[ Long mail from non-English native speaker, not written on mobile device ;-) ]
Ross,
On Dec 21, 2011, at 11:10 PM, Ross Gardler wrote:
> Today Team OpenOffice released a "White Label Office" based off the
> 3.3 code.
...
I think the core issue here is "responsibility to users", "credibility of the
product" and "bridging the gap between the last OOo and the first AOOo".
It is very easy to feel like a member of the project that has just started, has
no users (because there is no release yet) and has no history. And I perfectly
understand it - I was in the same situation 9 or so years ago. I did not care
at all about StarOffice users and I was very unhappy to see some references to
it in OOo source code and even reported issues about such things (resulting in
some ..._so modules etc.).
It is not very easy when you have been living with some product, some project,
and you were at the heart of the project for a long time, it was your daily
bread, you know a lot of people who were using the product and want to use it
in the future ("responsibility to users").
I perfectly understand how Martin, Stefan and Matthias feel. I know them very
well. I understand their motivation. And I trust them!!!
...
All committers here do what they can to fix IP issues so Apache (WE!) can
release AOOo. But Team OOo thinks it is not enough to bridge the gap.
What has to be done now IMO?
Team OOo:
1. work closely with Apache team to get trademarks cleaned up.
2. clean FAQ and fix other issues that arise on non-technical level.
3. join the work here (I can imagine how Matthias feels when he has to read all
mails here ;-), explain your goals more clearly. Some people here do not get
your goals (and it is not their fault! It is your fault - you are not
expressing them well...).
Apache:
1. help Team OOo bridge the release gap between OOo and AOOo (because it helps
to bring legacy users forward to AOOo, smooths the transition) OR start
thinking what can be done without Team OOo to bridge the gap.
It is all about communication...
Oracle did a lot of good to Apache but they did a lot of bad to OpenOffice.org
users and developers. You can't choose only the first or the second part of the
sentence. Both are true and you have to see them both. More and more I read
(repeated) mails from "Apache only, not OOo" (sorry to say it this way) people,
I see that you only see the first part of the sentence. That doesn't mean I'm
saying the trademarks are here to be violated!
Note: I have yet to see worst management decision than Oracle's decision to
transfer OOo to Apache *this way*. They simply cut the costs throwing their
users to the air and damaging their name in the community so badly that they
will need another 10 years to get the same "sound". And additionally Apache
(WE!) can't find the right solution to this "bridging the gap" problem (ideas?
dual licensing, gradual IP cleanup?). Do WE (Apache) care at all? Do we see
both sides of the coin?
--
Pavel Janík
