While not the most visually appealing software out there, you can fine-tune the look and style of LibreOffice to something a little less bland (Not pictured, obviously). For fans of the competition, there are also ways to customize the toolbar area to resemble that of both Google Docs and Microsoft Word’s Ribbon.

And while it was a little cumbersome, it was nice to have that level of personalization available. In just a few moments, I put together a night mode. Though Writer’s pre-installed themes are underwhelming to say the least, other customization options allow you to shrink icons down to a reasonable size, change their style, and also alter the individual colors of the GUI. I’d say it was serendipitous, but nobody actually says serendipitous. But in a way, if it wasn’t for those awful-looking default icons, I might not have noticed the customization options available. I’d later find that the pixelated icons in question were, for some reason, simply the default look and could be changed to less ugly versions through options tucked away in the menus. Writer’s chunky pixelated icons and dated design give off a Mega Bloks over Lego vibe. And while it is familiar, it certainly resides in the uncanny valley of word processors. If you’re looking to pull users away from the most popular word processor on the market, it makes perfect sense to offer something with creature comforts. From the floating ruler to the placement of elements in the GUI, the Microsoft Word influence is obvious.

There are no prizes for guessing where a lot of the inspiration for LibreOffice Writer’s design comes from.

That’s why LibreOffice is freely distributed –– to be used, modified or shared as desired by all.Īnd while that sounds like a lot of hippy gobbledygook, we’re talking about average people banding together to supply a product that isn’t otherwise offered to you as a service by a soulless corporation responsible for unleashing Windows Vista into the wild. LibreOffice is developed by a worldwide community of people committed to promoting open standards and delivering quality tools to everybody. When it comes to LibreOffice, however, there is no underlying effort to make money off of its user base.

Libre open office writer