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

Fri Oct 14 08:53:25 EDT 2011

An interesting development with Ubuntu now shipping LibreOffice.  Ah,
the twists and turns in the fork of FOSS. 

On Fri, 2011-10-14 at 08:33 -0400, Tim Watts wrote:

> 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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