Software tools for creating and editing spreadsheets, documents and presentations were once primary reasons for having a computer. The evolution of those tools resulted in tools that are free or not. The attitude of the Help Center is: Free is the preferred choice. Free is often the preferred choice for the clients of the Help Center.

One of the key features of a spreadsheet, document or presentation is the format of the file that is created or consumed by the program. During the evolution of LibreOffice and OpenOffice, non-proprietary (open) standards has been a contributor to the longevity of their success. LibreOffice and OpenOffice can read proprietary file formats and save a document is an open format.

Microsoft Office components (Excel, Word, …) are

Open Document Foundation LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice are evolutions of the same software. OpenOffice history is identified here. LIbreOffice history is here. Both products are free to use in either binary or source format.

Why?

Who? Apache or “The Document Foundation”