OpenOffice.org. ping-pong (again)

@louis: I told you, OpenOffice.org was dead. Don't hold you breath.

On 2011-05-13, at 04:39 , Ian Lynch wrote:

> I know this might be a bit of an emotive topic for some, but wouldn't it be an idea to open up dialogue with the LibreOffice people? A split community was never an ideal situation from a simple logical point of view. Ok, there are emotional wounds to heal but talking about possibilities without any commitment on either side can't do any harm. Maybe this is already happening?

Actually, Florian and I are discussing that exactly. The days of stiff difference are over with; were over with when Oracle renounced OOo as a revenue source. And in their lieu, discussions of reconciliation.

To be sure, there are still personal differences. These are, to me, not irrelevant but ought not to stop the development of the code by the larger community.

What counts, what makes up, what comprises that larger community is of some debate. We need a lot of money to develop the code. We need, that is, far more than LibreOffice or TDF or any single company can probably provide. Figure more than 10M USD/annum. That's to develop the code, test it, distribute it, and move ahead into areas that go beyond the limits of legacy.

Unfortunately, for something like OOo, a "community effort," still needs huge buckets of money. It's not about corporations, per se. It's about needing to get dedicated developers, one way or another, working on the code, so that it can be reliably produced, and satisfy the most demanding expectations.

Meanwhile, I continue to drive ODF interest, and continue to represent OOo at ODF events; and continue to represent, as much as I can, as energetically as I can, to the world. I have no animus toward LibreOffice, though I do have my share of doubts; but my spirit is stamped with OOo, its community, its goal, of providing reliable and reliably, the best productivity tools there are to the most people.

-louis

:-)

I am.

My strategies are, obviously, to invoke the established stakeholders—IBM, Red Hat, to name but two, but also Google—in the gambit. But the issue is even more interesting than money alone. Much of the secret of OOo's sauce lies not in the recipe, which is open, but in the makers, who are like chefs the world round, only more so. And with Oracle's renunciation, they are obviously affected. How, it's not clear. But if I were in the team, I'd be no doubt updating my résumé—and be fending off hot solicitations.

In short, time is of the essence.

LibreOffice, TDF, do not have the full resources to continue, let alone advance OOo. They can differentiate it, which is to be lauded, but they have their own uncertainties. They do not appeal, too, to enterprises; we do. Enterprises can be public sector or private. They have the same concerns: reliability, predictability, stability, and super-good QA.

That all takes money not just in the present but in the future. So, these are not trivial points.

I've been working sub rosa because that's the way this is done. And even so, I've been pretty much shut out of a lot of discourse. Oracle has been absolutely mum about OOo's copyright and development future, though I've asked. They are surely in talks with the usual suspects, at least, I hope so. But the discussions are hardly including the OOo community—not me, at least, and not really any I know involved with OOo.

What I'll do is what I promised earlier: write an open letter to Edward Screven, the Oracle VP who issued the announcement 15 April.

And I also would very much appreciate it, and I think the entire OOo community would, too, if IBM and other stakeholders, such as Google and Red Hat execcs-I'll spare names—would engage the community representatives, in the plural or even singular, to proceed. What counts here is not my presence or participation per se, that's irrelevant and immaterial, but the continuation of OOo as that set of tools enterprises and users the world round expect to be there, as a community thing is.

So, we are doing things. And I just wish I could speak more, or write more on this. I also wish I had more to speak, write, say. But you see the issues. They are not secret, they are not hard to comprehend, they are not hard to digest. We need not just the funds but the chefs, and we need not jus to continue status quo—that did not work, obviously—but to re-do things, re-set things, improve: no one liked the old logistics of power, all wanted change. This is our opportunity, and let's begin with the reconciliation, with the stakeholders, so that we can continue working on this.

And one more point: OOo makes money. It makes money not just for the ecosystem stakeholders, like Ian, Jean, and many many others, including me, now—but for the stakeholders, in much the same way that an Eclipse like platform or Apache does. By providing the source technology that creates new markets.

-louis

Install LibreOffice 3.4 beta 5 on Linux

1015 tar xzf LibO-URE_3.4beta5_Linux_x86_install-rpm_en-US.tar.gz
1016 tar xzf LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_helppack-rpm_vi.tar.gz
1017 tar xzf LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_install-rpm_en-US.tar.gz
1018 tar xzf LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_langpack-rpm_vi.tar.gz

1021 sudo rpm -Uvh LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_install-rpm_en-US/RPMS/*rpm
1023 sudo rpm -Uvh LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_langpack-rpm_vi/RPMS/*rpm
1024 sudo rpm -Uvh LibO_3.4.0beta5_Linux_x86_helppack-rpm_vi/RPMS/libobasis3.4-vi-help-3.4.0-5.i586.rpm

1028 sudo rpm -Uvh LibO-URE_3.4beta5_Linux_x86_install-rpm_en-US/RPMS/libreoffice3.4-ure-3.4.0-5.i586.rpm
-> error, because I already installed libreoffice3.4-ure-3.4.0-5.i586.rpm

OpenOffice.org ping pong

Omg,

I think OpenOffice.org is dead because. It wil be dead if Oracle does not make it real open source.

----

I would love for there to be clarity. I am not alone. The burden of providing that clarification, however, does not rest with us who have no knowledge but on those who do.

The areas where some clarity would be useful (to put it mildly) include: license, ownership of copyright, developer resources, and so on and so forth.

It is not even the case that other projects using OOo technology have that much greater insight. They do not. They may have more activity, but absent the energy of production, there is no production of energy.

Louis


On 2011-05-12, at 22:17 , Peter Junge wrote:

> On 12.05.2011 10:01, Andy Brown wrote:
>> Peter Junge wrote:
>>> pong
>>>
>>> On 05/11/2011 09:02 PM, Alexandro Colorado wrote:
>>>> ping
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> *Alexandro Colorado*
>>>> *OpenOffice.org* Español
>>>> http://es.openoffice.org
>>
>>
>> Is this what we have been reduced to?
>>
>
> Maybe that's one of the sad conclusion. A bit more clarity about the
> future could certainly help ...
>
> Peter

LibreOffice 3.4 Beta 5 available

The Document Foundation is happy to announce the fifth beta release
of LibreOffice 3.4. The upcoming 3.4 will be the second major release
of the LibreOffice project, and comes with many exciting new
features. Please be aware that LibreOffice 3.4 Beta5 is not yet ready
for production use, you should continue to use LibreOffice 3.3.2 for
that.

The beta release is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X from our
QA builds download page at

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/pre-releases/

A list of new features specific to LibreOffice is to be found here:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/3.4

Should you find bugs, please report them to the FreeDesktop Bugzilla:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org

For other ways to get involved with this exciting project - you can
e.g. contribute code:

https://www.libreoffice.org/get-involved/developers/

translate LibreOffice to your language:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Translation_for_3.4

or help with funding our foundation:

http://challenge.documentfoundation.org/

A list of known issues with 3.4 Beta5 is available from our wiki:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/3.4/beta5

Please find the list of changes against LibreOffice 3.4 Beta4 here:

http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/src/bugfixes-libreoffice-3-4-release-3.3.99.5.log

Let us close again with a BIG Thank You! to all of you having
contributed to the LibreOffice project - this release would not have
been possible without your help.

Yours,

The Steering Committee of The Document Foundation

[tdf-announce] Giving our Community a Voice

The Community around LibreOffice provides several ways of getting in touch. Besides mailing lists, IRC channels and social networks, we regularly hold public phone conferences, where everyone is invited to join -- and speak.

Following our open, transparent and meritocratic approach, the Steering Committee holds its phone conference once a week:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/TDF/Steering_Committee_Meetings

Teams like marketing or website hold their meetings on a monthly basis:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Marketing/ConfCalls

Everyone is invited to join, either actively as participant or as interested listener. The calls are for long-term members as well as for new supporters, with a broad range of interesting topics.

They are planned on the respective mailing lists (like steering-discuss@ or marketing@), where everyone can vote on their favorite date and time, and agenda items are collected in the wiki. Thanks to our sponsor talkyoo, a landline dial-in is available in a rapidly growing number of countries, and connecting via Skype is also supported.

For those who miss a call, we provide a written transcript as well as an audio recording.

If you're keen to join now, the next marketing conference call will be held on Tuesday, May 10th, at 1600 UTC, and a poll on the next steering committee call has just been opened at http://www.doodle.com/rgt57aqwzemhetry

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Steering Committee of The Document Foundation

[tdf-announce] LibreOffice 3.4 Beta 4 available

Dear Community,

The Document Foundation is happy to announce the fourth beta release
of LibreOffice 3.4. The upcoming 3.4 will be the second major release
of the LibreOffice project, and comes with many exciting new
features. Please be aware that LibreOffice 3.4 Beta4 is not yet ready
for production use, you should continue to use LibreOffice 3.3.2 for
that.

The beta release is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X from our
QA builds download page at

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/pre-releases/

A list of new features specific to LibreOffice is to be found here:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/3.4

Should you find bugs, please report them to the FreeDesktop Bugzilla:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org

For other ways to get involved with this exciting project - you can
e.g. contribute code:

https://www.libreoffice.org/get-involved/developers/

translate LibreOffice to your language:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Translation_for_3.4

or help with funding our foundation:

http://challenge.documentfoundation.org/

A list of known issues with 3.4 Beta4 is available from our wiki:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/3.4/beta4

Please find the list of changes against LibreOffice 3.4 Beta3 here:

http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/src/bugfixes-libreoffice-3-4-release-3.3.99.4.log

Let us close again with a BIG Thank You! to all of you having
contributed to the LibreOffice project - this release would not have
been possible without your help.

Yours,

The Steering Committee of The Document Foundation

[tdf-announce] LibreOffice 3.4 Beta 3 available

Dear Community,

The Document Foundation is happy to announce the third beta release
of LibreOffice 3.4. The upcoming 3.4 will be the second major release
of the LibreOffice project, and comes with many exciting new
features. Please be aware that LibreOffice 3.4 Beta3 is not yet ready
for production use, you should continue to use LibreOffice 3.3.2 for
that.

The beta release is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X from our
QA builds download page at

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/pre-releases/

Should you find bugs, please report them to the FreeDesktop Bugzilla:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org

For other ways to get involved with this exciting project - you can
e.g. contribute code:

https://www.libreoffice.org/get-involved/developers/

translate LibreOffice to your language:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Translation_for_3.4

or help with funding our foundation:

http://challenge.documentfoundation.org/

A list of known issues with 3.4 Beta3 is available from our wiki:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/3.4/beta3

Please find the list of changes against LibreOffice 3.4 Beta2 here:

http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/src/bugfixes-libreoffice-3-4-release-3.3.99.3.log

Let us close again with a BIG Thank You! to all of you having
contributed to the LibreOffice project - this release would not have
been possible without your help.

Yours,

The Steering Committee of The Document Foundation

LibreOffice 3.4 Beta 2 available

Dear Community,

The Document Foundation is happy to announce the second beta release
of LibreOffice 3.4. The upcoming 3.4 will be the second major release
of the LibreOffice project, and comes with many exciting new
features. Please be aware that LibreOffice 3.4 Beta2 is not yet ready
for production use, you should continue to use LibreOffice 3.3.2 for
that.

The beta release is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X from our
QA builds download page at

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/pre-releases/

Should you find bugs, please report them to the FreeDesktop Bugzilla:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org

For other ways to get involved with this exciting project - you can
e.g. contribute code:

https://www.libreoffice.org/get-involved/developers/

translate LibreOffice to your language:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Translation_for_3.4

or help with funding our foundation:

http://challenge.documentfoundation.org/

A list of known issues with 3.4 Beta2 is available from our wiki:

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Releases/3.4/beta2

Please find the list of changes against LibreOffice 3.4 Beta1 here:

http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/src/bugfixes-libreoffice-3-4-release-3.3.99.2.log

Let us close again with a BIG Thank You! to all of you having
contributed to the LibreOffice project - this release would not have
been possible without your help.

Yours,

The Steering Committee of The Document Foundation

The Document Foundation is open for members

Dear contributors,

within the last months the community around LibreOffice and The Document
Foundation worked hard to establish policies, processes, infrastructure
and all the things you need to deliver a high quality software. One of
our basic principles is that we will acknowledge this merit and allow
all the contributors to become official members of our community [2]. All
members will have the right to run for a seat in the Foundation's board
of directors, elect the board and drive the future of our projects.

From now on all of you can apply for membership via our webform [1] .
The membership committee [3] is eager to receive your applications.

Please help us to process your request quickly. Read and follow the
form's introduction carefully, provide a good description of your
contributions and list at least two contacts who can confirm your
contributions.


The TDF Membership Committee,
Sophie Gautier,
Fridrich Strba,
André Schnabel,
Cor Nouws



Links:

[1] application form:
http://www.documentfoundation.org/application-for-tdf-community-membership/

[2] community bylaws:
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/CommunityBylaws

[3] more about the Membership Committee:
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/TDF/Membership_Committee

MS compares its product MSO to OOo

A Few Perspectives on OpenOffice.org
http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/US/details/faaf9eb8-77c6-4bed-bc08-c069a7bfbb04

Why Microsoft: Microsoft PowerPoint vs. OpenOffice.org
http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/US/details/9c961e93-2f01-40ae-a0b5-3fa85a41b125

Why Microsoft: Microsoft Word vs OpenOffice.org Writer
http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/US/details/2ac92a50-c149-4e22-a97a-cc3cec515102

Why Microsoft: Microsoft Excel vs. OpenOffice.org Calc
http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/US/details/cc882a5a-2218-464f-bc87-7f30a7b6716a

MS so sánh sản phẩm của họ MSO với OOo và chỉ ra những rất nhiều
vấn đề khi sử dụng OOo hoặc chuyển từ MSO sang OOo.

Tất nhiên trang này được tạo ra cách đây 6 tháng, cần cài SilverLight mới xem được.

Sun hay Oracle sẽ nghĩ gì khi họ xem link này? MS có quân tử không?