LibreOffice Says Its UI Is Way Better Than Microsoft Office's

Source: Slashdot

Background

Many users choose Microsoft Office over LibreOffice because of its support for proprietary formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) and its “ribbon” interface. Critics often describe LibreOffice’s UI as “clunky” compared to the “standard” ribbon found in Word, Excel, and other Office apps.

LibreOffice’s Argument

According to a report from Neowin, LibreOffice counters that its UI is actually superior because it is customizable. Users can switch among several interface modes, including:

• The classic toolbar layout
• An Office‑inspired ribbon layout
• A sidebar‑focused design
• Other configurable options

LibreOffice states that there is no evidence the ribbon provides “superior usability” over alternative interface modes. In a blog post the project wrote:

“The characterization of ribbon‑style interfaces as ‘modern’ or ‘standard,’ used by several users, is not based on any objective usability parameter or design principle, but is the result of Microsoft’s dominance in the market and the huge investments made when the ribbon was introduced in Office 2007 as a new paradigm for productivity software. The idea that ‘modern’ equals ‘similar to a ribbon’ is a normalization effect: the Microsoft interface has become a benchmark because of its ubiquity, not because of its proven advantages in terms of usability. Added to this is the fact that many users evaluate office software through the lens of familiarity with Microsoft Office and consider deviation from it as a problem rather than a design choice.”

Criticism of Competitors

LibreOffice has also criticized OnlyOffice, accusing it of being “fake open source.” LibreOffice claims OnlyOffice collaborates with Microsoft to lock users into the Office ecosystem by prioritizing the proprietary formats mentioned earlier instead of supporting LibreOffice’s native OpenDocument Format (ODF).