Could LibreOffice adopt a simpler UI, similar to iWork?

[AlejandroLengua]

Could Libreoffice adopt a simpler UI (similar to iWork Pages)
A friend of mine wrote a blog post critizing the fact the most programs
of digital alphabetization(1) forced people to understand the clumsy interface
of MS Word which may make that the adoption of this tool take longer than
expected.

So I was thinking why not adopt a different/simpler layout for LibreOffice
based in iWork instead of MS Office?

Notes:
(1) digital alphabetization: term used for teaching to use software use to poor and elderly people

Reference:
http://www.elmorsa.pe/2014/04/26/msoffice-versus-iworks/

[ROSt53]

@-AlejandroLengua

When I had a look at the link, I saw the illustration with the MS ribbon and had a good laugh. My French got to rusty to read the article and understand it well enough to comment.

The complexity of the ribbons is extremely high and was also one of the reasons for me to change to LibO.

LibO has with the 4.2 version the sidebar as a default implemented. This sidebar shows always the needed elements, which means you can reduce your tool bars/icons to the minimum you need. By doing so the screen becomes less crowed, thus simpler. Here, LibO offers a nice functionality if you have highly customizes (old) tool bars. You can customize the tool bars by just un-checking an icon instead of deleting one. Doing so, the icon is not displayed anymore but you can get it back quickly if needed.

Additional effect of the sidebar is that the screen is better used to see the document under work. Modern screens are wider than older screens if you keep the height constant. (It could be that the side ratio is HDTV format.) Therefore, with a broad ribbon at the top part of your screen, you see not much of the document but a lot of unused space left and right of the document. (Look at the top image in the article of your friend.)

If this functionality is still not matching your requirements, please feel free to write an enhancement request under:
https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/bug/?enhancement=yes

[horst]

@ROSt53 btw it is spanish not french. The web site .PE is Peruvian.

[horst]

You have the option to select opnly the toolbars you want: Menue:View>Toolbars. And you can customize the toolbars or create a new one: Menue:Tools>Customize…

[olee22]

It also depends where you come from. I’ve been using the “old” interface of Word for so long that it took me considerable effort to get used to the Ribbon. And there are still features that I have to google first in MS Word 2013, to find them, while in the old interface I knew where it was. What is more, I could quite well customize the “old” interface in MS Word, in the new Ribbon interface, there are still commands I cannot have a button assigned to, or customize it for the way I want.