I use FOSS (free and open source) tools every day my Linux machine. But before I really got started, there was one program that changed the way I thought about software to this point: LibreOffice. Discovering it changed the way I think about how I use software, and I consider it a hidden gem hiding in plain sight.
After I discovered LibreOffice, I really stopped buying software
It was my number one FOSS alternative for a long time
Most people probably don’t wake up in the morning and say out loud, “Myself, I’d like to set up a mobile server or self-hosting today.” This kind of thing usually comes with time and a little more planning, at least in my experience.
This goes back a bit, but the first FOSS tool I used was probably OpenOffice’s Writer in 2008. A few years later LibreOffice appeared, Disconnects from OpenOffice.
For many, including myself, it was the better program and offered a free but powerful alternative to the Microsoft Office Suite (probably better known today. Microsoft 365 today). I immediately jumped on board and have been using it ever since.
I use Microsoft Office only when necessary.
Several factors made me reconsider paid software
Free is not the only important factor
So why has LibreOffice changed the way I think about my relationship with software?
The features, user-friendly interface, compatibility and accessibility of Writer, Calc, Draw and Impress made me reconsider what I was getting when I bought software.
Do I actually own the software I purchase or am I just paying for a license? Can’t the developers just take it offline or support it anytime?
Can I experiment with this and modify the code myself? What am I’m paying, right? These are all questions I start asking myself before buying new software.
Just because I use programs like Obsidian and Joplin to write in Markdown doesn’t mean I’m abandoning LibreOffice Writer. I still use it for various projects.
Calc is my main spreadsheet program where my budgets, freelance job tracking and data analytics live. This thing is a powerhouse and can handle functions like pivot tables, COUNTIFor XLOOKUP I made slideshows with Impress. I even made a fancy looking resume with Draw.
Finally, it taught me that being free doesn’t always mean you’ll earn less or that something is poorly designed. Free can be much more than that. Once I applied this idea to other software, a whole world opened up for me.
Free doesn’t always mean a cheap clone
FOSS can be its own business
Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
Some of the things that are most important to me don’t actually cost a thing. I value privacy, security and openness. I don’t like artificial intelligence being shoved down my throat and into every piece of software I use.
LibreOffice has never significantly changed the user interface, removed features, or completely changed anything to make it harder to use in the name of “improving the experience”.
It offers a clean environment where nobody tracks your usage. There’s never a subscription, so you can run formulas or export PDFs for little extra.
Many of the FOSS programs I’ve used since then, like Scribus or Shotcut, may have similar features to their Adobe counterparts (InDesign and Premiere, respectively), but they’re definitely not these programs. They are their own thing with their own strengths in their own interface. In this particular instance, they offer everything I need from Adobe software without being tied to Adobe or requiring it to run in the cloud.
Extrapolating this idea to every piece of software I use whenever possible makes sense for the type of work I do on products.
Fascination with FOSS led me to Docker and more
From open source to self-hosted and beyond
One of my favorite things to do lately is self-hosted applications, mostly thanks to Docker. When I discovered Docker, it changed a lot about how I use Linux and what applications I use. Self-hosting is simple and saves a lot of time, energy and money.
Docker containers, aka apps, are one of my favorite ways to install software on my Linux machine. I run about six to seven at any given time. Other programs I use are almost exclusively FOSS: Audacity, Joplin, Scribus, Pinta, Shotcut, OBS Studio.
There are more. Learning to use and manage Docker made more FOSS tools accessible to me.
I never would have gotten there if I hadn’t started messing with LibreOffice a decade and a half ago. I realize it’s not the most exciting piece of software out there, but in my case, it completely changed the way I look at software.
FOSS offers freedom and control
Just because I use FOSS tools whenever possible doesn’t mean I’m averse to paying for software if it offers real value. I bought a copy of Reaper (DAW software) in 2019, and sometimes I buy programs that I know I’ll use often, like CdisplayEx.
But outside of those rare exceptions, I’ve never pushed myself to sign up for a subscription service like Adobe Creative Cloud (although, in full disclosure, I used it when I got the free version because I’m a student) or buy a lot of software.
Why would I when there is a world of FOSS tools out there? I can even make my own.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
- Individual price
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Free
