Live data from Hacker News

LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

zdnet.com

11–20 of 100 posts

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#12
Most of my coworkers in the enterprise I work for use LibreOffice, but the business itself has made no such decision. We're all remote workers, and the business provides none of us with locally run software, or any hardware, just lots of SaaS apps.

So a spreadsheet file gets passed around, usually from a client, and we're just expected to figure out how to read it. Those of us without MS Office already installed for something else usually install LibreOffice, including me.

Is the business doing something wrong here? Should they buy us all copies from Redhat instead of leaving it to us? Am I doing something wrong by using the free version for my enterprise work? Should I pay for a copy out of my salary?

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#13
post #12

Most of my coworkers in the enterprise I work for use LibreOffice, but the business itself has made no such decision. We're all remote workers, and the business provides none of us with locally run software, or any hardware, just lots of SaaS apps. So a spreadsheet file gets passed around, usually from a client, and we're just expected to figure out how to read it. Those of us without MS Office already installed for…

Is the hardware paid for by you or the business? If the hardware is paid for by the business then everything on that hardware is essentially business property, unless that business declares otherwise, and thus the business should be providing you with properly licensed software.

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#14
> ...according to TDF [The Document Foundation], there's growing trend among enterprises to choose the Community version, rather than one of the paid-for versions provided by TDF's partners, such as Collabora, and support partners, such as Red Hat. The foundation is concerned a lack of enterprise support is threatening the sustainability of the LibreOffice project because it's slowing down development.

Linux has been able to get enterprise support -- by becoming a critical piece of underlying infrastructure for new products and services provided by businesses. For example, see https://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/join/members/

The Apache Software Foundation has been able to get enterprise support -- also by becoming a critical piece of underlying infrastructure for new products and services provided by businesses. For example, see https://www.apache.org/foundation/thanks.html

The open-source scientific computing stack has been able to get enterprise support -- also by becoming a critical piece of underlying infrastructure for new products and services provided by businesses. For example, see https://numfocus.org/sponsors

Can Libreoffice become a critical piece of underlying infrastructure, atop which businesses can build new products and services?

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#15
post #12

Most of my coworkers in the enterprise I work for use LibreOffice, but the business itself has made no such decision. We're all remote workers, and the business provides none of us with locally run software, or any hardware, just lots of SaaS apps. So a spreadsheet file gets passed around, usually from a client, and we're just expected to figure out how to read it. Those of us without MS Office already installed for…

Is the hardware paid for by you or the business? If the hardware is paid for by the business then everything on that hardware is essentially business property, unless that business declares otherwise, and thus the business should be providing you with properly licensed software.

No employee hardware is payed for by the business. We all use our own machines, and all three major operating systems are well represented. So in your opinion we're all ethically in the clear?

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#16
post #14

> ...according to TDF [The Document Foundation], there's growing trend among enterprises to choose the Community version, rather than one of the paid-for versions provided by TDF's partners, such as Collabora, and support partners, such as Red Hat. The foundation is concerned a lack of enterprise support is threatening the sustainability of the LibreOffice project because it's slowing down development. Linux has been…

No and that's precisely why a company will opt for the Community version. It seems an open-source product should insert itself in the profit vertical of a company if that product demands the company pay for it.

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#17
post #12

Most of my coworkers in the enterprise I work for use LibreOffice, but the business itself has made no such decision. We're all remote workers, and the business provides none of us with locally run software, or any hardware, just lots of SaaS apps. So a spreadsheet file gets passed around, usually from a client, and we're just expected to figure out how to read it. Those of us without MS Office already installed for…

Is the hardware paid for by you or the business? If the hardware is paid for by the business then everything on that hardware is essentially business property, unless that business declares otherwise, and thus the business should be providing you with properly licensed software.

It is "properly licensed." That's the issue, and it's why LibreOffice has to beg instead of being able to sue.

If LibreOffice doesn't like this use, they can change to a less libre license. That's the point of proprietary and mixed licenses.

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#18
post #12

Most of my coworkers in the enterprise I work for use LibreOffice, but the business itself has made no such decision. We're all remote workers, and the business provides none of us with locally run software, or any hardware, just lots of SaaS apps. So a spreadsheet file gets passed around, usually from a client, and we're just expected to figure out how to read it. Those of us without MS Office already installed for…

Your employer should be providing the tools for you to do the job, including locally run software.

So yes, they should be providing an office suite whether that be Office365/ Libre Office / etc.

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#19
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the hardware paid for by you or the business? If the hardware is paid for by the business then everything on that hardware is essentially business property, unless that business declares otherwise, and thus the business should be providing you with properly licensed software.

No employee hardware is payed for by the business. We all use our own machines, and all three major operating systems are well represented. So in your opinion we're all ethically in the clear?

Ethically who knows but you're definitely legally in the clear

Re: LibreOffice tells businesses: Get off Community version, you are hurting devs

#20
Well it's hardly surprising given the design of their web site. I've used libreoffice for years and have never noticed the 'for business' link before. Add to that that if you go to download Libre Office and end up on some site trying to flog you something like collabra or whatever, it sounds like you've gone to the wrong place.

Even if you get past that barrier, the most obvious button is 'try collabra office' which pops up one of those bullshit contact forms where you just expect the company to try to rinse you for whatever subscription they can get out of you. No thanks.

Post reply on HN