Novell "Forking" OpenOffice.org

l2718 writes to mention that In the wake of their recent deal with Microsoft, Novell has announced a new version of OpenOffice.org which will support Microsoft's planned Office formal, Open XML. From the article: "The translators will be made available as plug-ins to Novell's OpenOffice.org product. Novell will release the code to integrate the Open XML format into its product as open source and submit it for inclusion in the OpenOffice.org project. As a result, end users will be able to more easily share files between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org, as documents will better maintain consistent formats, formulas and style templates across the two office productivity suites."

Comments

Re:That's not a fork

[Kelson]

It is if the main OpenOffice.org project decides not to accept the contributed code.

But if you think it's FUD, blame Groklaw, not Slashdot. They're the ones who came up with the headline.

Re:It's hardly a "plugin".

[Stalyn]

Apparently OpenOffice is going to include import filters for the OpenXML format.

If anything Novell is jumping the gun and getting ahead of the competition by including it into their version of OpenOffice before it hits upstream. I wouldn't call such a thing a fork.

Not really a fork

[terrymr]

It's not really a fork. Openoffice.org already said they were in favor of this.

Re:It's hardly a "plugin".

[Score Whore]

The OpenOffice.org architecture does not support dynamically loaded plugins.

That's just completely wrong. OpenOffice absolutely loads it's filters via dlopen, etc. Here is a tutorial on how to build them: A link proving the AC is completely making crap up.

Re:Groklaw: Open Mouth, Insert Foot

[Wavicle]

Yes, sadly this is what Groklaw has become. I think some of PJ's article posts when she came out against the general linux kernel community and its objection to GPLv3 are also shining examples of groklaw bias. Her hypocritical cries "unfair" to a couple responses just killed the shine on groklaw to me.

I guess we at least learned one thing. She isn't a shill for IBM (Stallman on the other hand...)

Re:groklaw author is not fair at all

[roca]

Except that in a separate covenant they agreed not to sue anyone using the Office XML spec.

Re:That's not a fork

[Curtman]

if shipping a package with an unaccepted patch is considered "forking", then how the fuck is this news?

Novell forked OpenOffice.org years ago. Here is a press release from back in March that says:

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is the first fully supported enterprise desktop to deliver OpenOffice.org 2.0, the leading open source office suite. OpenOffice includes a powerful spreadsheet program, business presentations tool and word processor. The Novell® edition of OpenOffice.org will support many Visual Basic macros, closing one of the chief compatibility gaps between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org 2.0 can save and open documents created in Microsoft Office formats including Excel pivot tables, and it is the only office suite available today that fully supports the OpenDocument file format, the new public standard for document files. Because OpenDocument is a public standard maintained by the open source community, it eliminates vendor lock-in by ensuring information saved in spreadsheets, documents and presentations is freely accessible to any OpenDocument-supporting application.

Miguel has a blog entry about this too.

Re:The system works..

[icebike]

Just how does this qualify as a Fork?
Its Standard proceedure for an open source development project.
They are GIVING it back to the community under the same license
as they go it.