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A new version of free office software suite LibreOffice has been released, bringing with it extended compatibility with Microsoft Office file types.

In a blog post announcing the update, the maker of the open source software bundle explained why it has been so difficult historically to build in Office compatibility.

"Microsoft files are still based on the proprietary format deprecated by ISO in 2008, and not on the ISO approved standard, so they hide a large amount of artificial complexity," the blog post states. "This causes handling issues with LibreOffice, which defaults to a true open standard format (the OpenDocument Format)."

Given the popularity of Office, and the sheer number of documents in circulation, LibreOffice needs to deliver comprehensive compatibility in order to attract users away from Microsoft. The team says users can expect multiple updates in quick succession, with this goal in mind.

Multiple changes

For those who aren't in the know, LibreOffice is a suite of office software designed to cover all the same bases as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. In the words of our reviewer, LibreOffice provides "a competing suite of office software that’s just as exceptional, versatile, and feature-rich at no cost to its users".

With the cost of living on the rise, the open source suite could be an excellent option for anyone looking to save on the cost of a subscription, particularly with the arrival of enhanced Office compatibility.

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According to the blog post, users should check for new releases of LibreOffice on a regular basis, as the compatibility upgrades are coming so thick and fast that "each new version improves dramatically over the previous one".

Albeit arguably the biggest one, this is not the only change in LibreOffice 7.4. In fact, there are quite a few improvements in the latest version of the productivity suite, including the spreadsheet app, Calc, now supporting 16,374 columns, and the entire suite now getting support for dark mode in both Windows 10 and 11. 

When it comes to performance, the team has also made improvements for cases like PDF export, document loading, and more.

• Check out our list of the best online collaboration tools right now

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Latest Tech News

A security vulnerability in a series of bitcoin ATM machines allowed cybercriminals to steal valuable tokens from users, it has been revealed.

In an announcement, General Bytes, the maker of the ATMs in question, said that unknown threat actors discovered a zero-day vulnerability in the devices and used it to siphon cryptocurrencies from user accounts.

As the company explained, these ATMs are controlled by a remote Crypto Application Server (CAS), and whoever was behind the theft found a hole in the CAS. 

"The attacker was able to create an admin user remotely via CAS administrative interface via a URL call on the page that is used for the default installation on the server and creating the first administration user," General Bytes said. "This vulnerability has been present in CAS software since version 20201208."

Diverting the coins

After that, whenever someone tried to deposit or withdraw cryptocurrency using the ATM, the funds would simply be diverted to a wallet belonging to the hackers.

"Two-way ATMs started to forward coins to the attacker's wallet when customers sent coins to ATM," the company further explained.

The company was tipped off by a user whose funds had been stolen. It is unclear how many people were affected by the flaw, or how much in cryptocurrencies the thieves managed to steal. 

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Since then, though, a patch has been released. The company has updated the CAS to versions 20220531.38 and 20220725.22 and urged ATM service providers to pull the devices out until they apply the patch. Most of the unpatched devices, roughly two dozen of them, are located in Canada, it was said.

Furthermore, as BleepingComputer reported, the attack would not have been possible in the first place, had the servers been firewalled to only allow trusted IP addresses to establish a connection.

• Shield against threat actors with the best identity theft protection services

Via BleepingComputer

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Latest Tech News

The majority of the iPhone 14 rumors thus far have suggested that Apple isn't going to produce an iPhone 14 mini, and will instead release an iPhone 14 Max as the fourth flagship model of 2022 – but a new leak rows against that tide.

According to 91mobiles and Evan Blass – two well-known sources of leaks with strong track records – one of Apple's Asian partners is planning to stock seven new devices next month. Those devices apparently include an iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Pro, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and... an iPhone 14 mini.

If that wasn't enough to raise a few eyebrows, the list is rounded out by the 10th-generation entry-level 10.2-inch iPad, and two new iPad Pros (an 11-inch model and a 12.9-inch model). Most other tipsters are predicting we won't see new iPads until October, but this leak has them appearing at the iPhone 14 unveiling.

The truth is out there

Add all of that up and it looks as though this partner information might be wrong – but it's worth reporting on simply for the track record of the sources involved. Blass accurately leaked information in advance about the Google Pixel Watch, among many other devices, for example.

That these details have appeared at all is evidence of how difficult it is to produce devices in secret. While companies like Apple, Samsung and Google might be able to keep tabs on their own employees, a whole host of third parties – from international retailers to phone case makers – need to be told what's coming ahead of time.

With that in mind we present this rumor for your consideration: it would be a huge surprise, but perhaps there will be a successor to the iPhone 13 mini after all. And perhaps Apple wants to save time by unveiling its new iPhones and iPads all in one go.

---

Analysis: picking apart the rumors

As we've said, it's difficult for new smartphones or tablets to launch without any kind of leaks or rumors happening in advance. As with the UK and European soccer transfer window, these days most announcements are talked about well in advance of them actually happening.

Not only do companies have the difficulty of keeping a lid on their plans, they also know that there's a huge amount of interest in these upcoming devices. That in turn drives publications and social media users to push as much speculative information as possible – which again is similar when it comes to players switching soccer teams.

We wouldn't say that's the case with this particular rumor: the sources involved here are usually reliable, and don't post predictions just for the clicks. As noted in the 91mobiles article, the details about the iPhone 14 mini and the iPads come from one of the largest Apple distributors in the Asian region.

It's crucial to take any leak or rumor in context, and considering that we've seen so many sources mentioning two standard-sized iPhones and two larger iPhones making up the iPhone 14 range, we're going to take this new information with a pinch of salt. However, you never know...

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Latest Tech News

NASA has selected Microchip Technology to develop a High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC)  processor it says will provide at least 100 times the computational capacity of current spaceflight computers. 

NASA's spaceflight computing may be in dire need of an upgrade, as current systems "were developed almost 30 years ago" according to Wesley Powell, NASA’s principal technologist for advanced avionics, and "future NASA missions demand significantly increased onboard computing capabilities and reliability".

Microchip Technology, based in Chandler, Arizona, specializes in the manufacture of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog, and Flash-IP integrated circuits and has been in operation for over 30 years.

How will the project work?

Microchip will work to design and deliver the HPSC processor over the next three years, with the goal of employing the processor on future lunar and planetary exploration missions.

The work will take place under a $50 million firm-fixed-price contract, with Microchip contributing significant research and development costs to complete the project.

Microchip’s new processor architecture reportedly offers the flexibility for the processing power to "ebb and flow" depending on current operational requirements, meaning certain processing functions can also be turned off when not in use, reducing power consumption. 

NASA says the capability will save a large amount of energy and improve overall computing efficiency for space missions. 

The new processor could have its own applications down here on earth as well.

NASA says the new tech may also be useful for commercial systems on Earth that require similar mission-critical edge computing needs as space missions, and need to be able to safely continue operations if one component of the system fails. 

These potential applications apparently include industrial automation, time-sensitive ethernet data transmission, artificial intelligence, and even Internet of Things gateways, which bridge various communication technologies.

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High-Performance computing is obviously something that's on NASA's radar, as it recently deployed Azure Quantum as part of a project to reduce the time it takes to transmit instructions between spacecraft from hours to just minutes.

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