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Apache OpenOffice: We're OK With Not Being Super Cool (theregister.co.uk)
The Register's Thomas Claburn, interviews Jim Jagielski, Apache Software Foundation President and Apache OpenOffice project mentor. From the story: Despite being the subject of a deathwatch -- perhaps mainly by fans of rival LibreOffice -- AOO appears to be rather popular, with the 4.1.4 update racking up at least 1.6 million downloads. [...] While AOO and the ASF formulate a formal statement of direction for the project, Jagielski said more or less that all's well. "AOO is not, and isn't designed to be, the 'super coolest open source office suite with all the latest bells and whistles,'" Jagielski continued. "Our research shows that a 'basic,' functional office suite, which is streamlined with a 'simple' and uncluttered, uncomplicated UI, serves an incredible under-represented community. "Other office suites are focusing on the 'power user' which is a valuable market, for sure, but the real power and range for an open-source office suite alternative is the vast majority which is the 'rest of us. Sometimes we all forget how empowering open source is to the entire world."
The big draw to Google Docs for me is the availability no matter where I am. I wrote my first novel (and am writing my second) in Google Docs. No matter where I am, I can bring the document up on my phone and bang out a few hundred words. When the novel's done, I'll export it into LibreOffice for more intensive editing and publishing preparations, but the on the fly editing capabilities are invaluable.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
"We're OK With Not Being Super Cool", "We are OK in our niche", "We are OK by only having the smart customers"... this is how fading away starts. OpenOffice is going down the road and they can not feel it while they are on their "1.6 million downloads" comfort zone. This is exactly is happening the Thunderbird, while they are happy with their monthly download rate they don't want to see what others are doing. This is how the begining of the end of the road feels.
The actuaries aren't so good at code, other than mostly recorded macros. They are good at creating horrifying Excel formulas, think something longer than 1K characters.
And this is mostly for data production/preparation for loads and such. There are good (meaning expensive) modeling products for both Life and Property lines, which they use (job on the line type of stuff).
Anyway, I was a life actuary for a bit back in the day. Excel is a favorite tool, and it is abused like nothing else.
Excel 2010 was the pinnacle of Excel, before the ribbon and all of the keyboard shortcuts disappearing. Nothing of value has been added since then except for advanced pivot stuff.
BlameBillCosby.com
Seems like a huge waste of development effort to maintain both projects. TBH, the only thing that The Document Foundation needs from AOO is the name. OpenOffice is a much better name than LibreOffice. It's also more well known.