Calligra facts for kids
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Calligra Stage screenshot
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| Developer(s) | KDE |
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| Initial release | 23 October 2000 (as KOffice) 11 April 2012 (as Calligra 2.4) |
| Stable release |
25.04.1
 / 4 May 2025 |
| Preview release |
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| Written in | C++ (Qt, KDE Platform) |
| Operating system | Unix-like, Windows, Android |
| Size | ~185 MB (xz-compressed source code), ~20 MB (all translations) |
| Standard(s) | OpenDocument (ISO/IEC 26300) |
| Available in | 31 languages |
| Type | Graphic art and office suite |
| License | GPL, LGPL |
Calligra Suite is a collection of computer programs made by KDE. It helps you create art and do office tasks. You can use it on desktop computers, tablet computers, and even smartphones. It has tools for writing documents, making spreadsheets, creating presentations, managing information, drawing pictures, and painting digitally.
Calligra uses a common file type called OpenDocument. This is its main way to save files. It can also open files from other programs, like Microsoft Office. Calligra works with KDE technology. It is often used with KDE Plasma Workspaces, which is a desktop environment.
Contents
Where Calligra Works
Desktop Computers
Calligra works best on desktop computers. It runs on systems like Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows. Linux is the system where Calligra works most smoothly.
On desktop computers, you can use all of Calligra's features.
Phones and Tablets
Calligra has also worked on making versions for touchscreens. These versions use special parts called Qt Quick components. For phones, there are apps like Coffice for Android and Sailfish Office for Sailfish OS. These apps use Calligra's touchscreen parts to let you view documents.
The Calligra team released Krita Sketch/Gemini and a tablet document viewer with Calligra 2.8. Calligra 2.9 included Calligra Gemini. This was an improved version that let you edit documents. It also allowed you to switch between desktop and touchscreen modes while using it.
Calligra's Journey: A Look at Its History
| Version | Key feature | Date |
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| 2.4 | First release | 2012-04-11 |
| 2.5 | Tablet version | 2012-08-13 |
| 2.6 | Calligra Author | 2013-02-05 |
| 2.7 | New toolbox for Words | 2013-08-01 |
| 2.8 | Krita Gemini | 2014-03-05 |
| 2.9 | Calligra Gemini | 2015-02-26 |
| 3.0 | Removed Author, Stage, Flow, Braindump |
2017-01-15 |
| 3.1.0 | Words, Sheets, Karbon, Gemini, and Plan. | 2018-02-01 |
| 3.2 | Gemini, Karbon and Stage | 2020-04-29 |
| 4.0 | Port to Qt6 and new interface | 2024-08-27 |
Calligra was created in 2010. This happened after some disagreements within the KOffice community. Most developers from KOffice joined the Calligra project. Some applications, like Kexi, Krita, and KPlato, moved completely to Calligra. A new application called Braindump was added. Also, Calligra Words replaced KWord.
KOffice 2.3 was released on December 31, 2010. This version was a team effort from both KOffice and Calligra developers. It was considered stable enough for regular use.
The Calligra team started releasing monthly updates in May 2011. They were getting ready for the Calligra 2.4 release.
The first Calligra Suite for Windows came out on December 21, 2011. This version was marked as "highly experimental." It was not yet ready for everyday use.
Calligra 2.4 was planned for January 2012. However, problems with the undo/redo feature in Words and Stage caused a delay. Calligra 2.4 was finally released on April 11, 2012.
Calligra 2.4 came with two mobile interfaces: Calligra Mobile and Calligra Active. Calligra Mobile started development in 2009. It was first shown as a simple version of KOffice for Maemo phones. Later, Nokia helped make a full mobile version. This version had a touchscreen-friendly design.
Calligra Active was launched in 2011. It was made for tablet computers. It was similar to Calligra Mobile but designed for larger screens.
In December 2012, KDE, KO GmbH, and Intel released Krita Sketch. This was a special version of Calligra's Krita painting program. It was made for Windows 7 and 8.
On March 24, 2013, KDE developer Sebastian Sauer released Coffice. This was a Calligra-based document viewer for Android phones.
Jolla continued Nokia's work on a smartphone version. In 2013, Jolla launched Sailfish Office. Sailfish Office used the same touchscreen parts as Calligra Active.
In September 2013, Krita and Krita Sketch were combined into Krita Gemini. This was released for Windows 8.1. Intel helped fund this to promote "2in1" convertible notebooks. On March 5, 2014, Krita Sketch and Gemini were also released for other systems as part of Calligra 2.8.
In April 2014, Intel and KO GmbH continued their promotion deal. This time it was for Gemini versions of Stage and Words. On August 28, 2014, the first Calligra Gemini update for Windows was released. On November 21, 2014, KDE announced that Calligra Gemini would be part of Calligra 2.9. This Gemini release added a touchscreen interface to Words and Stage. Users could switch between desktop and touch modes. Calligra Gemini built on Calligra Active and Sailfish Office. It added the ability to edit documents. A Linux version was shown on October 19, 2014.
The koffice.org website was replaced in September 2012. By 2014, KDE said KOffice was no longer being maintained. The koffice.org website now sends you to Calligra.org.
In autumn 2015, Krita became its own separate project. Even so, the 2.9 versions were still developed as part of Calligra 2.9.
What's Inside Calligra: The Programs
Current Programs
| Icon | Name | Description |
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Words | A program for writing and editing documents. It can save files in the OpenDocument Text format. |
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Sheets | A program for making spreadsheets. It was once known as KSpread and Calligra Tables. |
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Stage | A program for creating presentations. It was removed in Calligra 3.0 but came back in Calligra 3.2. |
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Karbon | A program for drawing vector graphics. It used to be called Karbon14. |
Past Programs
| Icon | Name | Description |
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Braindump | A digital tool for taking notes. It was removed in Calligra 3.0. |
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Flow | A program for drawing flowcharts. It was removed in Calligra 3.0 and later replaced by Karbon in 3.2.0. |
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Krita | A program for digital painting and some image editing. It became a separate product after Calligra 3.0. |
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Author | An application for writing e-books. It could export files in EPUB format. It was removed in Calligra 3.0. |
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Kexi | A tool for creating database applications. It became a separate product after Calligra 4.0. |
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Plan | A program for managing projects. It can create Gantt charts. It became a separate product after Calligra 4.0. |
How Calligra Works: Technical Details
Calligra is built using KDE Frameworks 6 and Qt 6. Older versions used KDE Frameworks 5/Qt5, and even older KOffice versions used KDE Platform 4 and Qt 4. Calligra Suite is released on its own, not as part of other KDE software collections.
All parts of the Calligra Suite are released under free software licenses. They use OpenDocument as their main file format when it makes sense.
Calligra developers want to share as many tools as possible between programs. This helps reduce bugs and makes the programs easier to use. They use common technologies like Flake and Pigment. Flake helps handle shapes that can contain text, images, or charts. This makes them work the same way across all Calligra programs. The team also wants to create an OpenDocument library. This would let other KDE apps easily open and save OpenDocument files. You can automate tasks and add new features using D-Bus.
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