LibreOffice 5.0.0 Beta; I am using Windows 8 Operating system.
Windows 8 was such a PITA of an OS that, initially, I gave a very flippant reply to a question that no-one had bothered to answer & which now, many many months later, was no longer relevant to either the LO version nor the OS referenced in the question (it was asked before I joined this site). However, in the broad sense the question is still relevant for everyone that uses Windows & thinks to use what, for LO neophytes, will be an untrusted organisation & product. So, I’ll try to give it a reply with a bit more bottom:-
I’m an old-age GIT (“Gentleman of Independent Thought”) and remember the day when both hardware & software were carefully tested before release by companies that lived or died by their reputation for reliability. No longer. That process began to wither with the promotion of M$ by Big Blue, had a wooden stake driven into it’s heart by Linus Torvalds & was cemented as the modern way of business as Google emerged to prominence amidst a cloud of dust.
Old business hardware lasted decades. Everyone is amazed if modern hardware lasts 5 years (the rot began near the end of the last millennium). Thus, the modern software cycle uses it’s users to test it’s software. LO deal with this by offering Development, Fresh & Still releases:-
Development:
Essentially, untested software.
LO describes it thus:These are pre-release versions and are not recommended for production use.
Fresh:
Essentially, little-tested software.
LO describes it thus:LibreOffice Fresh is the stable version with the most recent features.
Users interested in taking advantage of our most innovative features should download and use our fresh version.
Still:
Essentially, software road-tested by users.
LO describes it thus:LibreOffice Still is the stable version that has undergone more testing (over a longer time).
It is usually recommended for more conservative use.
That seems, to me, a good compromise between the (perfectly reasonable) desire for reliability of the old matched by the gimme gimme of the new. Your choice as to which you use.
(many thanks to Doug for info on the Development software)
If this helps then please tick the answer (
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I think the question it’s not related to OS, only about install a LIbreOffice Beta.
on a more serious note my windows7 system reacted badly to an early LO 5beta release. It may have been a bad install sequence, not sure, but the OS/desktop explorer started having random crashes and there was a really bizarre sui generis display issue … but that was just one beta and on windows, and everything went back to normal with uninstall. Presently using bleeding edge beta/dev on Linux, works great, and the fresh LO 5 release on windows (presently 5.0.0.5) also works great.
I had my problem with a third category of installations, the “development” or “testers” release, which is what I was referring to a beta/dev. I don’t consider “Fresh” beta, exactly, but maybe it is.
If the version is in a state, that system integration is tested (mostly “RC” and first release of a new branch), then you should not use it for productive tasks, but only in a test environment. Such versions will replace your existing version. For productive tasks you should wait at least for the first bug fix release, that is version 5.0.1, and even then you need to be very careful about backups. If you have got a test environment, then of cause install it and use it heavily. The sooner bugs are found the better.
If you like to discover new features, and if it does not matter, when it crashes or must be uninstalled because of severe errors, and if you have time to work on non-productive documents, then you can use a developer version (currently 5.1). It installs itself besides a regular version. Test it and report the bugs you find.