Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

OpenDocument Foundation Closes

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the to-bed-without-your-supper dept.

Munchkinguy writes "First, they dropped support for their namesake OpenDocument Format and declared a switch to the W3C's 'Compound Document Format.' Then, W3C's Chris Lilley clarified that CDF 'was not created to be, and isn't suitable for use as, an office format.' Now, the Foundation has mysteriously closed up shop, leaving the following message: 'The OpenDocument Foundation, Inc. is closed. We sincerely wish our friends and associates in the OpenDocument Community all the best and much success going forward. Good-bye and good luck.'"

16 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft shut them down by JamesRose · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh come on, you were all thinking it.

    1. Re:Microsoft shut them down by semiotec · · Score: 4, Interesting

      nope, I was thinking that they realised their gaffe has really backfired and there was nowhere else left for them to go. So they simply packed up and went home.

      On the assumption that these people are not entirely stupid:

      1. If they were really working to break MS Office dominance, they would have realised by now that what they have said was completely stupid, and may have brought harm to the "cause", as the damages were amplified by clueless "journalists" and "analysts" (e.g. http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=875)

      2. If they were MS stooges, the credibility required to carried out their work successfully was pretty much destroyed.

      Nothing more to do in either case, to continue hanging onto the empty name of OpenDocument Foundation would be farcical on the same scale as Enderle or DiDio.

    2. Re:Microsoft shut them down by NeoTron · · Score: 4, Informative

      No it wasn't, but, it did dilute the acronym for the format and their actions did manage to fuel the FUD-fire. http://hackfud.net/2007/11/06/now-its-open-document-formats-turn-for-the-fudmeisters/ Has a good summary of that plus links to further informative pages and information related to those chaps.

  2. They released a formal statement.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But it was in .docx format, so no one is able to open it.

  3. Look on the bright side by antifoidulus · · Score: 4, Funny

    this story is just BEGGING to be tagged "thanksforallthefish"

    --
    Monstar L
  4. Another FUD bites the dust ... by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    [chorus]

    dum, dum, dum, another FUD bites the dust.
    dum, dum, dum, another FUD bites the dust.
    And another one gone, and another one gone,
    another FUD bites the dust
    Hey, I'm gonna see it on youtube
    another FUD bites the dust

    How do you think OpenDoc Foundations gonna get along
    When the M$ bux are gone?
    You got all the FUD that they could give,
    And kicked them out when you were done.

    Are you happy? Are you satisfied?
    How long can M$ stand the heat?
    Out of Redmond, the chairs do fly,
    To the sound of the FUD beat [chorus]

    dum, dum, dum, another FUD bites the dust.
    dum, dum, dum, another FUD bites the dust.
    And another one gone, and another one gone,
    another FUD bites the dust
    Hey, I'm gonna see it on youtube
    another FUD bites the dust

  5. Foundation has no official status by ral315 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As was said in the last story, the OpenDocument Foundation has no official status -- it was merely a group founded by a few guys who have changed their minds about OpenDocument (whether they were paid to do so or not, no one knows). The closure of the Foundation has no impact, other than the ability for OOXML supporters to spread FUD headlines like this.

    1. Re:Foundation has no official status by fireboy1919 · · Score: 4, Informative

      To elaborate, the format was actually put forth by OASIS (which, the entire British parliament should agree is the best band ever), but that's just a little piece of what they do.

      The open document fellowship are the community supporters (i.e., the ODF volunteer organization), while the ODF Alliance are the industry supporters. What did the Open Document Foundation do? Muddy the waters.

      They're the Ross Perot of open document foundations - making people think that if they listen to them, that they'll get the real skinny because of their seeming-official status. Good to see 'em go.

      --
      Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
    2. Re:Foundation has no official status by Ajehals · · Score: 4, Funny

      To save you having to watch it again, (although feel free) here is an updated version, I assume its close to what you were thinking

      Brian:Are you the Open Document Foundation?
      Reg: Fuck off!
      Brian: What?
      Reg: Open Document Foundation. We're the Open Document Alliance*! Open Document Foundation. Cawk.
      Francis: Wankers.
      Brian: Can I... join your group?
      Reg: No. Piss off.
      Brian: I didn't want to code this stuff. It's only a job. I hate closed source formats as much as anybody.
      ODA: Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. Shh. Shhhh.
      Reg: Schtum.
      Judith: Are you sure?
      Brian: Oh, dead sure. I hate closed source formats already.
      Reg: Listen. If you really wanted to join the Open Document Alliance*, you'd have to really hate closed source formats.
      Brian: I do!
      Reg: Oh, yeah? How much?
      Brian: A lot!
      Reg: Right. You're in. Listen. The only thing we hate more than closed source formats are the fucking Open Document Foundation.
      ODA: Yeah...
      Judith: Splitters.
      ODA: Splitters...
      Francis: And the Popular Alliance for Open Documents.
      ODA: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
      Loretta: And the Open Document Alliance.
      ODA: Yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
      Reg: What?
      Loretta: The Open Document Alliance*. Splitters.
      Reg: We're the Open Document Alliance*!
      Loretta: Oh. I thought we were the Open Document Group.
      Reg: Open Document Alliance*!
      Francis: Whatever happened to the Open Document Group, Reg?
      Reg: He's over there.
      ODA: Splitter!

      * I Know its ODF Alliance but that doesn't work as well and this is, after all humour/satire.(Based on Movie "the Life of Brian")

  6. Please read previous articles. by Eco-Mono · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For what it's worth to you, it's been known for some time that the Open Document Foundation doesn't represent any actual source of authority vis-a-vis ODF - nobody's really sure what the organization was for to begin with. More info in this (oft-linked) blog entry.

    --
    (rot13) rpbzbab@tznvy.pbz
  7. Resurrect it then by presidenteloco · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Someone else (who isn't busy like me ;-) ) should form another organization by the same name then
    I suppose.

    Anyone?

    The worst that could happen is that M$ will pay you a bundle to close it down again.

    At best you could shepherd a format that we sorely need promoted.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  8. Who cares? by NetCow · · Score: 5, Informative

    The "Open Document Foundation" is and was never a crucial part of anything. The Open Document Format was developed by OASIS - see http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.1/OS/OpenDocument-v1.1-html/OpenDocument-v1.1.html/.

  9. rather tag it "!thisodf" by Janek+Kozicki · · Score: 5, Informative

    because it is NOT this ODF (the ISO standard (almost?), by OASIS) everyone knows about. Just some stupid group of people with same name.

    --
    #
    #\ @ ? Colonize Mars
    #
  10. In other news.... by LingNoi · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...I just made a new organisation called the Open Document Format Gathering and we are now closing because ODF sucks / whatever.. now give me my Microsoft check...

  11. As fishy as a fishy fisherman's fishy bits by CarpetShark · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know why you'd be suspicious. Huge evil megacorp, known for bribery and corruption, is facing it's worst nightmare in the form of ODF. It's tried everything to get rid of it, and ODF is still slowly but surely progressing. Suddenly, one of the big organisations behind ODF declares that ODF is somehow a failure when it's on top, and then decides to blink out of existence altogether.

    Nope. Nothing fishy there. I'm sure the OpenDoc Foundation just accidentally ate a ring of teleportation or something.

    1. Re:As fishy as a fishy fisherman's fishy bits by The+Iso · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They were never a "big organisation behind ODF." They were two guys who picked an authoritative-sounding name at got invited to conferences.

      --
      "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." - Bob Dylan