[ale] [Fwd: The Apache Software Foundation Statement on Apache OpenOffice.org]

[Tim Watts]

Looks like Apache owns OpenOffice now. Seems like a Good Thing, at least
better than Oracle owning it. Not too sure LGPL is compatible with the
Apache license though...


-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Sally Khudairi <sk at apache.org>
Reply-to: Sally Khudairi <sk at apache.org>
To: announce at apache.org <announce at apache.org>
Subject: The Apache Software Foundation Statement on Apache
OpenOffice.org
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:00:41 +0100 (BST)

[this statement is available online at http://s.apache.org/XCP]

The Apache Software Foundation Statement on Apache OpenOffice.org

On 1 June 2011, Oracle Corporation submitted the OpenOffice.org code
base to The Apache Software Foundation. That submission was accepted,
and the project is now being developed as a podling in the Apache
Incubator under the ASF's meritocratic process informally dubbed "The
Apache Way". 

OpenOffice.org is now officially part of the Apache family. 

The project is known as Apache OpenOffice.org (incubating).

Over its 12-year history, the ASF has welcomed contributions from
individuals and organizations alike, but, as a policy, does not solicit
code donations. The OpenOffice.org code base was not pursued by the ASF
prior to its acceptance into the Apache Incubator. 

The Apache OpenOffice.org Podling Project Management Committee (PPMC)
and Committer list are nearly 10 times greater than those of other
projects in the Apache Incubator, demonstrating the tremendous interest
in this project.

As with many highly-visible products, there has been speculation and
conjecture about the future of OpenOffice.org at Apache. More recently,
destructive statements have been published by both members of the
greater FOSS community and former contributors to the original
OpenOffice.org product, suggesting that the project has failed during
the 18 weeks since its acceptance into the Apache Incubator.

Whilst the ASF operates in the open –our code and project mailing lists
are publicly accessible– ASF governance permits for projects to make
information and code freely available when the project deems them ready
to be released. Apache OpenOffice.org is not at risk.

As an end-user-facing product, OpenOffice.org is unique in comparison to
the other nearly 170 products currently being developed, incubated, and
shepherded at the ASF. Considered to be "ingredient brands", countless
competing Web server, Cloud computing, data handling, and other
solutions behind the products serving millions of users worldwide are,
unbeknown to most, "Powered by Apache".

And we're OK with that.

More than 70 project Committers are actively collaborating to ensure
that the future of the OpenOffice.org code base and community are in
alignment with The Apache Way. The project's extensive plans include
assessing the elements necessary to update a product that hasn't had an
official release in nearly a year; parts of the product's functionality
encumbered by non-Apache-Licensed components; and a code base that has
been forked and maintained by a community pursuing market dominance. As
such, it is critical that we remain pragmatic about the project's next
steps during this transition phase.

We understand that stakeholders of a project with a 10+ year history
--be they former product managers or casual users-- may be unfamiliar
with The Apache Way and question its methods. Those following the
project's migration to process and culture unique to the Apache
community may challenge the future sustainability of the project.

Such concerns are not atypical with the incubation of Open Source
projects with well-established communities -- the successful graduation
of Apache Subversion and Apache SpamAssassin, among others, are proof
that The Apache Way works.

As an all-volunteer organization, we do not compensate any contributors
to develop Apache code. We do, however, support those individuals with
relevant expertise to pursue consulting/remuneration opportunities with
interested parties, but must reiterate that they are barred from doing
so on behalf of the ASF or any Apache initiatives -- be they Top-level
Projects (TLPs) or emerging products in the Apache Incubator and Labs.
Otherwise, they would be in violation of the Apache trademark policy,
which the ASF strongly defends in order to protect its communities.

At the ASF, the answer is openness, not further fragmentation. There is
ample room for multiple solutions in the marketplace that are Powered by
Apache. We welcome differences of opinion: a requirement at Apache is
that a healthy project be supported by an open, diverse community
comprising multiple organizations and individual contributors.

We congratulate the LibreOffice community on their success over their
inaugural year and wish them luck in their future endeavors. We look
forward to opening up the dialogue between Open Document Format-oriented
communities to deepen understanding and cease the unwarranted spread of
misinformation.

We welcome input and participation in the form of constructive
contributions to Apache OpenOffice.org. There are myriad ways to help,
from code development and documentation to community relations and "help
desk" forums support to licensing and localization, and more. 

The way to move this forward is via the ASF, which owns the
OpenOffice.org trademark and official code base. This is our chance to
be able to pull together our talents towards a cohesive goal and protect
the project's ecosystem.

At a minimum, we owe that to the hundreds of millions of users of
OpenOffice.org.

-- the ASF Press team and Apache OpenOffice.org incubating mentors


- Join the Apache OpenOffice.org project MeetUp at ApacheCon, 7-11
November 2011 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. For more information, visit
http://apachecon.com/

- For more on Apache OpenOffice.org see
http://incubator.apache.org/openofficeorg/
- For more information on the Apache Incubator see
http://incubator.apache.org/
- The ASF trademark policy can found at
http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/


"Apache", "OpenOffice.org", and "ApacheCon" are trademarks of The Apache
Software Foundation. All other brands and trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.

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