mastodon 4.7.3
LibreOffice, yours for a lifetime
On 13 October 2026, Microsoft ends support for Office 2021. No more security updates, no more fixes, no more assurances.
LibreOffice has no end-of-support date, because there is no vendor with the power to declare one. When a release cycle closes, the next one is already available, free, to everyone — not to those who renewed.
Support ends on a date someone else chooses. Ownership does not end at all.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/29/libreoffice-yours-for-a-lifetime/
LibreOffice 26.2.5 is available for download
Berlin, 23 July 2026 – The Document Foundation today announced the release of LibreOffice 26.2.5, the fifth maintenance update to the LibreOffice 26.2 branch. Building on the major feature release published on February 4, 2026, this update delivers targeted bug fixes and stability improvements contributed by a global community of developers and QA engineers.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/24/libreoffice-26-2-5/
The invisible architecture of lock-in: the layering of dependencies
A sophisticated mechanism by which proprietary technology ecosystems maintain their grip on users and institutions, even when those users and institutions believe they are making free choices, using open standards, and building independent digital infrastructure. It does not work through force, but through a subtler and more durable strategy: the layering of dependencies.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/06/30/the-invisible-architecture-of-lock-in/
@libreoffice @odf @tdforg
We proudly belong to the 0.01% who consciously choose free operating systems and software that are not only convenient, but also much safer. We refuse to delegate governance of our digital environment to others.
This is despite comments from people who point out that 99.99% of the world’s population choose the convenience of Microsoft’s handcuffs over the joy of the daily discovery of digital freedom.
LibreOffice State of the Project (July 2025 – June 2026)
Quarterly updated State of the Project Slide Deck, based on data from July 1st, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
309 developers worked on the source code, adding 11.464 new commits (Git): 238 volunteer developers (77%) provided 2.028 commits (18%); 11 developers from The Document Foundation (4%) provided 4.501 commits (39%), and 60 developers from 8 ecosystem companies (19%) provided 4.935 commits (47%).
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/21/libreoffice-sotp-july-2025-june-2026/
There is no digital sovereignty without ODF
Any other choice is a choice of dependence on a single vendor
Digital sovereignty begins with the document format. Everything else – server location, hosting jurisdiction, procurement clauses – is downstream of this single decision. If the format is standard and open, the user controls the document. If the format is proprietary the vendor controls it, even when the file sits on the user’s own hard drive.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/05/15/no-digital-sovereignty-without-odf/
Euro-Office, open standards, and native ODF
A welcome commitment to open standards — and why it should end with ODF as Euro-Office’s native document format.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/06/11/euro-office-open-standards-and-native-odf/
What We Owe Each Other, in Millimetres and Volts
A standard is a public agreement about how things should fit together. Two words in that sentence carry the weight: public and agreement. Public, because the rules are written down and anyone can read them. Agreement, because nobody imposes them alone; they are negotiated between parties who accept that the shared space is more valuable than any individual advantage within it.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/10/what-we-owe-each-other/
@libreoffice @odf @tdforg
The Document Foundation: the name that pointed at the right thing, 16 years before
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/06/19/tdf-the-name/
Twenty Years On, ODF Is Still the Only Open Standard for Office Documents, and the Only One Governments Can Trust
Twenty years ago, the Open Document Format cleared its Draft International Standard ballot at ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 with unanimous approval. Two decades later, ODF remains what it was on the day of its ratification: the only open, vendor-neutral, freely implementable international standard for office documents in existence.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/05/08/twenty-years-odf-as-iso/
How proprietary formats have become Microsoft’s main tool for lock-in
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/17/microsofts-main-tool-for-lock-in/
ODF non è l'unico vantaggio di LibreOffice rispetto al software proprietario, ovvero a Microsoft 365, WPS Office e OnlyOffice
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/02/27/odf-is-just-the-first-of-lo-advantages/
Chi preferisce il software proprietario per il formato dei documenti o l'interfaccia utente, ammetta candidamente di essere un sostenitore della sudditanza digitale, e di rinunciare per sempre al controllo sui propri contenuti.
Siete in buona compagnia, la maggior parte dei politici italiani è dalla vostra parte.
Io no.
The non technical dependency layers: the Calendar and the Invoice
A vendor’s calendar will always move. A vendor’s prices will always rise. These are not scandals, they are simply what it means to be governed by someone else’s strategy. The only question that matters is whether you are free to walk away when they do.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/03/the-calendar-and-the-invoice/
A small clarification, before the echo settles
https://italovignoli.substack.com/p/a-small-clarification-before-the?r=1va4e
OpenPolis: i dati a supporto della ricerca sulle competenze digitali nell'era dell'intelligenza artificiale in formato XLS (!!!!!), a dimostrazione di una totale incompetenza. Ma non basta, dopo averglielo fatto notare in modo educato e costruttivo, e aver offerto il mio aiuto gratuito, mi hanno risposto che non possono fare altrimenti perché gli utenti hanno problemi con altri formati (usano tutti PC ante 2008?).
https://www.openpolis.it/la-sfida-delle-competenze-digitali-nellera-dellia/
Roba da non credere
ODF is the future, OOXML is the past
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/03/27/odf-is-the-future-ooxml-is-the-past/
Thank you, on behalf of ODF
To the funders, the members of the technical committee and the users: what is happening today is a belated public recognition of the work you have carried out in silence, supporting ODF for twenty years.
You are the vanguard that has proven the validity of a concept, and that has made it possible for those politicians who realised that your example was the one to follow to make their case.
All of this deserves recognition. Thank you.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/05/05/thank-you-on-behalf-of-odf/
The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 25.8.7
2026-05-12Italo Vignoli
The Document Foundation announces the release of LibreOffice 25.8.7, the final maintenance release of the LibreOffice 25.8 family, available for download at https://www.libreoffice.org/download [1]. Users of LibreOffice 25.8.x should update to LibreOffice 26.2.x as LibreOffice 25.8.x end of life will be on June 12, and after that date the software will not receive additional security updates.
Outlook is the worst piece of software ever written by a living amount of human cells (would not call the author of such a disgusting amount of bits a human being)
Join the LibreOffice team as a Marketing and Communication Professional (full-time, remote, m/f/d)
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/07/23/join-the-libreoffice-team-as-a-marketing-and-communication-professional-full-time-remote-m-f-d/
#libreoffice #tdforg
Euro-Office: sovereign in name only, or in reality too?
The announcement of the Euro-Office is welcome news. The coalition is credible, the governance is sound and the timing is perfect. Europe needs office software, and I am delighted to see such significant players allocating resources to make it happen.
However, we have a question. It is not meant to be hostile, but it is the only question that matters.
What is the native document format of Euro-Office?
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/04/01/euro-office/
Open Letter to European Citizens
The door to digital sovereignty is open, please come in
We ask European citizens, and through them those who govern European countries, to understand one important thing: the door to digital sovereignty does not open simply by choosing different software, but by understanding what sovereignty actually entails.
It requires open document formats, open fonts, continuity of expertise, and honesty about what "open" means.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/03/31/open-letter-to-european-citizens/
A big win for ODF, the EU Commission DG CONNECT has added the ODS template to the CRA Guidance feedback process, reacting promptly in a positive way to our request. Kudos to DG CONNECT.
The Disproportion Test: a Reflection on Instrumental Criticisms of Advocacy
Waiting for Windows 10
On the metaphysics of an ending that keeps being rescheduled.
Document formats: a mystery to many
A licence tells you who owns the software, while the format tells you who owns the data.
ODF has to be native, default, and by design.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/04/02/document-formats-a-mystery-to-many/
A TURNING POINT
On Sunday 19 April, at around 9 pm, a blood clot broke away from the popliteal artery behind my ailing left knee and travelled up to the pulmonary artery, where it lodged between the left and right pulmonary arteries, causing a pulmonary embolism.
If you are a government official, a digital policy advisor, the CIO of a public administration, or a minister responsible for digital transformation in any EU country, this post is for you.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/03/23/dear-europe/
I have launched a personal Substack, this is the intro: https://open.substack.com/pub/italovignoli/p/why-foss-mumblings
This will allow me to provide comments which are unambiguously mine, and given that I am 72 and grumpy it will be fun for many and less fun for others, but that's life
17 February 2026 marks the 14th anniversary of The Document Foundation’s recognition as a non-profit organisation under German law. The growth would never have been possible without the invaluable contributions of the many individuals and companies that have been involved over the years. Today, we celebrate this important milestone and prepare for further growth.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/02/17/the-14th-anniversary-of-our-foundation/
ODF 1.4 is an OASIS standard, while we are waiting for the announcement of ODF 1.3 as ISO/IEC 26300:2025 standard. These are very important news for the only open document format available to users, to protect their IP and allow them to share contents in a transparent way without being controlled by Microsoft, as it should be is authorities were true authorities instead of being puppets in the hands of lobbyists. https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/12/03/tdf-announces-odf-v14-as-oasis-standard/
LibreOffice State of the Project (April 2025 – March 2026)
We are releasing the updated State of the Project Slide Deck, based on data extracted from the LibreOffice dashboard and the Matomo repository.
We have started to publish these slide decks in January 2026, to provide a transparent overview about the progress of the project through some of the most significant measures of development, downloads and donations data collected by the marketing team at TDF.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/04/09/libreoffice-state-of-the-project/
@libreoffice
LibreOffice turns 15: happy anniversary! https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/09/28/libreoffice-turns-15/
LibreOffice 25.8.5, for Windows, MacOS and Linux, has landed at https://www.libreoffice.org/download.
English manuals for the LibreOffice 25.8 family can be downloaded from books.libreoffice.org/en/. End users can access technical support via mailing lists and the Ask LibreOffice forum: ask.libreoffice.org/.
LibreOffice enterprise and individual users can support The Document Foundation and the LibreOffice project with a donation at www.libreoffice.org/donate.
A Commit Named After a Conversation
My Way of Being a Good Enough Ancestor
#italovignoli #audreytang #taiwan #libreoffice #ods #ethercalc #goodenoughancestor
When Twenty Six Votes Said Everything but Were Heard as Nothing
LibreOffice Named a 2026 “Best Value” Leader by Capterra
A long blog post to explain the artificial complexity of XLSX files, as compared to ODS files: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/09/27/the-artificial-complexity-of-ooxml-files-the-xlsx-case/ @opendocument @LibreOffice
La LibreOffice Conference, l'incontro annuale della comunità che sviluppa e promuove l'unica suite per ufficio veramente libera e open source, che supporta nativamente l'unico formato dei documenti aperto e standard, sarà a Pordenone, all'interno del campus universitario. E' una grande occasione per la comunità italiana per conoscere meglio l'unico software che permette agli utenti di avere un controllo completo sui propri contenuti senza l'ingerenza di una Big Tech. https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/12/05/libreoffice-conference-2026-and-2027/
LibreOffice 25.8.2, the second minor release of the free, volunteer-supported office suite for personal productivity in office environments, is now available at https://www.libreoffice.org/download for Windows, MacOS and Linux. Read the blog post: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/10/09/release-of-libreoffice-25-8-2/ @libreoffice@fosstodon.org
Why a digital document is a piece of software, and what that means for your freedom
Most people think of a digital document the way they think of a sheet of paper: an object that holds words and pictures, indifferent to the tool used to open it. This intuition is wrong, and the consequences shape everything from vendor lock-in to cybersecurity to the long-term readability of public records.
A digital document is a piece of software.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/05/13/digital-document-a-piece-of-software/
