On Thu, Sep 1, 2016 at 4:37 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton <orc...@apache.org> wrote: > > Here is what a careful retirement of Apache OpenOffice could look like. > > A. PERSPECTIVE > B. WHAT RETIREMENT COULD LOOK LIKE > 1. Code Base > 2. Downloads > 3. Development Support > 4. Public-Project Community Interfaces > 5. Social Media Presence > 6. Project Management Committee > 7. Branding > > A. PERSPECTIVE > > I have regularly observed that the Apache OpenOffice project has limited > capacity for sustaining the project in an energetic manner. It is also my > considered opinion that there is no ready supply of developers who have the > capacity, capability, and will to supplement the roughly half-dozen > volunteers holding the project together. It doesn't matter what the reasons > for that might be. > > The Apache Project Maturity Model, > <http://community.apache.org/apache-way/apache-project-maturity-model.html>, > identifies the characteristics for which an Apache project is expected to > strive. > > Recently, some elements have been brought into serious question: > > QU20: The project puts a very high priority on producing secure software. > QU50: The project strives to respond to documented bug reports in a timely > manner. > > There is also a litmus test which is kind of a red line. That is for the > project to have a PMC capable of producing releases. That means that there > are at least three available PMC members capable of building a functioning > binary from a release-candidate archive, and who do so in providing binding > votes to approve the release of that code. > > In the case of Apache OpenOffice, needing to disclose security > vulnerabilities for which there is no mitigation in an update has become a > serious issue. > > In responses to concerns raised in June, the PMC is currently tasked by the > ASF Board to account for this inability and to provide a remedy. An > indicator of the seriousness of the Board's concern is the PMC been requested > to report to the Board every month, starting in August, rather than > quarterly, the normal case. One option for remedy that must be considered is > retirement of the project. The request is for the PMC's consideration among > other possible options. The Board has not ordered a solution. > > I cannot prediction how this will all work out. It is remiss of me not to > point out that retirement of the project is a serious possibility. > > There are those who fear that discussing retirement can become a > self-fulfilling prophecy. My concern is that the project could end with a > bang or a whimper. My interest is in seeing any retirement happen > gracefully. That means we need to consider it as a contingency. For > contingency plans, no time is a good time, but earlier is always better than > later. > > > B. WHAT RETIREMENT COULD LOOK LIKE > > Here is a provisional list of all elements that would have to be addressed, > over a period of time, as part of any retirement effort. > > In order to understand what would have had to happen in a graceful process, > the assumption below is that the project has already retired. > > Requests for additions and adjustments to this compilation are welcome. > > 1. CODE BASE > > 1.1 The Apache OpenOffice Subversion repository where code is maintained > has been moved to "The Attic." Apache Attic is an actual project, > <http://attic.apache.org/>. The source code would remain > available and could be checked-out from Subversion by anyone interested in > making use of it. There is no means of committing changes. > > 1.2 Apache Externals/Extras consists of external libraries that are > relied upon by the source code but are not part of the source code. These > were housed on SourceForge and elsewhere. (a) They might have been archived > in conjunction with the SVN (1.1). (b) They might be identified in a way > that someone attempting to build from source later on would be able to work > with later versions of the external dependencies. There are additional > external dependencies that might have become obsolete. > > 1.3 Build Dependencies/Tool Chains. The actual construction of the > released binaries depends on particular versions of specific tools that are > used for carrying out builds of binaries from the source. The dependencies > as they last were used are identified in a historical location. Some of the > tools and their use become obsolete over time. > > 1.4 GitHub Mirror. For the GitHub Mirror of the Apache OpenOffice SVN > (a) pull requests are not accepted. (b) Continuation of the presence of the > GitHub repository might be shut down at some point depending on GitHub policy > and ASF support. > > 2. DOWNLOADS > > 2.1 The source code releases, patches, and installable binaries are all > retained in the archive system that is already maintained. There are no > further additions. > > 2.2 The downloading of full releases is supported on the SourceForge > mirroring system. There are no new downloads. How long until SourceForge > retires its support for downloads is not predictable (and see 4.3). > > 2.3 The Apache OpenOffice Extensions and Templates system is an > independent arrangement hosted and curated on SourceForge. Whether and how > long the download service is preserved by SourceForge is not predictable. > > 2.4 The mechanism for announcing updates to installed versions of > OpenOffice binaries is adjusted to indicate that (a) particular versions are > no longer supported. (b) For the latest distribution(s), there may be advice > to users about investigating still-supported alternatives. > > 3. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT > > 3.1 The Apache OpenOffice Bugzilla is mirrored in The Attic. The > Bugzilla is read-only and preserved for historical purposes. > > 3.2 The Pootle materials used for the development of localizations are > exported and archived. > > 3.3 The Confluence Wiki operated by the project is preserved in a > read-only state:<https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/OOOUSERS/>. > > 3.4 The commits@ and issues@ mailing lists are shut down although > archived. > > 4. PUBLIC PROJECT-COMMUNITY INTERFACES > > 4.1 All public discussion mailing lists are shut down. They are all > archived and accessible from The Attic. > > 4.2 The dev@ list was the last to shut down, having been used during > orchestration of the retirement. > > 4.3 The http://openoffice.org site is static and uneditable. The CMS > functions for contribution to the site are disabled. Over the course of > retirement, key pages of the site were updated to reflect the retirement > activity and to eventually end some of the functions, such as information on > how to contribute, how to obtain the software, how to obtain help, branding > requirements, etc. > > 4.4 The Wikimedia subsite of openoffice.org is read-only and static. No > contributions or edits can be made. At some point, the Wikimedia server will > need to be shut down and (a) the server is shutdown/moved with openoffice.org > indicating that the wiki is unavailable. (b) Only a static form of the pages > is provided. (c) Alternative hosting and rebranding is achieved. > > 4.5 The OpenOffice Community Forums were semi-autonomous. (a) The server > is retired. (b) The site is rehosted and rebranded by agreement with the > Apache OpenOffice project and the ASF. > > > 5. SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE > > 5.1 The Apache Planet OpenOffice Blog is terminated with the announcement > that Retirement is complete. > > 5.2 The Twitter account is terminated. > > 5.3 Any Facebook page under control of the project is closed. > > 5.4 The announce@ list is terminated and archived with the announcement > of Retirement completion. > > > 6. PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE > > 6.1 With completion of the retirement, the private@ and security@ > openoffice.org lists were shutdown (although archived as are all such lists). > > 6.2 The Project Management Committee is disbanded and the Chair is > relieved. > > 6.3 There is no longer any identified operation for continuation of the > project except as specified for The Attic. > > > 7. BRANDING > > 7.1 With the cessation of releases, it is made widely known that official > releases other than the last ones provided by the project are not the work of > Apache OpenOffice and any claimed association, justification for charge of > fees and for carrying of advertising are not in support of the Apache > OpenOffice project. This notification will also be made to those > organizations that carry offerings to the contrary (e.g., eBay). > > 7.2 There is no point of contact, other than branding@ apache.org, for > request to make use of the brands. > > 7.3 There is no active attention to preservation of the trademarks > related to Apache OpenOffice. (a) Inappropriate use of Apache and its > symbols in names of offerings will be defended when brought to the attention > of branding@. (b) Uses of OpenOffice, Open Office, openoffice.org and other > similarities without attribution to Apache are not addressed. > > *** end of the list as of 2016-09-01 *** > > >
Just as when former HP CEO, Léo Apotheker, masturbated in public about selling the PC business, damage has already been done: http://www.networkworld.com/article/3117144/open-source-tools/openoffice-may-be-fading-into-the-sunset.html http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/09/openoffice-after-years-of-neglect-could-shut-down/ and the LibreOffice trolls are having such a ride in social networks... Too bad ApacheOO does not have HP's financial muscle to reassure users that it was a one-off sort of irresponsible activity. -- Jose R R http://metztli.it --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Try at no charge http://b2evolution.net for http://OpenShift.com PaaS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- from our GitHub http://Nepohualtzintzin.com repository. Cloud the easy way! --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
