularly relevant. Those with very long memories will remember the Dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and early two thousands, while those with less of a broad sweep of time may recall the more recent episode of overwhelming enthusiasm generated by the marketing of so-called cloud computing, about which the FSFE was particularly blunt in its opinion (posts passim) – just other people’s computers.

  • New point release for LibreOffice 24.2

    The blog of The Document Foundation (TDF) has today announced the sixth point release of LibreOffice 24.2 for Linux MacOS and Windows, which it is describing as “the best choice for privacy-conscious users and digital sovereignty“.

    LibreOffice 24.2.6 banner

    This point release includes over 40 bug and regression fixes over LibreOffice 24.2.5 to improve the software’s stability, plus interoperability with legacy and proprietary document formats. LibreOffice 24.2.6 is aimed at mainstream users and business environments.

    LibreOffice for business

    For business use, TDF strongly recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners with a range of dedicated value-added features, long-term support and other benefits such as SLAs.

    Next week, power users and technology enthusiasts will be able to download LibreOffice 24.8.1, the first minor release of the recently announced new version with many bug and regression fixes.

    As per usual, LibreOffice users, free software advocates and community members are invited to support The Document Foundation with a donation.

    Download LibreOffice 24.2.6. Please note that the minimum requirements for proprietary operating systems are Windows 7 SP1 and macOS 10.15.

  • LibreOffice 24.8 released

    Today the blog of The Document Foundation (TDF), the organisation behind the free and open source LibreOffice suite. announced the release of LibreOffice 24.8, the second version of the software to be released under the new calendar-based (YY.MM) release numbering system, for immediate download for Linux, macOS (Apple and Intel) and Windows (Intel, AMD and ARM).

    LibreOffice 24.8 banner

    The release announcement lays heavy emphasis on the suite’s privacy features. LibreOffice is the only office suite, i.e. software that can create files containing personal or confidential information that respects user privacy – thus ensuring users themselves can decide if and with whom to share the content they have created. LibreOffice is thus the best option for the privacy-conscious office suite user and provides a feature set comparable to the ubiquitous MS Office. LibreOffice also offers a range of interface options to suit different user habits, from traditional to contemporary.

    New features

    There’s a handy little video that highlights the new features incorporated in LibreOffice 24.8.


    Privacy
    • If the option Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ Security ▸ Options ▸ Remove personal information on saving is enabled, then personal information will not be exported (author names and timestamps, editing duration, printer name and configuration, document template, author and date for comments and tracked changes).
    Writer
    • UI: handling of formatting characters, width of comments panel, selection of bullets, new dialog for hyperlinks, new Find deck in the sidebar.
    • Navigator: adding cross-references by drag-and-drop items, deleting footnotes and endnotes, indicating images with broken links.
    • Hyphenation: exclude words from hyphenation with new contextual menu and visualisation, new hyphenation across columns, pages or spreads, hyphenation between constituents of a compound word.
    Calc
    • Addition of FILTER, LET, RANDARRAY, SEQUENCE, SORT, SORTBY, UNIQUE, XLOOKUP and XMATCH functions.
    • Improvement of threaded calculation performance, optimisation of redraw after a cell change by minimising the area that needs to be refreshed.
    • Cell focus rectangle moved apart from cell content.
    • Comments can be edited and deleted from the Navigator’s right-click menu.
    Impress & Draw
    • In Normal view, it is now possible to scroll between slides, and the Notes are available as a collapsible pane under the slide.
    • By default, the running Slideshow is now immediately updated when applying changes in EditView or in PresenterConsole, even on different Screens.
    Chart
    • New chart types “Pie-of-Pie” and “Bar-of-Pie” break down a slice of a pie as a pie or bar sub-chart respectively (this also enables import of such charts from OOXML files created with Microsoft Office).
    • Text inside chart’s titles, text boxes and shapes (and parts thereof) can now be formatted using the Character dialog.
    Accessibility
    • Several improvements to the management of formatting options, which can be now announced properly by screen readers.
    Security
    • New mode of password-based ODF encryption.
    Interoperability
    • Support importing and exporting OOXML pivot table (cell) format definitions.
    • PPTX files with heavy use of custom shapes now open faster.

    Cover of LibreOffice Getting Started guideMinimum requirements for proprietary operating systems are Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and Apple MacOS 10.15.

    To coincide with the new version release, the LibreOffice Getting Started guide has been updated and is also available for download.

    As usual, users are encouraged to support the TDF’s work with a donation.

  • FSFE intervenes in Apple vs. EU Commission

    A green apple with an internal wormThe Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is intervening in litigation brought by Apple against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Apple is seeking to avoid Digital Markets Act obligations related to its App Store and the interoperability of its operating system. The FSFE’s mission is to protect free Ssoftware against monopolistic corporate control.

    The CJEU has officially allowed the FSFE to intervene in the litigation brought by Apple against the European Commission to avoid being designated as a ‘gatekeeper’ under the Digital Markets Act. The company has pursued an aggressive policy against software freedom and interoperability, seeking to deter enforcement of the DMA – a law designed to increase fairness and competitiveness in digital markets by regulating the economic behaviour of very large tech companies.

    Dr. Martin Husovec, the FSFE’s counsel, remarked, “Becoming an intervener in this case is crucial as the FSFE is representing the civil society perspective, which enriches the judicial proceedings. This allows the court to make fully informed decisions”.

    The FSFE’s intervention aims to uphold the application of the DMA to Apple, voicing the concerns of the free software community against the Apple’s unfair practices. Free software projects are disproportionately affected by the company’s monopolistic practices. fee policies, strict vendor lock-in, prohibition on side-loading and the restriction on alternative app stores on Apple devices.

    By admitting the FSFE to the proceedings, the court stated that “the case is likely to have a significant impact on […] the supply of free software, free exchange of information and equal chances in accessing software”. Besides, the court recognised that if the EU Commission’s designation decision were to be annulled, […] “such a result would have an impact on the ability of the developers of applications or free software to interconnect their applications free of charge with Apple’s operating system iOS, which, in turn, would affect [the] FSFE’s ability to further and distribute such software to as wide a public as possible”.

    The next step for the FSFE is to submit its arguments by mid-September.

  • LibreOffice Impress 24.2 guide released

    The blog of The Document Foundation reports that a new guide has been released for the Impress presentation component of LibreOffice 24.2, the latest release of this popular free and open source office suite.

    The updated guide itself was co-ordinated by Peter Schofield, with assistance of Olivier Hallot and B. Antonio Fernandez. It is based on the Impress Guide 7.6, the last release under the old version numbering system.

    LibreOffice 24.2 guides for Writer, Calc and Impress

    The guide is available for immediate download in PDF format. It is also available in HTML format for reading online, as well as in source format (OpenDocument Format). The Impress guide will also be available from LuLu Inc as a printed book.

    The Impress guide can be downloaded from the documentation websites at documentation.libreoffice.org and the bookshelf at books.libreoffice.org.

  • LibreOffice 24.2.4 now released

    Last week the blog of The Document Foundation (TDF) announced the release of LibreOffice 24.2.4, the latest point release of the office suite since its switch to the new version numbering system.

    LibreOffice logo

    The updated release is available for immediate download for all major operating systems, GNU/Linux, MacOS and Windows. It includes over 70 bug and regression fixes compared with LibreOffice 24.2.3 to improve the software’s stability.

    LibreOffice is the only office suite with a feature set comparable to – if not better* than – the ubiquitous and overpriced Microsoft Office suite.. It also offers a range of interface options to suit all user habits, from traditional to modern, and makes the most of different screen form factors by optimising the space available on the desktop to put the maximum number of features just a click or two away.

    See the LibreOffice wiki for the bug fixes implemented in RC1 and RC2.

    Finally, those who wish to support the work of The Document Foundation are invited to make a donation.

    * = Like direct export in the epub e-book file format, for example.

  • Joint release of LibreOffice versions 24.2.2 & 7.6.6

    Yesterday the blog of The Document Foundation (TDF) announced the simultaneous release of two versions – 23.2.2 and 7.6.6 respectively of the LibreOffice productivity suite. Both releases bugs and regressions to improve quality and interoperability for individual productivity.

    LibreOffice 24.2 banner

    As usual LibreOffice 7.6.6 is an update to a release not at the project’s cutting edge, but is designed for more conservative users who don’t necessarily want – or need – the suite’s latest features.

    Both versions are now available for download. All LibreOffice users are encouraged to update their current version as soon as possible to take advantage of the improvements and bug fixes in the new releases. For those using proprietary operating systems, the minimum requirements are Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and Apple MacOS 10.15.

    For business use, TDF strongly recommends the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from its partners with a wide range of dedicated value-added features and other benefits such as SLAs. Details here.

    LibreOffice users, free software advocates and community members can support the work of The Document Foundation by making a donation to it.

  • Today is Document Freedom Day

    Today, 27th March is Document Freedom Day, which every year publicises and raises awareness of how open standards and open document formats enable us to read and write as we so wish.

    Document Freedom Day graphic

    Was there ever a time you were sent an important file that the software onyour computer couldn’t read properly? Do you remember having to purchase or download a new application just so you could open an attachment you needed for your work? The same thing happens tens of thousands of times every day. Can you imagine how much knowledge sharing doesn’t happen just because the sender and receiver – either intentionally or unintentionally – use different file formats? Incompatibilities like these are typically caused by secret (“closed”) and privately held (“proprietary”) file formats.

    Document Freedom Day is a chance to inform the world about open standards, which are crucial for the exchange of information, independence from software suppliers like the Beast of Redmond and to ensure long-term access to our data. LibreOffice – the office suite used and recommended by your ‘umble scribe – is a fine example of how to use open standards such as Open Document Format (ODF).

  • New user guides for LibreOffice Writer and Calc

    Last week The Document Foundation blog revealed that new guides have been produced for the latest 24.2 versions of Writer and Calc, LibreOffice‘s word processor and spreadsheet programs respectively.

    Graphic showing covers of new Writer and Calc guides

    The new guides are in essence updates of the guides produced for the preceding LibreOffice 7.6 guides.

    The Writer guide has been reviewed and updated by Jean Weber and has changed from being a single page document to a full-sized book. The latest Writer guide includes all these updates:

    • Comments can now use styles;
    • New features in the Navigator;
    • Save with password dialog now has a password strength meter;
    • Insert Special Characters dropdown now shows a character description;
    • Improved support for multi-page floating tables;
    • “Legal” ordered list numbering: make a given list level use Arabic numbering for all its numeric portions;
    • Miscellaneous changes in the names of some fields and buttons;
    • See the release notes for more changes.

    The Calc guide has been revised by Steve Fanning; it contains a description of the new features of Calc 24.2, the spreadsheet program of LibreOffice:

    • Live font preview when using the Font Name menus on the Properties deck of the Sidebar and on the Formatting toolbar;
    • Interactions to switch between sheets operate cyclically;
    • Option to view or hide column/row highlighting;
    • Additional metadata fields on the Description tab of the Properties dialog;
    • On Windows platforms, support for Alt+NumPad codes covering full Unicode range;
    • Text description of highlighted character on drop-down from Insert Special Characters toolbar icon;
    • Password strength meters for several dialogs;
    • Search field on Functions deck of Sidebar;
    • Support for FTP protocol removed from Hyperlink dialog;
    • Changes to auto-recovery and backup options;
    • Search function on Tools – Options dialogs;
    • Security warnings converted from dialogs to information bars;
    • Modify button renamed Assign on Customise dialog;
    • Language Settings menu of Tools – Options dialogs renamed to Languages and Locales.

    Besides those mentioned above, LibreOffice 24.2 also contains the following improvements:

    • New password-based ODF encryption that hides metadata better and is more resistant to tampering;
    • Clarification of macro security options to make it clear exactly what is allowed and what is not;
    • Accessibility improvements: and
    • Improvements in interoperability with Microsoft’s proprietary file formats.

    The Guides are available in PDF and ODF formats from the Libre Office bookshelf web page as well as print versions.

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