Getting started with LibreOffice 5

There are quite a number of options for word processors, spreadsheets and slide presentation these days and many of it with the option for being online. LibreOffice 5 is available to users on popular platforms like Mac, Linux and MS Windows. This makes it easier for implementation across any type of systems for any organisation.

LibreOffice can help save lots within an organisation while having access to a top class application that is continuously being kept updated. The document formats will ensure it can be preserved for a long time. The installer file can be downloaded from libreoffice.org site and the offline help can also be downloaded separately.

LibreOffice 5 Installer

The minimum installation system pre-requisites recommended is a Pentium III,  512MB RAM which should be fine for almost all computers. However, is does require a considerable 1.5GB disk space and display of 1024x768 resolution with 256 colours.

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is needed if using some features in Base.

LibreOffice 5 provides the following;

• Writer document
• Calc spreadsheet
• Impress presentation
• Draw drawing
• Math formula
• Base database

LibreOffice 5 Main Screen

The 3 notable features (see release notes for more);

AutoCorrect

Default unicode 6 support which is included in its AutoCorrect. E.g. if you type :camera: it displays the camera. Here are a few more;

Compatibility with MS Office
Improved import and export of MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. This means, users can work with these docs without much hassle. More controls for compatibility is found in the Tools ->Option ->Load/Save

Improvements in import of annotated text ranges from Word documents. Better support for RTF document formats.

Entire row/column references
Ever wanted to specify an entire row/column? Now this can be done with "A:A" and "1:1".