Set Your Calendars and Contacts Free
Microsoft to Libre Office & Co.
Illustration by Florian Biege
We are finally making our own soup, even when it comes to word processing, spreadsheets, or presentations: Because with Microsoft we are trapped in a closed system that's often only accessible through a subscription and mandatory cloud use (risk of data leakage and misuse!).
If you'd like to write your documents in the future without using the cloud and sharing your personal data, you can switch to free office suites:
Different ways to cook
Our digital switch recipes provide an easy, simple way to give Big Tech the push, but there are other options available. We have tried to make it easy by focusing on a single approach and a small number of options, but there are other alternatives that are just as good. After all, what we mean by ‘good’, ‘not so good’ and ‘bad’ is open to debate: DI.DAY is about easy ways to give Big Tech the push (without getting into purism or being preachy). Our decisions are based on advice from our advisory panel.
An overview of the alternatives is available on the next page:
Ingredients
1 serving of trust in open source
for transparency and control over your own content.
Season to taste
Your documents in the new (.odt) or old Microsoft format (.docx, .xlsx or .pptx, see below).
Preparation
1 Choose the right foundation
Choose one of the following options:
- LibreOffice: The number one choice for independence! The program is maintained by the open-source community, it is unlimited, completely free, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Collabora Online & Collabora Office: If you need to collaborate in the browser. It uses the core of LibreOffice and can be run on your own servers (e.g. with Nextcloud). The same software can also be used on desktops and mobile devices.
- SoftMaker Office: The professional solution from Germany (Nuremberg). It offers an outstanding Microsoft-style interface and a high level of data protection – for a low monthly subscription fee.
- We currently don't recommend OnlyOffice – a suite of open-source programs that is heavily inspired by Microsoft’s style and is integrated into many Nextcloud installations: Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sanctions have been imposed on the company, which has ties to Russia (background sources for this include TU Berlin).
2 Serving & getting used to
- Installation: Download your package from the manufacturer's website and install it on your computer.
- Open files: The alternatives can read and write Microsoft formats (see below).
3 Season to taste
- Getting used to: Set aside some time as the details and workflows may differ from Word or Excel.
- Teamwork: If you want to edit documents simultaneously with others, you'll need a browser-based solution like Collabora. This is because locally installed programs don’t usually support this type of collaboration.
Dessert
If you want to move away from proprietary systems, choosing the right file format is just as important as choosing the right software. The ideal format for this purpose is the OpenDocument Format (ODF). Here are the reasons why ODF is the best choice for your digital sovereignty:
1 Platform-independent
An open standard that works equally well on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
2 Independent
Unlike Microsoft formats, ODF is not maintained by a single corporation but by a large community. This ensures long-term readability and transparency.
3 A widely used standard
Programs such as LibreOffice use ODF as their default format. SoftMaker Office and FreeOffice can also edit and save documents in this format.
4 Future-proof
Since the code is open-source, you don’t have to worry whether a particular company will still exist in ten years’ time to open your old letters or spreadsheets.
Enjoy your meal! You have just taken a big step towards a more independent digital existence.
Once you #DIDit – share our post about the digital switch and inspire others to take control of their own digital lives!
Topping
While the alternatives mentioned – such as LibreOffice, SoftMaker, or OnlyOffice – are highly compatible with Microsoft formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx), saving in the OpenDocument format (.odt for text documents) is the most reliable way to avoid “format chaos” in the long run!
