LibreOffice or FreeOffice? Manjaro Gives You the Right to Choose

In the upcoming release of Manjaro Linux, users will be able to select between open source LibreOffice and proprietary FreeOffice at the time of installation.

The choice of FreeOffice and LibreOffice in Manjaro Linux

In the last week of July, Manjaro Linux suddenly decided to drop the popular open source productivity suite LibreOffice in favor of Softmaker’s FreeOffice. The decision faced heavy criticism from people who prefer using open source software.

The Manjaro team listened to the community feedback and modified its decision of including FreeOffice as the default office suite. From next release, users will get the option to choose between FreeOffice and LibreOffice while installing Manjaro Linux.

FreeOffice In Manjaro Linux
FreeOffice In Manjaro Linux Installer

What’s the deal with FreeOffice?

FreeOffice is free of cost but not open source. It is the limited version of Softmaker’s premium office suite. The Softmaker office suite is known for its compatibility with Microsoft office. Both Softmaker and FreeOffice are available on Linux desktop but you need to pay for Softmaker. FreeOffice is available free of cost but it doesn’t have all the features of Softmaker.

Manjaro dev Philip Muller clarified that there had been no money exchanged (yet) from this deal.

On the other hand, Softmaker notified that FreeOffice users can now save in Microsoft Office specific formats like DOC, XLS, PPT. This feature was added as part of their agreement with Manjaro Linux.

FreeOffice or LibreOffice? What’s your choice?

Libeoffice Freeoffice Manjaro Linux
Which one do you prefer? LibreOffice or FreeOffice?

Personally, I am glad that Manjaro Linux changed its earlier decision and took a more balanced approach about including the proprietary software.

There are a few Linux distributions that are determined to include only open source software (like Trisquel) but Manjaro is not one of them. Manjaro Linux is more mainstream and it (seems to) cater to the need of a regular user who would be happy to get his/her work done without going into details of whether or not the software is open source.

What do you think of this episode? Do you agree with Manjaro’s decision to include FreeOffice as an option? Do share your opinion in the comment section below.

About the author
Abhishek Prakash

Abhishek Prakash

Created It's FOSS 11 years ago to share my Linux adventures. Have a Master's degree in Engineering and years of IT industry experience. Huge fan of Agatha Christie detective mysteries πŸ•΅οΈβ€β™‚οΈ

Become a Better Linux User

With the FOSS Weekly Newsletter, you learn useful Linux tips, discover applications, explore new distros and stay updated with the latest from Linux world

It's FOSS

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to It's FOSS.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.