LibreOffice 3.6.0 Beta 1, which was released last weekend, is apparently nearly feature complete, according to the official , and it adds a raft of new features and bug fixes that promise to make the open source software better than ever for users.
Two more beta versions and three release candidates are still expected before LibreOffice 3.6.0 makes its final debut, which is for late July or early August. In the meantime, you can download this first beta release for Windows, Linux, or Mac from .
Ready for a look at what's coming? Here's a quick rundown of some of the highlights.
1. A Cleaner Interface
A number of tweaks have been made to LibreOffice's interface in version 3.6.0, including a new About dialog (shown below), split color buttons for Writer and Calc, more lightweight rulers, and better rendering of GTK themes.
2. Better Performance
Also notable about LibreOffice 3.6.0 is that it features performance improvements in numerous areas. Among them are document import, large autocorrect lists, and faster refreshes of pivot tables in Calc.
3. An Improved Writer
LibreOffice's Writer module has been greatly enriched in version 3.6.0 as well, with features including support for contextual spacing, better .docx import, a word count option in the status bar, support for importing Smart Art, and a refined label/business card wizard.
4. A Stronger Calc
Among many improvements in LibreOffice's Calc module are a new option for specifying a custom sheet name prefix in new documents and improved .csv file import and export. Marked cells can now be merged via the right mouse click context menu, and several new spreadsheet functions defined in ODF OpenFormula have been added.
5. Impress and Math
Perhaps most notable among the changes to LibreOffice's Impress module is a new widescreen format, while the Math formula editor has gained new Help buttons.
6. New Filters
A new import filter in LibreOffice 3.6.0 targets Corel Draw documents, while PDF export now offers a watermark option. ODF Export, meanwhile, now comes with a new compatibility mode for wider .
7. Many, Many Bug Fixes
Last but not least, the list of since the release of LibreOffice 3.5.4 is already too long to count, and work still continues.