LibreOffice blasts OnlyOffice for working with Microsoft to lock users in

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

OnlyOffice vs. LibreOffice: usability and compatibility

  • Several commenters say OnlyOffice is currently the most comfortable free replacement for MS Office, especially for users used to DOCX/XLSX fidelity and a “modern” feel.
  • Others prefer LibreOffice, citing better reliability, lighter feel than M365, and better CSV import across locales.
  • Some report OnlyOffice missing basic features (e.g., preferences), odd UX choices, and even losing spreadsheet data on macOS.

LibreOffice UI: “dated” vs. usable, ribbon vs. classic

  • A large subthread debates whether LibreOffice’s UI is “dated” or a strength.
  • Critics say it looks like early‑2000s Windows, uses old Win32 controls, and is off‑putting to new/younger users.
  • Defenders value the classic menus, CUA keyboard shortcuts, stability over constant redesign, and clear separation of UI regions.
  • Multiple people note that LibreOffice already offers a ribbon‑like “Notebookbar” mode and several UI layouts, though some found this non-obvious.
  • Disagreement persists over whether “modern” visuals improve usability or just chase trends.

Bug reporting and user–developer friction

  • Some argue the Bugzilla-based process (account required, technical form) deters ordinary users; they want an in‑app “Report bug” flow.
  • Others say that would create a flood of low‑quality reports and overwhelm limited volunteer developers; paying users can justify higher support effort.

File formats, standards, and lock‑in (ODF, OOXML, Google)

  • One view: OnlyOffice is simply following the market by prioritizing OOXML compatibility; LibreOffice criticizing that is seen as self‑interested.
  • Counter‑view: ODF is a real, clean format, while OOXML is essentially a codified dump of Microsoft’s internal model, making “open” claims misleading.
  • ISO’s approval of OOXML is called a “mistake” that should be revoked.
  • A real-world anecdote shows how Google Sheets features (especially Forms) make migration to Excel/LibreOffice painful, reinforcing lock‑in.
  • Some say PDF largely solves interchange for final documents, making format wars less relevant.

OnlyOffice’s openness, origin, and trust

  • Debate over whether OnlyOffice is “fake open source”: its repos are active, but there are concerns about binary blobs and upstream being “untrusted” in some ecosystems.
  • Corporate structure appears spread across Latvia, UK, Singapore, with Russian/Turkish personal ties, which some see as understandable (sanctions, payments), others as murky.
  • A few say Russian origin doesn’t matter if code is open and sandboxing is strong; others remain cautious.

Spreadsheets: quality, bugs, and alternatives

  • Multiple complaints about Excel: data corruption risks, floating‑point inaccuracies, weird legacy behaviors (scrolling, clipboard, autocorrect harming scientific data).
  • LibreOffice Calc is described as buggy by some (data loss claims) and solid by others.
  • Gnumeric is praised as technically superior (including Monte Carlo features), but lack of Windows builds limits adoption.
  • There’s interest in decoupling spreadsheet engines from UIs to allow multiple front-ends and better experimentation.

Broader perspectives on office suites

  • Some argue office suites are outdated; people should move to text/markup (LaTeX, DSLs) for typographic quality, searchability, and versioning.
  • Others respond that office suites still provide integrated spell/grammar checking and familiar workflows for non-technical users, even if their typography and tooling are imperfect.