What's this about?
LibreOffice 26.8 recorded more than one million direct downloads in a week. The Document Foundation says generative AI will not be built in by default unless it is optional, user-controlled, telemetry-free, local-data preserving and vendor-independent; community extensions remain possible.
What exactly is a “non-feature”?
It is a deliberate absence sold as a benefit. Here, users can choose AI integration rather than having document content routed into a vendor's cloud by default.
What's the community saying?
HN 649 points and 217 comments.
- Many welcomed an office suite that treats no AI as a differentiator.
- Skeptics said the download record follows a long upward trend and cannot be attributed to one statement.
- Others credited UI improvements, Microsoft licensing changes or Codex bundling rather than AI resistance.
- Long-time users highlighted LibreOffice's practical value beyond the current culture war.