The first release candidate (RC1) for version 3.6.0 of LibreOffice is now available for testing. The feature set of 3.6.0 was frozen at the beta stage of development, so the RC for this next major release of the open source productivity suite is focussed on improving the software's stability and fixes nearly 20 bugs found in the beta versions.

The improvements and features already implemented in LibreOffice 3.6.0 include, for example, several enhancements to the Writer word processor, such as support for contextual spacing and importing SmartArt graphic types. Other changes include improvements to CSV file import and various user interface updates, as well as new options in the Calc spreadsheet program and import filters for Corel Draw documents. The Impress presentation manager and Math formula editor have also received updates. According to the project's 3.6.0 Release Plan, the first RC will be followed by two more candidates, with the final version arriving in late July or early August.

A full list of changes and fixes in the RC can be found in the RC1 release notes; at the time of writing, an official announcement has yet to be made on The Document Foundation Blog. LibreOffice 3.6 RC1 is available from the Pre-Releases download page; those testing the release are asked to provide feedback and report any bugs that they find.

Sponsored and governed by The Document Foundation, LibreOffice is licensed under the LGPLv3. The current stable release is version 3.5.5 from 11 July.

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