When it comes to productivity, new users often look for a good office suite or a friendly word processor. While some desktop environments like KDE already provide an office suite, there is no default productivity package. Several office suites and word processors are available for FreeBSD, regardless of the installed desktop environment.
This section demonstrates how to install the following popular web browsers and indicates if the application is resource-heavy, takes time to compile from ports, or has any major dependencies.
| Application Name | Resources Needed | Installation from Ports | Major Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calligra | light | heavy | KDE |
| AbiWord | light | light | Gtk+ or GNOME |
| The Gimp | light | heavy | Gtk+ |
| Apache OpenOffice | heavy | huge | JDK™ and Mozilla |
| LibreOffice | somewhat heavy | huge | Gtk+, or KDE/ GNOME, or JDK |
The KDE community provides its desktop environment with an office suite which can be used outside of KDE. Calligra includes standard components that can be found in other office suites. Words is the word processor, Sheets is the spreadsheet program, Stage manages slide presentations, and Karbon is used to draw graphical documents.
editors/calligra can be installed as a package or a port. To install the package:
# pkg_add -r calligra
If the package is not available, use the Ports Collection instead:
# cd /usr/ports/editors/calligra # make install clean
AbiWord is a free word processing program similar in look and feel to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for typing papers, letters, reports, memos, and so forth. It is fast, contains many features, and is user-friendly.
AbiWord can import or export many file formats, including some proprietary ones like Microsoft .doc.
To install the AbiWord package:
# pkg_add -r abiword
If the package is not available, it can be compiled from the Ports Collection:
# cd /usr/ports/editors/abiword # make install clean
For image authoring or picture retouching, The GIMP provides a sophisticated image manipulation program. It can be used as a simple paint program or as a quality photo retouching suite. It supports a large number of plugins and features a scripting interface. The GIMP can read and write a wide range of file formats and supports interfaces with scanners and tablets.
To install the package:
# pkg_add -r gimp
Alternately, use the Ports Collection:
# cd /usr/ports/graphics/gimp # make install clean
The graphics category of the Ports Collection contains several GIMP-related plugins, help files, and user manuals.
On 1 June 2011, Oracle® donated the OpenOffice.org code base to the Apache Software Foundation. OpenOffice.org is now known as Apache OpenOffice and is developed under the wing of the Apache Software Foundation's Incubator.
Apache OpenOffice includes all of the mandatory applications in a complete office productivity suite: a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program. Its user interface is very similar to other office suites, and it can import and export in various popular file formats. It is available in a number of different languages and internationalization has been extended to interfaces, spell checkers, and dictionaries.
The word processor of Apache OpenOffice uses a native XML file format for increased portability and flexibility. The spreadsheet program features a macro language which can be interfaced with external databases. Apache OpenOffice is stable and runs natively on Windows®, Solaris™, Linux®, FreeBSD, and Mac OS® X. More information about Apache OpenOffice can be found on the Apache OpenOffice web site. For FreeBSD specific information, and to directly download packages, refer to the web site of the FreeBSD Apache OpenOffice Porting Team.
To install the Apache OpenOffice package:
# pkg_add -r apache-openoffice
Note: When running a -RELEASE version of FreeBSD, this should work. Otherwise, download the latest package from the website of the FreeBSD Apache OpenOffice Porting Team and install it using pkg_add(1). Both the current release and development versions are available for download at this web site.
Once the package is installed, type the following command to launch Apache OpenOffice:
% openoffice-X.Y.Z
where X.Y.Z is the version number of the installed version of Apache OpenOffice.
Note: During the first launch, some questions will be asked and a .openoffice.org folder will be created in the user's home directory.
If the desired Apache OpenOffice package is not available, compiling the port is still an opton. However, this requires a lot of disk space and a fairly long time to compile:
# cd /usr/ports/editors/openoffice-3 # make install clean
Note: To build a localized version, replace the previous command with:
# make LOCALIZED_LANG=your_language install cleanReplace your_language with the correct language ISO-code. A list of supported language codes is available in files/Makefile.localized, located in the port's directory.
LibreOffice is a free software office suite developed by The Document Foundation. It is compatible with other major office suites and available on a variety of platforms. It is a rebranded fork of OpenOffice.org which includes all of the mandatory applications in a complete office productivity suite: a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, drawing program, database management program, and a tool for creating and editing mathematical formula. It is available in a number of different languages and internationalization has been extended to interfaces, spell checkers, and dictionaries.
The word processor of LibreOffice uses a native XML file format for increased portability and flexibility. The spreadsheet program features a macro language which can be interfaced with external databases. LibreOffice is stable and runs natively on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X. More information about LibreOffice can be found on the LibreOffice web site.
To install the English version of the LibreOffice package:
# pkg_add -r libreoffice
The editors category of the Ports Collection contains several localizations for LibreOffice. When installing a localized package, replace libreoffice with the name of the localized package.
Once the package is installed, type the following command to run LibreOffice:
% libreoffice
Note: During the first launch, some questions will be asked and a .libreoffice folder will be created in the user's home directory.
If the desired LibreOffice package is not available, compiling the port is still an option. However, this requires a lot of disk space and a fairly long time to compile. This example compiles the English version:
# cd /usr/ports/editors/libreoffice # make install clean
Note: To build a localized version, cd into the port directory of the desired language. Supported languages can be found in the editors category of the Ports Collection.