The sidebar above is an interesting example of where these projects are going. Most Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, switched their bundled office suite from to LibreOffice.
LibreOffice was a fork of and is built on the original code base. Most outside volunteers - including the contributors to Go-oo, who contributed a set of enhancements used by many Linux distributions - left the project and formed LibreOffice. They renamed the proprietary StarOffice office suite to 'Oracle Open Office,' as if they wanted to cause confusion, and then discontinued it. In 2011, Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle. The project continued with help from Sun employees and volunteers, offering the free office suite to everyone - including Linux users. In 2000, Sun open-sourced the StarOffice software - this free, open-source office suite was known as. Sun Microsystems acquired the StarOffice office suite in 1999. Understanding why there are two separate office suites built on the same code is only possible if you understand the history here.
Related: What Is Open Source Software, and Why Does It Matter? But what's the real difference, and which is the best one? Why Do OpenOffice and LibreOffice Both Exist? Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice both still exist and are releasing new versions of their competing-but-similar office suites.
