Apache OpenOffice
| File:Apache OpenOffice Logo.svg Apache OpenOffice logo | |
| Company type | Open-source software project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Office productivity software |
| Predecessor | OpenOffice.org, StarOffice |
| Founded | May 8, 2012 |
| Founder | Apache Software Foundation |
| Headquarters | Worldwide (community-driven) |
Area served | Linux, macOS, Windows |
Key people | Dennis Hamilton (former project lead), Andrea Pescetti (former release manager) |
| Products | Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math |
| Owner | Apache Software Foundation |
| Website | www |
Apache OpenOffice is a suite of open-source office productivity applications maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It evolved from OpenOffice.org, which originated from StarOffice, and later incorporated components from IBM Lotus Symphony. The package contains tools for word processing (Writer), spreadsheet management (Calc), presentation creation (Impress), vector graphics editing (Draw), database handling (Base), and formula editing (Math). It fully supports the OpenDocument standard and can work with widely used file formats, including those from Microsoft Office.
Designed for use on Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms, Apache OpenOffice is distributed under the terms of the Apache-2.0 license. Its inaugural release was version 3.4.0, launched on 8 May 2012. The most significant feature update came with version 4.1 in 2014, followed by continuous minor releases that addressed bug fixes, dictionary updates, and occasional feature improvements. The latest maintenance update is version 4.1.15, issued on 22 December 2023.
Since around 2015, the project has struggled to maintain an adequate number of active developers, leading to slower responses in fixing security vulnerabilities. Daily download counts reached their highest point at approximately 148,000 in 2013 but had diminished to roughly 50,000 by 2019–2020. As of January 2025, the Apache Software Foundation classifies its security status as "amber," reflecting several unresolved security flaws persisting for over a year.
History
In 1999, Sun Microsystems acquired StarOffice and subsequently released it as open-source software named OpenOffice.org in July 2000, with version 1.0 debuting on 1 May 2002. After Sun’s acquisition by Oracle Corporation in January 2010, the suite was rebranded as Oracle Open Office. By September 2010, a majority of external contributors departed over concerns regarding Sun’s and Oracle’s stewardship,[1] TDF launched the forked project LibreOffice in January 2011,<ref>which was rapidly embraced by many Linux distributions,<ref>including Oracle Linux in 2012.
Oracle discontinued development of OpenOffice.org in April 2011<ref>and disbanded its development team.<ref>The specific reasons remain uncertain, with theories ranging from loss of community support to strategic business considerations.<ref>In June 2011, Oracle transferred ownership of the OpenOffice.org trademarks<ref>and source code to the Apache Software Foundation, which then reissued it under the permissive Apache License.<ref> IBM, contractually bound by Oracle, facilitated this handover.<ref>In March 2012, IBM contributed its IBM Lotus Symphony codebase to Apache OpenOffice, favoring Apache's permissive licensing model over copyleft alternatives.<ref>
The Apache incubation phase commenced on 13 June 2011,<ref>with Oracle’s codebase imported on 29 August 2011.<ref> Apache OpenOffice version 3.4 was released on 8 May 2012,<ref>and the project achieved top-level status within Apache on 18 October 2012.<ref>
IBM phased out Symphony in favor of Apache OpenOffice, integrating features and fixes such as a revamped sidebar interface.<ref>The screen reader compatibility via IAccessible2 from Symphony was incorporated into AOO version 4.1 (April 2014), although this functionality had appeared earlier in LibreOffice version 4.2 (January 2014).<ref>IBM ceased official involvement after AOO version 4.1.1.<ref>
By September 2016, discussions about terminating Apache OpenOffice arose as project lead Dennis Hamilton considered ending development due to ongoing difficulties managing security issues and heightened oversight from the Apache board.<ref>
Naming
By the end of 2011, the initiative was identified as Apache OpenOffice.org (Incubating); in 2012, it officially transitioned to the name Apache OpenOffice, as announced in the 3.4 release statement.
Components
| Module | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Writer | A word processor comparable to Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. | |
| Calc | A spreadsheet application similar to Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3. | |
| Impress | A presentation program equivalent to Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. Enables exporting presentations to Adobe Flash (SWF) for wide compatibility. | |
| Draw | A vector graphics editor featuring capabilities akin to drawing tools found in Microsoft Office. | |
| Math | Facilitates creation and editing of mathematical formulas, similar to Microsoft Equation Editor or MathType. Supports embedding within other Apache OpenOffice documents and offers various font options. | |
| Base | A database management program comparable to Microsoft Access. Serves as a front-end interface for multiple database systems including Access (JET), ODBC, and MySQL/PostgreSQL, with built-in support for HSQLDB. | |
Fonts
Apache OpenOffice comes equipped with fonts such as OpenSymbol, DejaVu, Gentium, along with Apache-licensed ChromeOS fonts including Arimo (sans serif), Tinos (serif), and Cousine (monospace).
OpenOffice Basic
The suite incorporates OpenOffice Basic, a programming language resembling Microsoft’s Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), providing partial compatibility with Microsoft VBA macros. This scripting language is accessible within Writer, Calc, Draw, Impress, and Base.
File formats
Apache OpenOffice maintains file format compatibility inherited from OpenOffice.org, though it excludes certain formats supported solely by copyleft libraries such as WordPerfect. There is no exhaustive list beyond what appears in the File/Open and File/Save As dialogs. Version 4.0 enhanced interoperability with Microsoft's 2007 Office Open XML formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX), allowing reading of OOXML files but not their creation.
Use of Java
While Apache OpenOffice does not include a bundled Java virtual machine, it requires Java for "full functionality," which applies only to specific features. When Java is necessary, users receive a notification stating "OpenOffice requires a Java runtime environment (JRE) to perform this task."
Supported operating systems
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.0 supports both x86 and x86-64 architectures on Microsoft Windows XP or newer versions, as well as on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Linux, and on Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" or later.
Additional community-driven ports extend compatibility to other platforms such as various Linux distributions, FreeBSD, OS/2 and its derivatives like ArcaOS, plus support for Solaris on SPARC and x86 hardware, along with older Mac OS X versions (10.4–10.5) running on PowerPC processors.
Development
Apache OpenOffice adopts a release strategy based on readiness rather than fixed schedules.
The project has experienced a reduction in developer activity. From March 2014 through March 2015, only sixteen developers contributed, with the top four being IBM employees; however, IBM ceased formal involvement by the release of version 4.1.1. By early 2015, attracting new contributors was challenging due to insufficient mentorship, leaving the project in urgent need of seasoned developers. Industry observers characterized the project as "virtually stalled" and "declining," highlighting difficulties in maintaining infrastructure and security.
In August 2015, Red Hat developer Christian Schaller publicly recommended that the Apache Software Foundation encourage users to adopt LibreOffice to better support open source and free software communities. This suggestion received widespread attention and was echoed by others within the sector.
During 2017, Apache OpenOffice issued two minor updates; however, concerns emerged regarding potential defects within these releases. Patricia Shanahan, the former release manager, voiced doubts about changes being reviewed by a single programmer. Brett Porter, then chairman of ASF, questioned whether distribution should be limited. The subsequent update in November 2018 addressed issues introduced in earlier versions.
An article published in October 2018 by The Register noted that although there were 141 code committers—close to the 140 recorded in 2014—the project's expansion had plateaued following previous growth phases. The piece concluded that claims of OpenOffice's demise were overstated; instead, development was progressing at a slower pace.
Security
From October 2014 until July 2015, Apache OpenOffice operated without a release manager. During this interval, a remote code execution vulnerability () affecting version 4.1.1 was disclosed. However, due to the lack of developer support to deploy a patch, only a temporary workaround was offered, leaving the security flaw unresolved within the software. In July 2015, former PMC chair Andrea Pescetti took on the role of release manager, which led to the launch of version 4.1.2 in October 2015.
In October 2016, it became public that version 4.1.2 had been distributed with a known security vulnerability () for almost a year, attributed to limited development capacity. Similarly, version 4.1.3 contained unresolved security defects from January 2017, with remediation efforts postponed due to the absence of a release manager for the subsequent 4.1.4 update. Initially, the Apache Software Foundation Board omitted references to these issues in their January 2017 meeting notes but pledged to resolve them by May 2017; the corresponding fixes were ultimately issued in October 2017. Additional security concerns emerged in February 2019; nonetheless, these exploits did not affect default OpenOffice setups.
The release of version 4.1.11 in October 2021 remedied a remote code execution vulnerability () that had been publicly identified the previous month; notably, this particular flaw had been addressed by LibreOffice since 2014. The project received notification about this vulnerability in May 2021.
As of October 2024, the Apache Software Foundation classified OpenOffice’s security posture as "amber," highlighting three outstanding issues older than one year alongside several others pending comprehensive assessment. By August 2025, these vulnerabilities had yet to be resolved.
Releases
| Version | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | 2012-05-08 | Initial release under Apache governance. |
| 3.4.1 | 2012-08-23 | Bug corrections and additional language support. |
| 4.0.0 | 2013-07-23 | Incorporated new sidebar interface, merged Symphony features, and introduced new functionalities. |
| 4.0.1 | 2013-10-01 | Resolved bugs and added nine new languages. |
| 4.1 | 2014-04-29 | |
| 4.1.1 | 2014-08-21 | Bug fixes and inclusion of Catalan language support. |
| 4.1.2 | 2015-10-28 | Bug fixes, enhancements to WebDAV and file locking mechanisms, redesigned PDF export dialog. |
| 4.1.3 | 2016-10-12 | Bug fixes and dictionary improvements. |
| 4.1.4 | 2017-10-19 | Bug fixes, strengthened security measures, updated dictionaries. |
| 4.1.5 | 2017-12-30 | Bug fixes and updates to English dictionary. |
| 4.1.6 | 2018-11-18 | Bug fixes and English dictionary updates. |
| 4.1.7 | 2019-09-21 | Bug fixes, English dictionary updates, added AdoptOpenJDK compatibility. |
| 4.1.8 | 2020-11-10 | Bug fixes and English dictionary updates. |
| 4.1.9 | 2021-02-07 | Four bug corrections and dictionary updates. |
| 4.1.10 | 2021-05-04 | Two bug corrections and updated dictionaries. |
| 4.1.11 | 2021-10-06 | Seven security-related and other bug corrections; updated English dictionary. |
| 4.1.13 | 2022-07-22 | Bug fixes and feature enhancements. |
| 4.1.14 | 2023-02-27 | Bug fixes, dictionary updates, and improvements. |
| 4.1.15 | 2023-12-22 | Bug fixes and enhancements. |
In April 2011, Oracle enhanced Draw by adding SVG support, Writer by implementing ODF 1.2 compatibility, and Calc during the OpenOffice.org 3.4 beta phase but discontinued the project shortly thereafter.
Apache OpenOffice version 3.4 was officially released on May 8, 2012; it primarily differed from the earlier OpenOffice.org 3.4 beta by ensuring license compliance through removal of incompatible code and fonts and reducing language availability from 121 to 15 languages; additionally, Java was no longer bundled for database functionalities. The subsequent version 3.4.1 (August 2012) reinstated five languages with eight further languages added by January 2013.
The July 2013 release of version 4.0 incorporated the Symphony codebase merge, introduced a sidebar user interface, improved installation processes and Microsoft Office interoperability, as well as enhanced overall performance; version 4.0.1 followed with nine additional languages.
Version 4.1 arrived in April 2014 featuring capabilities such as text range commenting, IAccessible2 support, inline editing of input fields, interactive image cropping functionality, and improved image import processes; later updates concentrated on resolving bugs, patching security vulnerabilities, refining packaging methods, and updating dictionaries through to version 4.1.15 in December 2023.
These successive releases illustrate Apache OpenOffice’s continuous commitment to delivering a reliable office productivity suite with better compatibility and reinforced security tailored for corporate users across diverse markets and linguistic groups.
Distribution
To protect users from fraudulent downloads containing malware, the project strongly recommends obtaining the software exclusively from its official SourceForge site. By January 2013, SourceForge had recorded 30 million downloads of Apache OpenOffice 3.4, placing it among the platform’s most popular downloads. The project later reported reaching 50 million downloads for version 3.4.x by May 2013, a little over a year after its release. Total downloads climbed to 85 million by January 2014, then to 100 million by April 2014, 130 million by the end of 2014, and exceeded 200 million as of November 2016.
As of May 2012, the distribution of downloads consisted of approximately 87% Windows users, 11% Mac OS X, and 2% Linux users; these ratios remained consistent throughout the initial 50 million downloads. Additionally, Apache OpenOffice is accessible through the FreeBSD ports collection.
Derivatives
Notable derivatives include AndrOpen Office, an Android adaptation, and Office 700 for iOS, both created by Akikazu Yoshikawa.
LibreOffice has integrated certain modifications originating from Apache OpenOffice. In 2013, contributions from Apache accounted for about 4.5% of new commits in LibreOffice version 4.1; however, by 2016 only eleven commits (approximately 0.07%) from Apache OpenOffice were incorporated. LibreOffice restructured its LGPL-3.0-or-later licensed codebase based on Apache OpenOffice 3.4 to facilitate broader licensing under both MPL-2.0 and LGPL-3.0-or-later terms.
Earlier releases of NeoOffice included stability improvements derived from Apache OpenOffice, but starting with NeoOffice 2017, the software has been based on LibreOffice 4.4, which was launched in mid-2014.
See also
External links
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