If you’re like most Windows users, then you depend on programs like Microsoft Word and Excel to perform a variety of tasks. From typing cover letters to compiling spreadsheets at work, Microsoft Office is an inescapable part of our virtual lives.
Or is it?
Over the last few years, several challengers have emerged to protest the dominance of Microsoft Office. And best of all – these challengers are all free. Instead of paying over a hundred dollars for Microsoft Office and its suite of programs, alternatives like LibreOffice are helping people all over the world access similar compatibility without paying a dime.
LibreOffice recently celebrated its second anniversary. The project is run by a team of volunteers. Two years ago, the team broke away from Open Office, a similar suite of free Office-related tools. Over the past 24 months, the team has been committed to providing a free Office-like experience to users around the world.

Advantages of LibreOffice

LibreOffice is more than just a free replacement to Microsoft Office. It promises to add plenty of features that are not included in Microsoft’s suite of tools. For example, the ‘Math’ program is an equation generator that allows users to easily create an equation and then insert it into a standard document. There are also bibliographical tools, automatic spellcheckers, and plenty of other useful features.
Here are the programs included in LibreOffice:
-Writer
-Calc
-Impress
-Draw
-Base
-Math
You can probably guess which Microsoft Office programs these LibreOffice applications are meant to replace. But for those that need help, Writer is a word processor, Calc is a spreadsheet program, Impress is the presentation manager, Draw is a diagramming and charting tool, Base is a database manager, and Math is a simple equation generator.

Another advantage of LibreOffice is the fact that any user can hack it, customize it, and copy it without worrying about copyright infringement. In fact, LibreOffice encourages the open use of its platform and it provides a community where developers can get fully involved with the project.
LibreOffice is currently included on most Linux distributions, although it can also be downloaded for PC and Mac OS X. Check out the official site of the Libre Office team here and download the software for free.