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 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
