LibreOffice Merges Initial Support For Compiling To WebAssembly

[Quackdoc]

This is such a goos thing, this will allow things like chromebooks, android devices in general reliable desktop Libre Office.

(Collabora office is good for mobile, but when using Desktop mode/dex or even screencast to a big TV, Desktop mode will be great.

[cueball]

Things dont always need to be black and white - having options is great. Just select the answer thats appropriate to your question. If you are doing heavy document work, you probably want a high spec machine, fast storage, and local install. If its logging on to your corporate web portal so you can do more lightweight document editing/viewing, using a web based editor is probably fine. Or maybe you dont have a computer right now, but need to do something real quick and borrow your mates computer...

[jacob]

Seriously, this mania of turning absolutely everything into a web app must die NOW. I really can't imagine how running LO in a browser could make it more user friendly, more capable, better integrated into the desktop, more privacy-friendly and generally more useful than a native app.

[arQon]

So... basically no one has an idea what wasm support is for.

It's for Buzzword Bingo.

Office app suites are boring, so every few years you have to trash them with either braindead UI changes (MS's ribbons etc), or bandwagon-jumping to include whatever the current technology fad is, regardless of how stupid or inappropriate it is.

TBH, I'm surprised it's not "blockchain"...

[caligula]

So... basically no one has an idea what wasm support is for.

It provides platform independence. The app will look the same (not native) on every platform. Also a bit slower than native, and larger memory usage.

[bug77]

So... basically no one has an idea what wasm support is for.

[ferry]

Why is this a problem?

When one crashes they all crash. Even without crashing...when importing a large spreadsheet to Base (~15min) none of the other LibO windows responds.

[You-]

And on desktops Writer, Calc,... are still a single executable...

Why is this a problem?

[oiaohm]

$18/yr and branding.

Those and longer support/bug fixes are the only differences I can see. Since they contribute to LO then we'll likely get the bug fixes if we're using an up-to-date LO version. Seems like a product designed for companies wanting tech support without Google or Microsoft strings attached.

Not quite the complete list here

Actually, no. The work described in article is about running LO inside browser. Collabora Online (which also has free version) is a bit more complicated. The UI (menus and buttons) is in html/js, but the document is rendered by LO running on server and sent to client as images.

Yes earlier access to new features comes with Collabora version this can be a few years before the feature makes it to libreoffice or in some cases a totally different way of doing the same thing makes it into libreoffice that is determined to be better and then Collabora office moves to it.

https://www.collaboraoffice.com/solutions/support-and-services/

Yes if you have the money to be paying for the support services and you are after that work quickly paying for the supported version to get the features you have paid for quickly amount for commercial version Collabora libreoffice is normally small change due to how much the support services cost.

Collabora does open source there stuff in the end. That not to say that there is not advantages paying for their products.

Business paying for early access and ability to direct developers to problems business need fixed for productivity reasons makes Collabora payments worth while. Please note you can be paying more to Microsoft in MS Office subscriptions than paying for Gold level support services and the Collabora commercial versions and not have any way to have Microsoft fix the problems with MS Office that are effecting your business operations.

Now to a non business user or a small business user this may not having the funds so instead wait for the features to work their way into Libreoffice normal release. Reality Libreoffice normal release is not much different to what Microsoft gives you with Microsoft Office you pay for in control where its get what we decide to give you. But with libreoffice being open source you can at times pay a developer to work on a single feature and get the fix merged if it critical that you don't have with the Microsoft Office as a small business or non business user. Yes the engineering support feature. Collabora is not one size fits all.

[etam]

$18/yr and branding.

Actually, no. The work described in article is about running LO inside browser. Collabora Online (which also has free version) is a bit more complicated. The UI (menus and buttons) is in html/js, but the document is rendered by LO running on server and sent to client as images.