LibreOffice moves to web and tablets

The makers of open source productivity suite LibreOffice have unveiled plans to port the software into the browser and to Android and iOS devices. 

The Document Foundation released a video demonstration of its LibreOffice Online Prototype, unveiled at its conference in Paris this week.

SUSE’s Michael Meeks is leading the project to bring the productivity suite into the browser. 

A project to port LibreOffice to Android and iOS is also underway, thanks to the efforts of Finnish SUSE developer Tor Lillqvist, The Document Foundation said.

“The LibreOffice Android and iOS port has the objective of bringing the office suite to iPads and Android tablets, and eventually smaller devices," it said.

"The user interface work has yet to start in earnest but the bulk of the code is compiling.”

The Document Foundation was set up by some former OpenOffice members who held fears for the future of the software under Oracle.

The splinter group released its first stable LibreOffice version in January, a few months ahead of Oracle's decision to ditch the commercial version of OpenOffice.

Oracle later handed to OpenOffice to the Apache Software Foundation. 

The Document Foundation also claimed a 500,000 LibreOffice seat victory this week after several French government agencies moved from OpenOffice.