What's new in the free LibreOffice suite
Prepare to Jump

© Lead Image © Robert Collins, Unsplash.com
LibreOffice 5.4 is the last major release before the big jump to version 6. In addition to a number of updates, you can now sign Writer documents with OpenPGP.
Every six months, The Document Foundation publishes a new release of LibreOffice [1]. The versions in the fresh
branch offer experimental features aimed at users who want to test brand new functions, whereas the still
versions are for those who value reliability [2].
The new fresh
version 5.4, the last in the 5.x series before the big jump to version 6.0, is scheduled for early 2018. It comes with new toolbars, improved palettes and filters, and OpenPGP support for signing Writer documents. A test team looked at the new LibreOffice 5.4.0.3 under Debian 9.0 (Stretch, 64-bit).
LibreOffice developers have continued to modernize the appearance of the Office programs. In particular, the cleaned-up default color palette immediately stands out (Figure 1). Instead of colorfully mixed hues, the palette now follows the RYB (red, yellow, blue) color model reduced to 120 tones. A new palette for chart colors (not yet compiled and available as chart-palettes
) is also included.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.