Creative developer releases updated interesting LibreOffice UI mockup

Creating an ODT document, exporting a DOC as PDF, editing a slideshow, etc, are actions fully and easily performed via LibreOffice, a full-fledged versatile office suite, available in Ubuntu by default.

LibreOffice can be characterized as a software project where development contributions and additions are constantly landed, approach materialized in stable, filled-with-features LibreOffice releases.

Nevertheless, it seems that various users are expressing demands for a visual LibreOffice refresh, approach that seems to be in the LibreOffice developers' area-of-interest via concepts/mockups/ideas like Citrus, etc, yet, until now, there hasn't been significant LibreOffice UI changes.

Months ago, elgatonegro (third-party non-LibreOffice-related developer) published a mockup presenting a definitely interesting LibreOffice UI concept, concept in the sense of new/modern, yet backed by real existing code.

Shortly after, LibreOffice's Tor Lillqvist responded in the comment section: "The code might be "real" but it has little applicability to LO's codebase".

A new mockup version has been released, 0.0.1-b, bringing various changes, furthermore, users can test/play with the mockup.

Launching the interface is as simple as downloading the archive, unpacking it and double-clicking on radio (under Ofimatica Gnu Sur-->Program-flat).

The look is simplistic yet filled with functionality (inexistent at the moment), the interface divides its features in 5 categories (New, Format, Tools, Insert, New) and a mobile toolbar (that instantly adapts itself to the currently opened category).

Clicking on New, exposes a set of buttons, clicking on Format, changes the toolbar with a completely new pack of buttons, basically, exposing a vast amount of features (housed by buttons) without cluttering the toolbar or removing features.

The interface comes with built-in monochrome icons, while borrowing a limited set of icons from the used icon theme.

Clicking on New exposes the where-to-be-created document area, area that contains numerous text-formatting buttons (such as bold, strikethrough, italic), as well as text-aligning controls and commonly used actions (like for instance, cut, copy, paste, etc).

Selecting fonts is as easily as clicking on the toolbar's down-pointed arrow, action that summons a drop-down containing fonts, clickable approach adopted by the font-size dialog, too.

The Insert category houses a relevant set of actions, suitable for a powerful editing experience.

Pleasant-to-the-eye used colors, light tones, monochrome icons, proportioned sizes, polished dialogs, are definitely a key point of Ofimatica GNU Sur.