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
feddit.ukLibreOffice 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 - Feddit UKcross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27426660
[https://lemmy.world/post/27426660] > >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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