The Lemon Fool

I am new to libreoffice, so pardon if this is a silly question.
I installed 7.1 and used it for various documents and spreadsheets OK. But reading further suggested that 7.1 went out of fashion last Novemeber and it no longer supported. Should I download 7.2 and remove 7.1? How can I make sure that I am using an update version? Is there no automatic update?

granretire wrote:I am new to libreoffice, so pardon if this is a silly question.
I installed 7.1 and used it for various documents and spreadsheets OK. But reading further suggested that 7.1 went out of fashion last Novemeber and it no longer supported. Should I download 7.2 and remove 7.1? How can I make sure that I am using an update version? Is there no automatic update?

The website still indicates 7.1.8 is the most stable version (been around longer) but you can install 7.2.4 if you wish, see https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/

Installing a later version should overwrite a previous version unless you wish to keep both (I normally overwrite.)

I am still on 7.1.x I will update to 7.2 eventually, but I find there is no real rush if everything works.

There is an option to automatically check for updates (check the 'Online updates' in Preferences) or you can manually check every now and then.

granretire wrote:I am new to libreoffice, so pardon if this is a silly question.
I installed 7.1 and used it for various documents and spreadsheets OK. But reading further suggested that 7.1 went out of fashion last Novemeber and it no longer supported. Should I download 7.2 and remove 7.1? How can I make sure that I am using an update version? Is there no automatic update?

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm on 7.1.4 and I might get around to updating to 7.2 but I'm in no rush. The last version of 7.1 was 7.1.8.1 on 14Dec21: http://downloadarchive.documentfoundati ... ffice/old/
I tend to update every 6-12 months.

I don't think there is an automatic update available (and I don't want one, I'd rather be in control). You can check for updates in "HELP/CHECK FOR UPDATES". Also, if an update is available, there's usually a globe-like symbol near the top-right corner of the window.
Also, see TOOLS/OPTIONS/LIBREOFFICE/ONLINE UPDATE where you can set your preferences

If you install a new version, it usually overwrites the old version and keeps most of your preferences.

I tend to use the portable version from https://www.libreoffice.org/download/portable-versions/ or from https://portableapps.com/apps/office/li ... e_portable
One advantage of this is that each version is completely self-contained and independent of other versions, so if I download 7.2 and have problems if it has bugs, I can still use 7.1
In fact I have versions going all the way back to 4.0.2.2

--kiloran

granretire wrote:....reading further suggested that 7.1 went out of fashion last November and it no longer supported. Should I download 7.2 and remove 7.1? How can I make sure that I am using an update version? Is there no automatic update?

No, 7.1 is still in full support. LibreOffice have two release branches they call the the Fresh and the Still branch. The Fresh branch is now on 7.2, Still is on 7.1. Of the two branches the Still branch is the more mature and stable one, while Fresh may have some bugs yet to be fixed.

LibreOffice.org wrote:The latest "fresh" version of LibreOffice, recommended for technology enthusiasts, which contains new features and program enhancements. This version may contain a few annoying bugs which will be fixed in the next bugfix versions to come....

The mature "still" version of LibreOffice, recommended for enterprises. As such, the version is stable and is suitable for all users....

https://www.libreoffice.org/download/release-notes/

As for updates, on the Still branch the latest update is LibreOffice 7.1.8, released on 2021-12-06. You can update manually by opening any LibreOffice app and selecting Help > Check for Updates... You can configure automatic update checks in Tools > Options > Online Updates.

Whether you download the latest 7.1 update, or decide to switch to 7.2 on the Fresh branch, the process is the same. You do not need to uninstall your current LibreOffice. The installer will run and update your current install, keeping all your settings.

Thanks one and all for your help

kiloran wrote:I tend to use the portable version ... One advantage of this is that each version is completely self-contained and independent of other versions, so if I download 7.2 and have problems if it has bugs, I can still use 7.1 ...

Me too. In fact I'm still on 7.0.

Whether it auto-updates will depend on how it's installed.

If you use your operating system's packager, that'll update it as and when the packagers have an update.

I'm on version 6.3.6.2. Haven't felt the need to update to a newer version. Should I?

bluedonkey wrote:I'm on version 6.3.6.2. Haven't felt the need to update to a newer version. Should I?

There's no pressing need to, not if it does all you need without any obvious bugs. There may be a few new features and spreadsheet functions added in later versions, but you probably don't need them. Have a read of the release notes for each version here.

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/6.3

In other news, I'm still content to use MS Office 2003 on one of my machines.

There are two recurring bugs I encounter, though I'm able to live with them:

On a spreadsheet, if I inadvertently navigate directly to the bottom (row 1,024,000 I think), Libre freezes.

In a document with a table, the column widths change randomly and have to be resized back to where I had them.