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LibreOffice comes to the Microsoft Store, but there's a catch [Update]

While most rely on Microsoft's Office 365 suite to meet their productivity needs, there are many that prefer to use LibreOffice, a free open source alternative. The software offers capabilities similar and sometimes even better than those offered by Office 365, but one of the reasons that makes it so popular is that it's completely free.

LibreOffice fans will be pleased to know that the product has made its entrance in the Microsoft Store, but there's a catch.

LibreOffice is developed by The Document Foundation, however, the store listing lists the publisher as ".net". Now, this could be a simple mistake, or it could be a red flag that this is a release from a third-party. What's even more problematic is that there is no mention of a Microsoft Store release on the company's website.

Apart from that, it appears that it is indeed a full release containing Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, and Math, which apparently work fine according to reviews. While the app has been available in the Microsoft Store for a few days, it is just now being discovered by most. It is interesting to see that while LibreOffice is free software, it carries a $2.99 price tag on the distribution platform. However, the developer says that this is just for donation purposes, and customers can opt to download the fully-featured unlimited-time trial instead.

We have reached out to The Document Foundation for clarification regarding this Microsoft Store release, but in the meantime, we would advise our readers to steer clear of it.

Update: It appears that this version of LibreOffice is indeed from a third-party and The Document Foundation is currently determining "if the distribution terms are compliant with our license". We'll keep you updated as this story develops.

Source: Bleeping Computer

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