Who doesn't like free stuff? Not many people, but there are various definitions of free. Free as in beer, free as in speech, and so on. The open source software movement combines these two ideas, and many more, by making software freely available to anyone who wants to use it, and also affording them the right to tinker with the code and change it in whatever way they want. It's one of the foundations of Linux, and it's a philosophy that -- in increasingly cash-strapped times -- is gaining momentum. <\/p>\n
The Document Foundation, creator of the LibreOffice variant of the free OpenOffice suite, today announces that it is joining the Open Source Business Alliance. The aim is to help with the deployment of the free office suite on larger scales within companies and organizations. <\/p>\n
There is a reason that Microsoft Office has become an industry standard tool. As well as having the backing of the Microsoft behemoth, there is a great deal of reassurance taken by companies who know that it will \"just work\". Files that are sent between employees, contractors, and external parties can be opened without problems. Part of the aim of the Open Source Business Alliance is to help ensure compatibility and interoperability so alternatives such as LibreOffice become viable for larger organizations. <\/p>\n
The involvement of theOpen Source Business Alliance in the LibreOffice ecosystem has already helped to improve compatibility with Microsoft OOXML -- an important factor for any organization considering making the shift from Microsoft. The Alliance's Peter Ganten said: <\/p>\n
Open Source Office Software like LibreOffice has always been very important to most of our members, and there is a long and successful history of cooperation between the OSB Alliance and the respective projects. For this reason we are very happy to have The Document Foundation in our organization and are looking forward for a great continuation of our cooperation. <\/p>\n
Photo credit: Gilmanshin \/ Shutterstock <\/p>\n
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