Hi Marco, see below.
On 09/01/2022 17:05, Marco Marinello wrote:
I don't think TDF can and should endorse or promote third party products as I think you proposed.Based on this two quotes, I’d like to make a counterproposal for the online project: 1. Since not only Collabora-affiliated developers but almost everybody that was previously involved in development of Online moved on Github, contributing to Collabora’s repo, TDF should publicly endorse this choice, stating that the project is now hosted on Github and the development is managed by a company of the ecosystem but is – at the end of the day – always LibreOffice Online.
Collabora made the choice of moving what was LOOL away from TDF infrastructure and made a considerable effort to remove as much as possible the references to the fact that it was a shared project (removing "This file is part of the LibreOffice project", renaming variables from LOOL to COOL, etc.).
Unfortunately what is in that GitHub repository is not LOOL any more so, IMHO, it has little to do with TDF now.
True, we could even backport the lot and rebrand it but I believe TDF should lead by example by confirming that, while it would be only fair for the other party to actually deliver their side of the agreement, we don't want to damage any valuable member of the ecosystem by cloning their product as it is.2. Provide stable libreoffice-branded builds (on a nightly/weekly basis) of LibreOffice Online on the Docker HUB (possibly also DEBs/RPMs) starting from the Collabora repository. This can either be done internally by TDF or tendered.
As said in other threads, negotiations for a mutually beneficial agreement were ongoing before they decided to go their own way and it's up to them to recognise that their actions went against what TDF and the LibreOffice community stand for and eventually come back to the negotiation table.
If Collabora decides to backport to TDF's LOOL repository or agrees that it's fair for TDF or external partners to do it then we could consider it.
3. Update the documentation at TDF’s wiki. As above, internally done, volunteered or tendered.
Before updating the documentations we should know in relation to what, the outdated LOOL we have in the repository or a product that is not LOOL any more?
I'm not fully sure about it as it may lead to the same difficult situation we have now with LOOL.4. Grant, as already happens e.g. for Play Store / Windows app store, the permission to release the builds with the “LibreOffice Online” trademark to companies of the ecosystem that ask for that.
If companies of the ecosystem would like to contribute to LOOL hosted by TDF this time it should be done under a clear agreement, the one also proposed for the "de-atticisation" process, so that the LibreOffice community will also benefit from it.
If they should be allowed to use the "LibreOffice Online" name is something to discuss as I think all members of the ecosystem should find ways to differentiate themselves in terms of brand and services they provide. Then we could evaluate if they could use the LibreOffice Technology brand while they use LibreOffice projects hosted by TDF to which they actively contribute.
This 4 bullet points would allow, at least in my opinion, TDF to acknowledge Online as “still part of the LibreOffice ecosystem” and continue with his distribution/marketing, in order to build a real market surrounding LOOL.
I believe it's clear to most that LibreOffice Online is the original project hosted by TDF which should have led to a platform freely usable by anyone under.
The issue now is how to bring it back to a state where people can actually use it.
Let's also keep in mind that while you can create Marco's Office that anyone can download and use, LOOL needs a more complex setup. I believe that ownCloud, NextCloud and others would have accepted to add LOOL by TDF as a free community option to their marketplace to make it easier for non IT specialists to use but otherwise it is not that simple to deliver to the users.
Maybe others from our community have other ideas and comments for these proposals?All the best, Marco
Ciao Paolo -- Paolo Vecchi - Deputy Member of the Board of Directors The Document Foundation, Kurfürstendamm 188, 10707 Berlin, DE Gemeinnützige rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts Legal details: https://www.documentfoundation.org/imprint
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