Instead of a set of unrelated standalone packages, an office productivity suite had a consistent look and feel, with easy integration between those packages. Office productivity suites completely changed the software landscape for the corporate PC.

Notably, Microsoft even made a word processor for kids called Creative Writer. The dominant programs at the peak of the pre-suite period were the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, the WordPerfect word processor, and the dBase database program. Gone were the days of running a disparate collection of software on your desktop. These bundled the most-used types of office software into coherent families of software. The office suite came hot on the heels of the success of the earliest word processor and spreadsheet programs. But can a free product go toe-to-toe with one of Microsoft’s flagship applications? How Office Productivity Suites Began LibreOffice is the premier open-source office suite, and it’s the default office package on most Linux distributions.

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