LibreOffice 5.06 vs Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2 – Comparison of supported document formats

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A post in another thread asked for a comparison of document formats supported by each app. Here’s the result of the default* formats:

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2

Code:

ODF Text Document (*.odt)
ODF Text Document Template (*.ott)
OpenOffice.org XML 1.0 Text Document (*.sxw)
OpenOffice.org XML 1.0 Text Document Template (*.stw)
Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP (*.doc)
Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP Template (*.dot)
Microsoft Word 6.0 / 95 (*.doc)
Microsoft Word 95 Template (*.dot)
Rich Text Format (*.rtf)
Text (*.txt)
Text Encoded (*.txt)
HTML Document (OpenOffice Writer) (*.html;*.htm)
Microsoft WinWord 5 (*.doc)
Microsoft Word 2003 XML (*.xml)
Microsoft Word 2007 XML (*.docx;*.docm)
Microsoft Word 2007 XML Template (*.dotx;*.dotm)
Uniform Office Format 2 Text (*.uot)
T602 Document (*.602;*.txt)

LibreOffice 5.06

Code:

ODF Text Document (*.odt)
ODF Text Document Template C.ott)
OpenOffice.org 1.0 Text Document (*.sxw)
OpenOffice.org 1.0 Text Document Template (*.stw)
Flat XML ODF Text Document (*.fodt; *.odt’; *.xml)
Microsoft Word 2007-2013 XML (*.docx; *.docm)
Microsoft Word 2007-2013 XML Template (*.dotx; *.dotm)
Microsoft Word 97-2003 (*.doc)
Microsoft Word 97-2003 Template (*.dot)
Microsoft Word 6.0/95 (*.doc)
Microsoft Word 95 Template (*.dot)
Microsoft WinWord 1/2/5 (*.doc)
Microsoft Works Document (*.wps)
Hangul WP 97 (*.hwp)
HTML Document (Writer) (*.html;*.htm)
Lotus WordPro Document (*.lwp)
Rich Text (*.rtf)
T602 Document (*.602;*.txt)
Text (*.txt)
Text – Choose Encoding (*.txt)
WordPerfect Document *.wpd)
Office Open XML Text (*.docx; *.docm)
Office Open XML Text Template (*.dotx; *.dotm)
AbiWord Document (*.abw; *.zabw)
Apple Pages 4 (*.pages)
8eagIeWorks/WordPerfect Works v1 Text Document (*.dummy)
BroadBand eBook (*.lrf)
ClarisWorks/AppleWorks Text Document (*.cwk)
DOC Maker (v4) Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
FictionBook 2.0 (*.fb2; *.zip)
FullWrite Professional Document (*.dummy)
GreatWorks Text Document (*.dummy)
HanMac Word ) Document (*.dummy)
HanMac Wotd-K Document (*.dummy)
LightWayText for Mac v4.5 (*.hqx; *.zip)
MacDoc v1 Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
MacWrite Document (*.mw; *.mcw)
MacWriteD or MacWritePro Document (*.rmv; *.mcv.)
Acta Mac Classic Document (*.dummy)
More Mac v2-3 Document [*.dummy)
RagTime Mac v2-3 Document (*.dummy)
Microsoft Word for Mac (v1 – v5) (*.doc)
Microsoft Works for Mac Text Document (v1 – v4) (*.wvps)
Mariner Write Mac Classic v1.6 – v3.5 (*.mwd)
MindWrite Document (*.dummy)
Nisus Writer Mac Classic v34 – 6.5 (*.hqx; *.zip)
PalmDoc eBook (*.pdb)
Plucker eBook (*.pdb)
TeachText/SimpleText v1 Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
TealDoc eBook (*.pdb)
Tex-Edit v2 Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
WriteNow Document (*.wn; *.nx^d)
WriterPlus Document (*.dummy)
Z-Write 1.3 Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
eDOC (v2) Document (*.hqx; *.zip)
eReader eBook (*.pdb)
PDF – Portable Document Format (Writer) (*.pdf)
zTXT eBook (*.pdb)

(*By ‘default’ I mean without the use of extensions, e.g. OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs – export & import to Google Docs, Zoho, WebDAV.)

Note that these are not the latest versions of either app and are just the supported document formats… so don’t include the file formats supported for spreadsheets, presentations, databases, etc.

What I thought was interesting:

– the wide disparity in the number of supported document formats (is this a comparison indicator in the amount of development/no. of developers?);

– the differentiation between 2 different instances of .docx/.docm/.dotx/.dotm, i.e. the Office Open XML format and Microsoft’s implementation (I thought was a standard?) and;

– the complete lack of support for Microsoft Works, Lotus, WordPerfect (and ebook) documents in Apache OpenOffice. The first 3 were all very popular in their day so it’s good to know that at least one current Office suite still offers support, should it ever be needed. Much easier than trying to find valid installers for the programs themselves.

Hope this helps…

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Thanks, I haven’t kept up with the Apache version so this is good to know.
A lot of folks, especially those who don’t have a version of Microsoft Office, only have Microsoft Works installed (which probably came with their computer when it was new). I’ve found that such folk are usually glad to learn that they can use LibreOffice to read/update their old files.

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Thanks! I will download and keep this listing

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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Do note that support for a file format doesn’t mean everything offered in that format is fully supported, or at all. Even with Microsoft, for example, Word 2007 doesn’t support content control checkboxes created by Word 2010 & later, even though both use the same file format. Word on the Mac doesn’t support content controls at all.

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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Do note that support for a file format doesn’t mean everything offered in that format is fully supported, or at all. Even with Microsoft, for example, Word 2007 doesn’t support content control checkboxes created by Word 2010 & later, even though both use the same file format. Word on the Mac doesn’t support content controls at all.

This.

Anyone expecting close to full compatibility is in for a surprise. I used to wrestle with all the documents coming in from different OSs and word processors, but I gave up. Much faster to nuke the incoming and rebuild it.

As an example, here are some things which won’t work if you save a docx to ODF:
Track Changes;
various ‘Tables of…’;
themes;
some fields, links, and forms;
macros;
captions;
master documents [but you don’t want to use those anyway].

There are hundreds of little things and nuances waiting in the wings, depending on the infrastructure used by two parties exchanging documents–which OS, what WP, what version of the WP.

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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Paul, you’re right as rain; While Office suites 5 can read everything of version 5, version 4 & version 3, 3 cannot do much with 4 and not much at all with 5. That’s why the term backwards compatibility is so well known. Thanks for reminder

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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I checked into these two last year and got the impression that Libre has had the most development going and Open is falling behind. That could account for the difference in supported docs.

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LibreOffice is now at Version 5.2.2.2 and has both x86 and x64 versions. I like it because it has kept support for Works and a number of my clients [older ladies] used it to type/save recipes and LibreOffice has become the only way to get them back when Upgrading their computers. Apache OpenOffice sent me an E-Mail earlier today about security issues that also affect the earlier OpenOffice.
—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—–
Hash: SHA256

CVE-2016-6804

Apache OpenOffice Advisory

Title: Windows Installer Execution of Arbitrary Code with Elevated Privileges

Version 1.0
Announced October 11, 2016

Description

The Apache OpenOffice installer for Windows contained a defective
operation that allows execution of arbitrary code with elevated
privileges.

The location in which the installer is run may have been previously
poisoned by a file that impersonates a dynamio-link library that
the installer depends upon. The counterfeit is operated instead
because of a search-path defect in the installer. The counterfeit
will be operated under the administrative privileges of the OpenOffice
installer, compromising the user’s PC.

Severity: Medium

There are no known exploits of this vulnerability.
Proof-of-concept demonstrations exist.

Vendor: The Apache Software Foundation

Versions Affected:

All Apache OpenOffice versions 4.1.2 and older
are affected. OpenOffice.org versions are also
affected.

Mitigation:

Install Apache OpenOffice 4.1.3 for the latest maintenance and
cumulative security fixes. Use .

Defenses and Work-Arounds:

If you are unable to update to 4.1.3, there are other
precautions that can be taken. These precautions are also
recommended as protection against other software that may
have the vulnerability.

When executing .exe installers, ensure that the installer
is in a file folder that has no files but the installer
.exe file.

If an installer proposes a folder to extract the setup
files into before the actual install, choose the name of
a folder that is not in use. Delete such a folder of setup
files after the installation completes successfully. To
reinstall without downloading again, preserve the installer
.exe on private removable storage.

Further Information:

For additional information and assistance, consult the Apache
OpenOffice Community Forums, or
make requests to the public
mailing list. Defects not involving suspected security
vulnerabilities can be reported via
.

The latest information on Apache OpenOffice security bulletins
can be found at the Bulletin Archive page
.

Credits:

The Apache OpenOffice project acknowledges the reporting and
analysis for CVE-2016-6804 by Stefan Kanthak and by Himanshu Mehta.

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Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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security issues that also affect the earlier OpenOffice.

I’m happy to be corrected but my reading of this is that the security issue is with an earlier version of the installer, not with an earlier version of OpenOffice itself.

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LibreOffice appears to have one big advantage over Apache that has gone unmentioned: it has a portable version. I have mine on a flash drive, since it’s not very often that I use it, along with a pile of other programs and utilities, including PortableApps.com Platform for some of them. That would make a nice ‘client giveaway’ or sale item for a shop to have.
I also have it in its original element, on a Linux (Mint) flash drive, where it is part of the whole shebang when you make a stick from the ISO.

Last minute post-Post thought: the software is open-source and flash drives cost next to nothing, but ‘giving it away’ or, still worse, selling it for profit (it would take some time to assemble decent stuff) leaves either you or the recipient in the position of at least having a moral duty to the people who came up with it in the first place. I haven’t checked boilerplate, but ‘contributions are accepted’ is usual, and if done on a significant scale something of substance…

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That would make a nice ‘client giveaway’ or sale item for a shop to have.

Might want to be careful with that “sale item” part, most if not all free software has a licensing restriction that it can’t be sold but some do say it can be included on a for-sale device that has other ‘stuff’ on it. Or in other words, it can’t be sold by itself. I do use a lot of free programs and see that as part of the requirement of agreeing with the license when installing.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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I shifted to Open Office some years ago when MS Office started locking up my computer whenever I cut and pasted – even if it wasn’t running. MS told me to buy another version to fix the issue.
I was impressed how much OO had matured. And it has kept the standard menu system which I’ve also found more logical than MS.

OO has shifted ownership a few times in recent years, now with Apache. Previously, development slowed way down, so a group of developers created a “fork” and began LibreOffice. That branch has continued development leaving OO somewhat behind. Still a good product but Libre is more current. I’ve been using that since.

It’s worth noting that you need to use the Open Document standard to get some of the fancier features in either suite. Like automated table of contents, endnotes, etc. But it’s easy to save into a MS format when you need to share with same. I’ve found little problem there. Am about to test sharing change tracking again with someone using MSO. See how that works these days…

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Lugh is certainly on the money! Which is one very good reason that I have for year saved the most basic non-macro-filled DOCs as MS Office 1997 DOCs. For any desired DOCX I convert it to and save it as MS Office 97 DOC — anything fancy within is lost in the translation.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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You might want to take a look at the following compatibility links for –
Word: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Differences-between-the-OpenDocument-Text-odt-format-and-the-Word-docx-format-d9d51a92-56d1-4794-8b68-5efb57aebfdc
Excel: https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/Differences-between-the-OpenDocument-Spreadsheet-ods-format-and-the-Excel-xlsx-format-4311c54f-ee86-4197-bd2d-5ecc35deb138
PowerPoint: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Supported-features-in-OpenDocument-presentation-odp-format-f6d5b015-a417-4096-bf61-a5c3f58d125f

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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