Thanks to LibreOffice’s superb document compatibility, Linux users no longer have to worry about dealing with Microsoft Office files. And Windows and Mac OS users need no longer be forced into paying extortionate MS Office prices or be duped into Office 365 subscriptions. So, the Document Foundation deserves serious recognition for obviating what for a long time was an obstacle to Linux adoption. The corporate world still revolves around DOCX and XLSX files, so it’s a blessing to be able to open and save them qualm-free.
Speaking of the corporate world, it’s also very keen on Google’s Workspace (previously known as G-Suite), happy to fork out huge sums so Evil Corp doesn’t have to worry about email and document storage. But we FOSS fans know better, and that’s why for almost a decade we’ve been singing Nextcloud’s praises. It’s evolved from a mere Dropbox replacement to a full-blown collaboration platform.
Now these FOSS titans have joined forces (like Shaolin kung fu and the Wu Tang sword style) to create something marvellous. Thanks to a Herculean effort by Collabora, we can now edit documents straight from the browser, share them with colleagues and even download them in MS Office formats. So, prepare your (home or away) server, as we show you how to get Nextcloud working in harmony with CODE – Collabora Online Development Edition – to achieve complete document freedom.
Introduction to COOL
If you have to look up what COOL means… Nah, we did, too. It’s how all this arcane office-in-a-browser stuff works.
If you’re reading this magazine, you’re probably already familiar with LibreOffice, the free, open source office suite. What you may not be aware of is that there’s an Enterprise edition (which many tight-fisted businesses avoid paying for). In fact, there are a few enterprise editions and support options from different players, each one a good reason for businesses to front some dollar. Most relevant for this feature is Collabora Office, brought to you by the similarly named Linux consultancy powerhouse. We featured Collabora Office in our interview in LXF302 (and indeed in our Finding Equi-Libre-um feature back in LXF288), but let’s start with a quick recap.
Firstly, Collabora Office does not have any features that aren’t present in the regular edition. This is an important point. Collabora Office exists so that successful businesses can help the project financially, as well as get the support they’d expect from such an arrangement. Next, Collabora Office has a companion, Collabora Online. This is an engine that rather impressively leverages Nextcloud’s document sharing and storage capabilities to provide a cloud office solution that gives Google’s Workspace and Microsoft’s Office Online a run for their money.
