OpenOffice.org 3.0 is far more than just the latest version of OOo. It's also the beginning of a new age for productivity suites. Why? Because OOo 3l0 takes a huge step toward the real future of desktop productivity. It uses extensions and it expresses its data in an open standard; these we know, though we are only now beginning to appreciate their importance. And it also works beautifully with the latest suites, including MS Office 2007.
The result is more than an alternative that's free and that frees. It is a new way of doing things, one that builds on the commons held now by tens of millions living everywhere on this globe. It is a way that trusts the wealth of the commons and imagines a world where the impoverishing effects of vendor lockin are a thing of the past.
Vendor lockin means being stuck with the vendor who sold you your application because all your files are in the format used by that application. It means you can only communicate fully with others who share your vendor. It means that monopoly is the most logical outcome.
OOo bypasses that problem by using an open standard, the OpenDocument format. Both proprietary and free applications can use it, and they do. Even MS Office supports it, via a plug in. The net result is a world where the free exchange of information is not just possible but very likely, as it is no longer impeded by proprietary concerns.
OOo 3.0 adds to that freedom by using extensions much the same way that Firefox does: it gives all users the freedom to add new features, functionality. At present, we have a couple of hundred, and they have proved popular. We've also done minimal advertising. I anticipate that in the coming months, as 3.0 gains yet more popularity (all servers are down at the moment), there will be more and more interesting extensions out there.
I can see extensions that radically depart from what we consider "office" tools---and why not? OOo is an integrated set of tools based on fairly conservative conceptions of office software. But there is no compelling reason to stick with the conservative past, and every reason to be creative.
So, let's be creative together.
2008-10-13
2008-04-25
Brazil
Brazil--the Sinatra song speaks of holiday hope, escape, beauty, love, and their loss--
Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured "Someday soon"
We kissed and clung together
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Now, when twilight dims the sky above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Now, when twilight dims the sky above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing that I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil
That old Brazil
Man, it's old in Brazil
Brazil, Brazil
And it was brilliantly used by Terry Gillian in his bleak 1985 satire, Brazil. The country remains a focus of hope and expectation, a sunny future, shadowed by its dark realities. But the current federal administration, Lula's, is changing things, and though the disparities of wealth and privilege remain stark and brutal (Brazil is, like the US, one of the more dramatically disparate countries in terms of wealth and privilege), things are very much improving. The government takes seriously the condition of its people and the importance of social responsibility.
I discovered this anew in my most recent trip to Brasilia, for meetings with the education ministry, and Porto Alegre, for fisl 9.0. Briefly, the meetings were immensely productive, and fisl was extraordinary. It is one thing to hear the strong rhetoric for Floss and another to see it in action (read about the KDE installations). The ministry, along with other federal and provincial governments, is dedicated to Floss and wants to move fast on it. OpenOffice.org is crucial there, as it is the best productivity suite on the planet, and that it is also free software--well that simply seals the deal. But the OpenOffice.org we are talking about is BrOffice.org, the Brazilian Portuguese version that is distributed by the BrOffice team. They had to rename it for trademark reasons, but it's the same thing that nearly a hundred million others use daily. And these facts raise some compelling points:
• Many Brazilians, including those in the Floss movement, as well as those in major corporations and government offices, are unaware of the identity of the two
• Support and training are sporadically available. Now, if someone or some public or private enterprise wants support for OOo, they can find it in several languages by going to our Support page; Sun (my employer) also provides for-fee professional support for OOo, along the same lines as for StarOffice.
• But the default understanding of the public and private enterprises in Brazil does not include support, training, services, and these are sorely wanted. Thus, we have the states of Paraná, the huge, quasi-federal office Serpro, the social security agency and many, many more which I learned about in the three-hour session dedicated to OOo and in personal discussions. (Indeed, I had so many of these that I regretfully could attend very few sessions.)
The ultimate point: we need to develop the support business in Brazil. Of course, Brazil is not alone; we need to do this elsewhere, too. But the need is urgent there and the market is open, and as I mentioned in my presentation late Saturday, Brazil really is the leader here and has the ability to join with India and South Africa and possibly China in proving the role and value of Floss in creating not only markets independent of colonial shadow but socially responsible.
But what about support? By support, I mean first and second level support, the sort that reassures regular endusers; and I also mean training. NO polity, no enterprise embraces Floss without minimizing liability. That means they want support and services and training contracts. It means building the ecosystem for OOo and doing so now.
BTW, if you have not looked at this, now is the time: http://www.hackerteen.com .
Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured "Someday soon"
We kissed and clung together
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Now, when twilight dims the sky above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Now, when twilight dims the sky above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing that I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil
That old Brazil
Man, it's old in Brazil
Brazil, Brazil
And it was brilliantly used by Terry Gillian in his bleak 1985 satire, Brazil. The country remains a focus of hope and expectation, a sunny future, shadowed by its dark realities. But the current federal administration, Lula's, is changing things, and though the disparities of wealth and privilege remain stark and brutal (Brazil is, like the US, one of the more dramatically disparate countries in terms of wealth and privilege), things are very much improving. The government takes seriously the condition of its people and the importance of social responsibility.
I discovered this anew in my most recent trip to Brasilia, for meetings with the education ministry, and Porto Alegre, for fisl 9.0. Briefly, the meetings were immensely productive, and fisl was extraordinary. It is one thing to hear the strong rhetoric for Floss and another to see it in action (read about the KDE installations). The ministry, along with other federal and provincial governments, is dedicated to Floss and wants to move fast on it. OpenOffice.org is crucial there, as it is the best productivity suite on the planet, and that it is also free software--well that simply seals the deal. But the OpenOffice.org we are talking about is BrOffice.org, the Brazilian Portuguese version that is distributed by the BrOffice team. They had to rename it for trademark reasons, but it's the same thing that nearly a hundred million others use daily. And these facts raise some compelling points:
• Many Brazilians, including those in the Floss movement, as well as those in major corporations and government offices, are unaware of the identity of the two
• Support and training are sporadically available. Now, if someone or some public or private enterprise wants support for OOo, they can find it in several languages by going to our Support page; Sun (my employer) also provides for-fee professional support for OOo, along the same lines as for StarOffice.
• But the default understanding of the public and private enterprises in Brazil does not include support, training, services, and these are sorely wanted. Thus, we have the states of Paraná, the huge, quasi-federal office Serpro, the social security agency and many, many more which I learned about in the three-hour session dedicated to OOo and in personal discussions. (Indeed, I had so many of these that I regretfully could attend very few sessions.)
The ultimate point: we need to develop the support business in Brazil. Of course, Brazil is not alone; we need to do this elsewhere, too. But the need is urgent there and the market is open, and as I mentioned in my presentation late Saturday, Brazil really is the leader here and has the ability to join with India and South Africa and possibly China in proving the role and value of Floss in creating not only markets independent of colonial shadow but socially responsible.
But what about support? By support, I mean first and second level support, the sort that reassures regular endusers; and I also mean training. NO polity, no enterprise embraces Floss without minimizing liability. That means they want support and services and training contracts. It means building the ecosystem for OOo and doing so now.
BTW, if you have not looked at this, now is the time: http://www.hackerteen.com .
2008-04-16
fisl9.0
It's hard not to be enthusiastic about fisl, or to expand the acronym, the 9th Fórum International Software Livre, held each year in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In part, my enthusiasm stems from the energy and commitment to free software shown by the government; and in part, from the warmth and friendship demonstrated by the Brazilians.
OOo will, as always, have a booth at fisl, and we will--a first--be holding workshops, demonstrating how to build extensions, and answering question about code, format, project, community. If the past is any measure of the future, I'm fairly sure the event will be memorable and fun.
But there are challenges. The BrOffice community is big and growing but integration between it and the international community needs to be stronger. I would love to know, for instance, some basic data, such as how many people download the application, or some basic information about who is using it. Of course, I am aware of the big players, such as major government offices. And am also acutely aware of the difficulty of obtaining solid information about the users of free software. But, the more and the better information that we possess, the more effective we can be in shaping the product, addressing needs, and so on. And the more the BrOffice community works with the international one, the easier it ultimately is to grow the developer community.
Brazil is by no means alone here: all the major regions suffer the same problems, to greater or lesser degrees, and they come down to a lack of sophisticated developers. Nor is OpenOffice.org at all unique; all major Foss projects are in the same boat. We are also taking similar actions to redress these lacks, but results do not come the next day or even the next month. Education, mentoring, outreach, community coordination, all take time to bear fruit, all are forms of capital investment, and all are worth it--from the perspective of the government, and from that of the project.
And in this regard, as I've witnessed in the last few days, Brazil is a real leader. Its government has powerfully realized the necessity not just of using Foss but of producing it. And it is to OOo's credit and honour that we are so deeply involved in the move to productive freedom.
OOo will, as always, have a booth at fisl, and we will--a first--be holding workshops, demonstrating how to build extensions, and answering question about code, format, project, community. If the past is any measure of the future, I'm fairly sure the event will be memorable and fun.
But there are challenges. The BrOffice community is big and growing but integration between it and the international community needs to be stronger. I would love to know, for instance, some basic data, such as how many people download the application, or some basic information about who is using it. Of course, I am aware of the big players, such as major government offices. And am also acutely aware of the difficulty of obtaining solid information about the users of free software. But, the more and the better information that we possess, the more effective we can be in shaping the product, addressing needs, and so on. And the more the BrOffice community works with the international one, the easier it ultimately is to grow the developer community.
Brazil is by no means alone here: all the major regions suffer the same problems, to greater or lesser degrees, and they come down to a lack of sophisticated developers. Nor is OpenOffice.org at all unique; all major Foss projects are in the same boat. We are also taking similar actions to redress these lacks, but results do not come the next day or even the next month. Education, mentoring, outreach, community coordination, all take time to bear fruit, all are forms of capital investment, and all are worth it--from the perspective of the government, and from that of the project.
And in this regard, as I've witnessed in the last few days, Brazil is a real leader. Its government has powerfully realized the necessity not just of using Foss but of producing it. And it is to OOo's credit and honour that we are so deeply involved in the move to productive freedom.
2008-04-09
LGM 2008
The Libre Graphics Meeting is to be held this year in Wroclaw, Poland, from 8-11 May. I cannot make it, but I did attend last year's and it was a great event. OOo doesn't really focus on graphics, but it can: there is no reason to limit the application to the supposedly dull office bucket. Graphical applications, moreover, can include works such as Scribus, as well Inkscape, Gimp, Krita, Blender, and with our own Draw gaining prominence and importance, it makes sense to form tighter liaisons with these and other free graphical projects. After all, we all want to give all users, everywhere, the power and freedom (and aren't they linked?) to create.
Help support LGM 2008. Make a donation.
Help support LGM 2008. Make a donation.
2008-02-25
fosdem 2008
I don't know how many attended fosdem 2008 but it had to be in the thousands. All the sessions were packed, every room filled, and the hallways, where the stands were, were jammed during the breaks. It was, without question, one of the best conferences I've been lucky to attend, and I'm glad that OpenOffice.org had such a strong presence there this year. Next year, am sure, we'll have an even stronger presence. Certainly, we'll have the audience for it, if this year was any measure.
The only sad thing: I never had time to actually attend any of the talks and sessions I wanted to go to. Instead, I met many I had wanted to meet up with and otherwise helped out Sophie G. and Leon M. at the stand. My thanks to them: They set up and manned the booth all day Saturday and, in Sophia's case, Sunday. We gave out hundreds of brochures Frank P. and Stella had created (and Jürgen had printed up) and probably over a hundred t-shirts. And we could have given away many times more that number, I am sure, as our DevRoom was in the AW building, and not the obvious main building, where the food was and Mozilla was.
Mozilla was celebrating its 10th, and I learned that Sophie had been working on it since its start. I hadn't known this. Here, I've been working with Sophie for something like 7 years (!) and turns out that she had already a long history with Mozilla--and no doubt other projects.
But the most interesting story at fosdem (that I heard) is probably Leon's, and it has little to do with Foss. Leon looks like a sailor, or so I believe--he has a the look and robust dishevelledness I associate with long-time seamen, and it turns out that he was, for many years, a navigator on a freighter. These were no small jaunts--his longest trip was 53 days, around the Cape of Good Hope. That's a very long time indeed to spend on a ship, not to touch land, not to eat fresh food, not to stop. There were more stories, and Leon told us some, but I wish he'd told us more. We were at Restobière, having a wonderful classic Belgian dinner and had tried what really was, as he had promised, the world's best beer (dark and rich and yet not sweet but complex, like a very fine wine), plus some remarkable lambic beers whose astringent yeastiness was amazingly good, and were discussing code, procedures, and the usual.
But how did Leon enter gain entry into OOo? No clear answer--it differs for all volunteers, anyway--but I think it had to do with his character--independent and fearless, confident in his ability to solve any problem, but by no means hostile to community. I asked him if he had, after 53 days, hated his shipmates. No, he said, not at all; the opposite. And that's a revelatory statement. For OOo and Foss, in general, require toleration and the ability to get along with those who may irk you because you believe that it's necessary, that otherwise, if you fight, if you let quarrels destroy the effort, the ship will founder, the project will succumb, and there are always sharks.
I'll try to post the fosdem talks we gave as soon as I can. They were good!
The only sad thing: I never had time to actually attend any of the talks and sessions I wanted to go to. Instead, I met many I had wanted to meet up with and otherwise helped out Sophie G. and Leon M. at the stand. My thanks to them: They set up and manned the booth all day Saturday and, in Sophia's case, Sunday. We gave out hundreds of brochures Frank P. and Stella had created (and Jürgen had printed up) and probably over a hundred t-shirts. And we could have given away many times more that number, I am sure, as our DevRoom was in the AW building, and not the obvious main building, where the food was and Mozilla was.
Mozilla was celebrating its 10th, and I learned that Sophie had been working on it since its start. I hadn't known this. Here, I've been working with Sophie for something like 7 years (!) and turns out that she had already a long history with Mozilla--and no doubt other projects.
But the most interesting story at fosdem (that I heard) is probably Leon's, and it has little to do with Foss. Leon looks like a sailor, or so I believe--he has a the look and robust dishevelledness I associate with long-time seamen, and it turns out that he was, for many years, a navigator on a freighter. These were no small jaunts--his longest trip was 53 days, around the Cape of Good Hope. That's a very long time indeed to spend on a ship, not to touch land, not to eat fresh food, not to stop. There were more stories, and Leon told us some, but I wish he'd told us more. We were at Restobière, having a wonderful classic Belgian dinner and had tried what really was, as he had promised, the world's best beer (dark and rich and yet not sweet but complex, like a very fine wine), plus some remarkable lambic beers whose astringent yeastiness was amazingly good, and were discussing code, procedures, and the usual.
But how did Leon enter gain entry into OOo? No clear answer--it differs for all volunteers, anyway--but I think it had to do with his character--independent and fearless, confident in his ability to solve any problem, but by no means hostile to community. I asked him if he had, after 53 days, hated his shipmates. No, he said, not at all; the opposite. And that's a revelatory statement. For OOo and Foss, in general, require toleration and the ability to get along with those who may irk you because you believe that it's necessary, that otherwise, if you fight, if you let quarrels destroy the effort, the ship will founder, the project will succumb, and there are always sharks.
I'll try to post the fosdem talks we gave as soon as I can. They were good!
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