LibreOffice has long since moved on from being an offshoot of the OpenOffice project. It's now the go-to alternative to Microsoft Office, enjoying regular development and a constant tweaking to keep it up to date, stable and secure.

While LibreOffice lacks the slick presentation of rival Windows freebie Kingsoft Office Suite Free and its Office-inspired ribbon interface, it has the major advantage of offering a full set of office applications, including database, drawing package and mathematical tool on top of the requisite word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool found in most free office suites.

Version 5 makes much of its user-interface improvements, but while it’s definitely more navigable than before thanks to better placement of tools and visual previews of styles direct from the main toolbar, it still looks a little dated, despite the refreshed icon sets. Nevertheless, this is still a powerful suite capable of meeting most people's needs, making this zero-cost alternative to Office a valuable tool to have in your armoury.

Ever-improving support for third-party file types (including both new and classic Office formats) means you're not cutting yourself off from industry standards while cross-platform support means you can run LibreOffice on Windows, Mac or Linux without having to retrain yourself to a new way of working each time.

Version 5 introduces a dedicated 64-bit build for Windows, and promises full compatibility with Windows 10.

What else is new in LibreOffice 5.4 (see changelog for more info)?

- A new standard colour palette has been included, based on the RYB colour model.
- File format compatibility has been improved, with better support for EMF vector images. This helps when you're importing detailed diagrams from other office software.
- Imported PDF files are rendered with much better quality, also when inserted into a document, while exported PDF files - from Writer and Impress - support embedded videos (and linked videos if opened with Acrobat Reader).
- LibreOffice 5.4 supports OpenPGP keys for signing ODF documents on Linux.

LibreOffice has long since moved on from being an offshoot of the OpenOffice project. It's now the go-to alternative to Microsoft Office, enjoying regular development and a constant tweaking to keep it up to date, stable and secure.

While LibreOffice lacks the slick presentation of rival Windows freebie Kingsoft Office Suite Free and its Office-inspired ribbon interface, it has the major advantage of offering a full set of office applications, including database, drawing package and mathematical tool on top of the requisite word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool found in most free office suites.

Version 5 makes much of its user-interface improvements, but while it’s definitely more navigable than before thanks to better placement of tools and visual previews of styles direct from the main toolbar, it still looks a little dated, despite the refreshed icon sets. Nevertheless, this is still a powerful suite capable of meeting most people's needs, making this zero-cost alternative to Office a valuable tool to have in your armoury.

Ever-improving support for third-party file types (including both new and classic Office formats) means you're not cutting yourself off from industry standards while cross-platform support means you can run LibreOffice on Windows, Mac or Linux without having to retrain yourself to a new way of working each time.

Version 5 introduces a dedicated 64-bit build for Windows, and promises full compatibility with Windows 10.

What else is new in LibreOffice 5.4 (see changelog for more info)?

- A new standard colour palette has been included, based on the RYB colour model.
- File format compatibility has been improved, with better support for EMF vector images. This helps when you're importing detailed diagrams from other office software.
- Imported PDF files are rendered with much better quality, also when inserted into a document, while exported PDF files - from Writer and Impress - support embedded videos (and linked videos if opened with Acrobat Reader).
- LibreOffice 5.4 supports OpenPGP keys for signing ODF documents on Linux.

TeamViewer 12 is the latest version of the popular remote access/control program.

As with previous editions, you can use it to access your own computer across the internet, maybe recovering some important document you've left at home. Or you can use it to remotely control another PC where TeamViewer is also installed; so if a friend's having technical troubles, you can log on to their system, even through most firewalls, and troubleshoot the computer as though you were sitting in front of it.

TeamViewer 12 is mostly about speed improvements.

Smarter image rendering means better image quality at any given bandwidth.

The package is now available as a Chrome OS app, or can be run in your browser, and there are new options for unattended access to Android devices, or connecting directly to the Linux console (no GUI required).

The TeamViewer toolbar and client interface have been redesigned, bringing a host of usability enhancements.

Business users will appreciate additions like automatic customer satisfaction surveys, an SOS button which customers can use to launch sessions with a click, and a host of new channel, group and device management options.

It's a very impressive upgrade, especially as the program remains entirely free for personal and non-commercial use. Business users, however, will need to purchase a licence.

What's in v12 (see full changelog for more)?

- Faster File Transfer. Transfer files up to 20 times faster, with transfer speeds up to (up to 200 MB/s).
- High Frame Rate Connections. Remote session framerates of up to 60 fps.
- Windows Phone Support. Remotely support Windows Phone from any computer – an industry first.
- Remote Sticky Note. Leave a message behind for a more personal customer relationship.
- Smoother Remote Sessions. Improved feedback times from touch, keyboard, and mouse.
- Code Base Re-write for Performance. Performance-optimized code for tech that keeps up with you.
- Intelligent Connections Setup. Automatic intelligent system adjustments, based on your network conditions.
- Service Case Notifications. Take swift action on pop-up and email notifications.
- Service Case Chat. Let your customers contact you via chat even before they receive support.
- Remote QuickSteps. One-click shortcuts for your most-used remote support actions.
- Remote Device Dashboard. New remote device dashboard.
- OneDrive for Business. Quickly access the files you need from your OneDrive for Business cloud storage.
- Simplified Client Interface. Lots of UI improvements.