[NieDzejkob]

> LibreOffice absolutely chokes when I try to do any filtering or calculations.

File a bug. https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/

It's easy to complain in an HN comment, but a clear description of the test case would certainly help with getting the issue resolved.

[IshKebab]

I wish this comment was banned from HN. Every time someone says that some free software is in any way flawed there's always the completely useless reply "well did you file a bug?" or even worse "it's open source - why didn't you fix it?"

I'd hope it's obvious why these comments are bad, but I guess not so:

* Not everyone has time to fix a bug or even file one.

* The ability to fix or file bugs doesn't mean that the bugs don't exist!

* The ability to fix or file bugs doesn't mean that one shouldn't talk about the bugs.

* The possibility of fixing a bug doesn't help if you don't have the time or ability to fix it and actually want to use the software.

* Not everyone is able to fix all bugs

* It's not nearly as easy for people outside a project to fix bugs as it is for people familiar with the code.

* Everyone already knows it is possible to file and fix bugs in open source software so you're not adding anything to the conversation.

[xtracto]

Specially because you usually have to jump through a lot of hoops to file a bug. I remember some time ago trying to file a bug for some major open source software. It was so painful that I gave up before finishing.

[boomboomsubban]

Without context, it was likely painful as they need that information to have any chance of fixing the bug.

[ubercow13]

I don’t mind collecting useful information, it’s the having to create accounts on some hard-to-navigate project-owned bug tracking thing that kills it for me.

[bityard]

There's a word for people who expect to get things for free without giving anything back to the authors or community that made it possible.

[Yhippa]

There's also a phrase for people who give things away for free and expect something in return.

[Dayshine]

Could you point me at the paid for equivalent for excel on Linux? If he donated even a thousand dollars he wouldn't get the product he can get for almost free on windows.

[SyneRyder]

Doesn't Excel run under Wine? That might actually be the better option.

(LibreOffice user here on Windows, donated in the past, but I find LibreOffice Calc really unpolished. It puzzles me because NeoOffice is really quite good on the Mac. I should probably just switch to MS Office.)

[stjohnswarts]

Certain versions yep :) . Although I'm not sure it's flawless. Crossover office is best if you're going down that route, or just put windows in a VM and run it there if it's crucial to your work. That's what I do.

[esyir]

This just turns Foss into the inferior but free option, and I don't think that was the intention.

[mariushn]

And since you mentioned you'd pay for Excel, please contribute a one-time life-time $50-$100 bounty to help fix that performance issue.

[ken]

Would this hypothetical fix include a performance suite, and a regression testing system, to ensure this task stays fast forever?

IME, systems that don't focus on performance as a primary metric tend to slow down over time as they accumulate features. Someone who is willing to buy Excel ($130) may not be willing to pay a $100 bounty every time some other programmer makes LibreOffice slower again.

I googled for LibreOffice performance regressions and found several, going back many years, and they tend to include a one-line fix. For all its faults, I'm sure there's a team at Microsoft that knows every time Excel performance regresses.

[mariushn]

Good point. How can one prevent this though, for any free/open source software? Introducing issues (intentional or careless) to keep some funding going.