--- title: Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t... description: Open formats and self-hosted tools are essential for preserving digital memories and documents against vendor lock-in and format obsolescence. LibreOffice can... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t replace | daily.dev og:description: Open formats and self-hosted tools are essential for preserving digital memories and documents against vendor lock-in and format obsolescence. LibreOffice can... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/nXdSGSHWo.png og:image:alt: Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t replace og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t replace **[All Things Open](https://daily.dev/sources/allthingsopen)** · 5 min read · 25 upvotes · 8 comments ## Summary Open formats and self-hosted tools are essential for preserving digital memories and documents against vendor lock-in and format obsolescence. LibreOffice can open dozens of legacy formats dating back to the 1980s and 90s, including Microsoft Works, ClarisWorks, and WordPerfect. Open video formats like Matroska, WebM, and Ogg ensure long-term video accessibility. Self-hosted cloud solutions like Nextcloud and ownCloud provide privacy-respecting alternatives to Google Drive and OneDrive, giving individuals and organizations full control over their data without recurring per-user fees. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What legacy document formats can LibreOffice open? LibreOffice can open dozens of obsolete formats dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, including Microsoft Works for both MS-DOS and Windows, ClarisWorks, Apple Pages, WordPerfect, and Lotus WordPro. This compatibility makes it useful for recovering documents trapped in proprietary formats after the original software that created them was discontinued. _daily.dev surfaces practical tips like this for developers rescuing old files from dead software formats._ ### What are open source self-hosted alternatives to Google Drive and OneDrive? Nextcloud and ownCloud are open source, self-hostable platforms offering cloud storage without recurring per-user fees or vendor lock-in. Nextcloud includes Nextcloud Office, built on LibreOffice, plus Groupware for calendar, contacts, and mail. ownCloud offers a suite of built-in apps and more than 40 official marketplace extensions, giving small offices or home users full control over their data. _Compare self-hosted storage options on daily.dev before committing your data to a proprietary cloud provider._ ### Which open video formats are best for long-term archival storage? Matroska, WebM, and Ogg are recommended open video formats because they are not tied to any single vendor's software or platform, reducing the risk that archived videos become unplayable as proprietary formats and their supporting software are discontinued. These formats are supported broadly across devices and applications, helping keep video memories accessible for future generations. _Developers building archival or media tools can track open format guidance like this on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@musikk** · 4 upvotes > From a technical perspective, yes absolutely. But I also often wonder how to do this in practice. When a grandparent dies, you might find that shoebox with a few photographs of your great-grandparents in front of their first home. Today, we fill a shoebox worth of digital pictures on a single vacation day. I cling to old hard drives and memory cards that I will organize _some day_. But that day will probably never come. It's too much and it's impossible to curate. **@agustinbarrientos** · 0 upvotes > For me, open formats still need scheduled restore tests and format migration before bit rot wins. **@rizzdev** · 0 upvotes > Open formats are the only path that survives the next host change **@trevorsuna** · 0 upvotes > Open formats are a quiet form of risk management. Self-hosting helps with control, but the durable part is still regular exports, documented formats, and restore tests. Owning the server is not enough if the data can’t be moved or read years later. **@baz14** · 0 upvotes > Digital memories are great for nostalgia🥲. But the modern world also dictates rules for doing business😬. Your data can effectively be held hostage simply because you failed to renew a license or service subscription. > > To build a trully stable stack that remains resilient even during global instability, you need to rely on open data formats, FOSS products, and services that can be self-hosted on a VPS. > > Open data formats give you freedom of choice instead of locking you into a single proprietary products. FOSS gives you full control over the codebase, without the unpredictable or opaque... ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [LibreOffice once again slams Microsoft for using "lock-in" with Office files](https://daily.dev/posts/libreoffice-once-again-slams-microsoft-for-using-lock-in-with-office-files-crgws2lzt) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [How proprietary formats have become Microsoft’s main tool for lock-in](https://daily.dev/posts/how-proprietary-formats-have-become-microsoft-s-main-tool-for-lock-in-7v96hniud) · Hacker News · 2 upvotes · 2 comments - [Your 2026 quick guide to free Office alternatives](https://daily.dev/posts/your-2026-quick-guide-to-free-office-alternatives-s6laz6ap3) · All Things Open · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [LibreOffice vs ONLYOFFICE - Which One Is Right For You?](https://daily.dev/posts/libreoffice-vs-onlyoffice---which-one-is-right-for-you--8dvajy04a) · It's Foss · 4 upvotes · 0 comments - [This open-source Microsoft 365 alternative is better than others because it stays boring](https://daily.dev/posts/this-open-source-microsoft-365-alternative-is-better-than-others-because-it-stays-boring-aecknun4i) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t replace","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo"},"datePublished":"2026-08-12T06:25:59.341Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T07:54:00.707Z","description":"Open formats and self-hosted tools are essential for preserving digital memories and documents against vendor lock-in and format obsolescence. LibreOffice can...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/19efc22d5c286d0609be2b87fa6ebe03?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/19efc22d5c286d0609be2b87fa6ebe03?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"All Things Open","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"All Things Open","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--dgFP6zAp--/f_auto/v1720885901/logos/allthingsopen","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/allthingsopen"},"commentCount":8,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":25},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":8}],"keywords":"open-source,linux,self-hosting","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"All Things Open","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/allthingsopen"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Why open formats matter for preserving what you can’t replace"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"From a technical perspective, yes absolutely. But I also often wonder how to do this in practice. When a grandparent dies, you might find that shoebox with a few photographs of your great-grandparents in front of their first home. Today, we fill a shoebox worth of digital pictures on a single vacation day. I cling to old hard drives and memory cards that I will organize some day. But that day will probably never come. It’s too much and it’s impossible to curate.","datePublished":"2026-08-12T07:31:04.343Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nXdSGSHWo#c-eawoGD3sM","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Werner Hahn","url":"https://daily.dev/musikk","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJr9LIXrt1E5zAmLx3QtOkq4iGvcwdh-t__bh6z4dhVoZyOEgE=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":4}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"For me, open formats still need scheduled restore tests and format migration before bit rot wins.","datePublished":"2026-08-13T22:37:02.385Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nXdSGSHWo#c-jUJGIGKiW","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Agustin Barrientos","url":"https://daily.dev/agustinbarrientos","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--5ayxQnqn--/f_auto/v1788281802/avatars/avatar_wQYYVe5Tbj0NJ7C7qPoa8?_a=BAMAMicg0"}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Open formats are the only path that survives the next host change","datePublished":"2026-08-13T06:50:51.958Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nXdSGSHWo#c-ugaHNpU3W","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrew","url":"https://daily.dev/rizzdev","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--35vRfXAA--/f_auto/v1785413727/avatars/avatar_fQ7ttCKtPuu6tDvcgQXv5?_a=BAMAMicg0"}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Open formats are a quiet form of risk management. Self-hosting helps with control, but the durable part is still regular exports, documented formats, and restore tests. Owning the server is not enough if the data can’t be moved or read years later.","datePublished":"2026-08-15T02:56:07.017Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nXdSGSHWo#c-apgQXI93S","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Trevor Suna","url":"https://daily.dev/trevorsuna","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--dZ7gXxpp--/f_auto/v1784081551/avatars/avatar_EMoP47rpuw8DNjhp6R1b6?_a=BAMAMicg0"}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Digital memories are great for nostalgia🥲. But the modern world also dictates rules for doing business😬. Your data can effectively be held hostage simply because you failed to renew a license or service subscription.\nTo build a trully stable stack that remains resilient even during global instability, you need to rely on open data formats, FOSS products, and services that can be self-hosted on a VPS.\nOpen data formats give you freedom of choice instead of locking you into a single proprietary products. FOSS gives you full control over the codebase, without the unpredictable or opaque behavior of proprietary software. Self-hosted services reduce your depenence on a single vendor and give you greater control over your infrastructure.\nThis is one of the most effective ways to minimize the risks associated with dependence on external proprietary products. It providers long-term stability, portability, and max control over your own systems and developments\nMore details in my talk😉 - https://talks.osgeo.org/foss4g-europe-2026/talk/ENLRK9/","datePublished":"2026-08-13T05:38:53.613Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/nXdSGSHWo#c-WqxWVIWl6","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Baz","url":"https://daily.dev/baz14","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocKd2iFU8YS4sV-rBJptuYSF8EHeQnm23N_dcXE1uON7_GMIlZg=s96-c"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-open-formats-matter-for-preserving-what-you-can-t-replace-nxdsgshwo#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What legacy document formats can LibreOffice open?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"LibreOffice can open dozens of obsolete formats dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, including Microsoft Works for both MS-DOS and Windows, ClarisWorks, Apple Pages, WordPerfect, and Lotus WordPro. This compatibility makes it useful for recovering documents trapped in proprietary formats after the original software that created them was discontinued. daily.dev surfaces practical tips like this for developers rescuing old files from dead software formats."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What are open source self-hosted alternatives to Google Drive and OneDrive?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Nextcloud and ownCloud are open source, self-hostable platforms offering cloud storage without recurring per-user fees or vendor lock-in. Nextcloud includes Nextcloud Office, built on LibreOffice, plus Groupware for calendar, contacts, and mail. ownCloud offers a suite of built-in apps and more than 40 official marketplace extensions, giving small offices or home users full control over their data. Compare self-hosted storage options on daily.dev before committing your data to a proprietary cloud provider."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which open video formats are best for long-term archival storage?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Matroska, WebM, and Ogg are recommended open video formats because they are not tied to any single vendor's software or platform, reducing the risk that archived videos become unplayable as proprietary formats and their supporting software are discontinued. These formats are supported broadly across devices and applications, helping keep video memories accessible for future generations. Developers building archival or media tools can track open format guidance like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```