Re: FSF to fork OOo over java
On (08/05/05 18:26), Bruce Byfield wrote:
> See:
>
> http://www.fsf.org/news/open-office-java.html
>
> I'm planning to follow up on this news in an article for Newsforge. Does
> anybody have any comments they would like to make?
>
> I'll be checking this list tomorrow, but if people could cc me, I'd
> appreciate it -- I have a lot of ground to cover on this story very quickly.
>
> Thanks,
Hi Bruce
I am a Debian user of OOo 1.1.3 and haven't needed to enable Java
(although it may be a case of what you don't know you don't miss). From
a purely personal perspective it would be attractive to have a totally
free OOo. However, that would ignore the bigger issue of the future of
OOo and its ability to compete effectively with MSOffice.
I have not done extensive research but from what little I've read, Sun
seem to be a less sinister organisation than they are often perceived
within the free software community; afterall, they gave us OOo in the
first place.
The best solution would be for Sun to GPL Java but that would require a
huge leap of faith on their part. Nevertheless, immeasurable benefits
would accrue to them and in the long term they would gain financially.
The universal goodwill generated would put them in a very strong
position; who knows whether the rumours regarding Sun being taken
private are related in some way? No doubt shareholders, who have a much
shorter time horizon, would react with alarm to such a move.
The forking of OOo will be to the detriment of the free software
community and would set back the cause of Linux on the desktop, possibly
indefinitely. The potential for confusion and misunderstanding amongst
users is great and no doubt Microsoft will lose no time in exploiting
the situation.
This issue has ramifications that extend beyond the seemingly (to your
average PC user) esoteric debate about Java. Sun could play an heroic
role in the dissemination of free software and Linux; the question is do
they see it? And furthermore will they embrace the opportunity?
/* from my perspective of relative ignorance but with belief in free
software */
Regards
Clive
--
www.clivemenzies.co.uk ...
...strategies for business
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