Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.
Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics.
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Summary
- LibreOffice welcomes Publisher refugees after Microsoft drops Publisher from Office 365.
- They reverse-engineered the PUB file format into a libmspub library to read and convert PUB files to ODF.
- ODF keeps layouts editable and avoids vendor lock-in for years to come.
Whenever Microsoft begins to sunset a beloved product, there's usually an open-source alternative that pops up and announces that it will gladly take on the people who were left behind. One of the reasons I run Linux with KDE Plasma these days is because I saw KDE's open invitation to the Windows 10 community that didn't want to let go of their old hardware. Now, LibreOffice has stepped in to announce that if you're bummed about Microsoft getting rid of Publisher, your PUB files don't need to go anywhere.
LibreOffice opens the door for Microsoft Publisher refugees
When one door closes, another open-source door opens
Over on the LibreOffice blog, The Document Foundation made a statement against Microsoft. If you weren't in the know, Microsoft recently cut Publisher out of its Office 365 subscription in a bid to improve it, and LibreOffice has stepped up to take up the slack.
LibreOffice acknowledges that Microsoft told people they can convert their PUB files to either PDF or DOCX, but according to them, that's not good enough:
"PDF preserves the layout but is not designed to be edited. DOCX can be edited, but Word is not a page-layout tool, so complex files lose their formatting during conversion.
In both cases, users are asked to transfer content from one vendor-controlled proprietary format to another vendor-controlled proprietary format – which is, in fact, the same vendor. This is because documents are regarded as a by-product of the application, rather than as information belonging to those who created them."
LibreOffice proposes a different solution. It claims that it has reverse-engineered the PUB format and created the libmspub library. This allows people to read their PUB files for free, and—if they're so inclined—convert them into OpenDocument Format (ODF). Saving it as an ODF ensures that open-source apps can read it for years to come, without the risk of it suddenly shutting down like proprietary software.