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

Fri Oct 14 20:17:52 EDT 2011

On Fri, 2011-10-14 at 08:53 -0400, Rich Faulkner wrote:

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

My understanding is that most Linux distros ship with LO as the default.
Ubuntu has OOo 3.3.0 available in their repositories if you want OOo
instead

> 
> 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...

I have heard that the problem is LO can use OOo code if desired but the
reverse is not true because of the differences between the licenses. 

> > 
> > 
> > -------- 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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> > 
> > 
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-- 
Jay Lozier
jslozier at gmail.com
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