LibreOffice and the art of overreacting
LibreOffice’s decision to show a recurring in‑app donation banner has triggered a wider debate over how open source projects should fund themselves without degrading usability or trust. Some users see the banner and the project’s sharp blog response as unprofessional and worry about a “slippery slope” toward Mozilla/Wikimedia‑style fundraising tactics, while others argue that a modest, occasional prompt is reasonable given the value delivered for free. The exchange surfaces broader tensions around user entitlement, “donation fatigue,” and whether governments or enterprises should play a larger role in financing critical FOSS infrastructure.
Donation Banner: Intrusive or Reasonable?
- Central issue: LibreOffice adds a recurring donation banner in the Start Center / transition screen.
- Some see it as non-intrusive, appearing rarely in unused UI space, similar to shareware-era nags.
- Others argue it “significantly impairs usability” and that tools should not display fundraising inside the app at all.
- A subgroup insists it must be suppressible in enterprise deployments; some suggest enterprises should pay to remove it.
Tone of the Official Response
- Many criticize the blog post’s framing (“overreacting”) as defensive, unprofessional, and antagonistic toward users.
- Others defend the tone as measured and necessary pushback against entitlement and bullying of volunteers.
- There’s debate over whether publicly calling out “the media,” other projects, and “comments” is good communications practice.
Comparisons to Wikimedia, Mozilla, and Others
- Several argue Wikimedia’s fundraising is a bad comparison: its banners are seen as deceptive, intrusive, and relentless, harming goodwill.
- Some contrast with Thunderbird or KDE-style occasional prompts, which are perceived as modest and effective.
- Concern that not recognizing the problems with Wikimedia’s tactics undermines confidence in LibreOffice’s judgment.
Funding Open Source & User Entitlement
- Many support donation prompts as necessary to sustain unglamorous but essential software like office suites.
- Others express “donation/tip fatigue” and resentment at constant asks across the web.
- Strong thread about users demanding “free, ad-free, nag-free” software while resisting all realistic funding models.
Usability, Start Center, and Actual Impact
- Several note they rarely see the Start Center, launching documents or sub‑apps directly; for them, the banner is irrelevant.
- Others stress the Start Center is crucial for beginners and thus a prime fundraising location.
- Unclear how large or visually dominant the new banner is; some link to old screenshots and question whether anything major changed.
Trust, Slippery Slopes, and Governance
- Some fear a WMF/Mozilla-style “downward slope” from small nags to aggressive monetization and non-core agendas.
- Others argue distrust stems from years of “enshittification” elsewhere, unfairly spilling onto community projects like LibreOffice.
- A few suggest governments and enterprises that rely on LibreOffice should fund it directly, reducing pressure to nag end users.