Why do Linux distros bundle in LibreOffice and not ONLYOFFICE

General
1

Particularly for distros targeted towards people switching from Windows like Linux Mint. It seems like LibreOffice is just the default, but so many people prefer ONLYOFFICE for it’s slick look and better compatibility with Word documents and Excel files.

2

By that logic, why choose OnlyOffice over TextMaker?

3

Because it’s not free?

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4

good question. I’ve never tried OnlyOffice and had no idea it was closer UI to MS Word etc.

I switched from Win to Mint, so I’d love to try it out.

5

Il don’t remember if OnlyOffice is 100% open source or if there are a few closed blobs.

But anyway, I guess the governance structure is the main reason. OnlyOffice has had strong ties with Russia, including its government, and is headquartered in Singapore, which is another authoritarian regime.

I don’t say it necessarily implies wrongdoing, but I guess distribution maintainers fear that, some way, there might be political interference.

Technically, OnlyOffice is smoother and has a better compatibility with docx, but my experience is that it often crashes.

Personally, I have had both for years. I mainly use LibreOffice because it’s much more powerful (but I often rant for the many bugs), until I run into a bigger problem or compatibility issue, which makes me temporarily switch to OnlyOffice.

Sometimes it’s not enough, so I still keep a Windows VM only to use MS Office when both others fail.

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6

  1. OnlyOffice is not fully Open Source.
    The mobile client is still closed source
    The self-hostable Document server is closed source and for some functions you need to pay

  2. OnlyOffice has not so many features as LibreOffice

  3. OnlyOffice has in their AGPL licence the term that you need to include their Logo, which is trademark protect. This causes issues if you want to fork OnlyOffice and so on. So you could argue that the client is also not OpenSource.

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7

Do you think they could make them sneak in a backdoor or what is the concern?

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I don’t know.

It might just be about telemetry or customers data.

Plus, many distros have a foundational philosophy. For example, Debian demands full open code. And other distros’ maintainers may just be conscious of trust and reputation issues.

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Well IMO just get a LTSC windows on a virtuall machine disconnected from internet with LTSC office and you have the best

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Does OnlyOffice sends out more telemtry then LibreOffice?

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I don’t know.

But one is for-profit with some closed-source code, while the other is non-profit with fully open source code.

So, precisely because I don’t know the answer to your question, I will go for the one who inspires more trust. I don’t claim the outcome is necessarily better, but with limited knowledge, it’s just my best bet.

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