Although the web edition of this productivity suite has limited features, it provides documents that are editable in the desktop version as well.
We have been hearing about the web-based version of LibreOffice, the open source productivity suite for some time now. Finally, it has arrived to compete with the likes of Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365.
Collabora Productivity, the supplier of commercial support for LibreOffice, came up with a web-based version of the productivity suite, LibreOffice Online. It has been launched by Collabora Productivity along with ownCloud, the makers of an open source file hosting and sharing system Dropbox.
Termed as Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE), the web-based version of LibreOffice provides developers some ‘bleeding-edge features’. The makers have stated that they will not provide any support for CODE, however, they are working to bring a a commercial solution based on the same code. The commercial variant of CODE is likely to arrive in 2016.
According to a press statement released by Collabora, “This initial version allows basic editing. Collaborative and rich editing are on the roadmap.”
LibreOffice online pretty much resembles Google Docs, more than the desktop version of LibreOffice. The product appears to be a bit sluggish, but definitely allows basic creation and editing of word docs, presentations, and spreadsheets.
Once this web-based suite reaches feature parity, it can provide the real benefits. Until then, it may struggle to impress users, who are already comfortable with Google and Microsoft offerings.
