Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> "it is easier to explain to people" Which is why "Office for Free" (OfficeFree, oFree, O4F) would be a better non-Linux name. Average user doesn't care if something is "open" they care if it's free.
Doubt it. I would imagine that many lay users associate "free" with low quality. "Open" on the other hand has positive connotations.
Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
81–90 of 327 posts
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you think so? It's not clear that they could have known this would not be sustainable at the time, and I don't see how the hot potato staying with Oracle would have been a better option.
It was immediately obvious at the time, I remember it as such. The devs jumped ship to LibreOffice. All Oracle was left with was a brand and a moribund codebase, and for some reason Apache accepted it. Why didn't Oracle give it to LibreOffice? Because they were sore at being bypassed, it looked like. The correct thing for Apache to do would have been to say, nope mate, we don't want to be part of your childish feud,…
Even if AOO had never done a single release, LO still benefited enormously from OO going to Apache, since once at Apache, there was known and public IP provenance, AND the code was relicensed to ALv2. This allowed LO to inherit that provenance, relicense their stuff on AOO as needed, and close what had been a possible nasty IP hole.
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#83https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d3bb86f8abc1ae88f3aa3a...
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think OpenOffice is a better name than LibreOffice. It rolls of the tongue more smoothly, and it is easier to explain to people. On the other hand LibreOffice has the lion's share of the developers (and probably of the users by now). So a "takeover" of OpenOffice by the LibreOffice project would probably be the best solution at this point (at least as far as I can tell).
>> "it is easier to explain to people" Which is why "Office for Free" (OfficeFree, oFree, O4F) would be a better non-Linux name. Average user doesn't care if something is "open" they care if it's free.
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even in an American business context, "Libre" sounds stupid. Having it in the name hurts their popularity more than they know.
What connotation does "Libre" have in American English? (I'm French, to my ears it sounds perfectly reasonnable, if a bit "legalese")
Oh wait, I just had a thought: Luche Libre Office. That's is an awesome idea.
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> "it is easier to explain to people" Which is why "Office for Free" (OfficeFree, oFree, O4F) would be a better non-Linux name. Average user doesn't care if something is "open" they care if it's free.
I think its a bad idea to even use the word "Office" because it sounds like a lame rip-off you'd download from CNet. In fact, Im suprised MS doesnt have a legal issue with it. Thats always bugged me about a lot of OSS projects and vegan dishes, they pick a name based on their competitor instead of something original that doesn't constantly remind the user they're not quite getting the "real thing".
Also, it's a terrible name that doesn't say anything, except that it's sold for use in an office.
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
Everybody is using LibreOffice, except a poor few that get misguided by search services to the Apache OpenOffice website. IMHO there is no sane reason why Apache OpenOffice still exists. Edit: Looks like there are a lot more OpenOffice users out there than I thought, sorry. I really thought the world would have moved on, at least since 2013/14, see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/St...
This is not actually true; I am aware of lots of non-technical users who know nothing about Sun, Oracle, or Apache and who haven't heard of LibreOffice but who continue to quietly use the free office package they were recommended at some time in the previous 15 years. (For example: I'm a member of an online community of working novelists and just last week someone was advocating OpenOffice to another irritated Micros…
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#88I thought everyone interested in a FOSS office suite was using libreoffice.
> libreoffice I hate that name. As a German I have no idea how to pronounce it and it's even harder for my non-techy friends. The name "Open office" has a very nice flow and everybody knows how to pronounce it, but "libre office"? They should have selected an easier name for that project.
Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#89 If we look at LibreOffice and compare:
LibreOffice, that is *good* (not more) software and
*excellent* public relations.
OpenOffice, that is *excellent* software and *pretty bad*
public relations.
Proof: http://www.mail-archive.com/dev@openoffice.apache.org/msg282... Secondly, as alluded to above, we should prepare ourselves
for the FUD, the "AOO is dead" victory chants, the numerous
anti-AOO and anti-Apache spewings, etc... There are some
who will use this as a self-serving soapboxing opportunity,
and warp the facts into some Bizarro alternate universe
history. We should be there to set the facts straight but
also resign ourselves to the fact that their voices will
likely be louder than ours.
[...]
But the main reason why, imo, was because we were also
end-user. End users needed to make a *choice* between
AOO and SomethingElse.
Don't say the word. By no longer being an end-user application, that goes away.
End users play no role any more? Good luck with that.Re: Contemplating the possible retirement of Apache OpenOffice
#90Could they drop openoffice, then rename libreoffice to openoffice? That would be fantastic
This. Name natters. IME 90% of people I know who want to quickly look through a PowerPoint on Linux will install OpenOffice. Even when they hear that libre is the better version 80% of them would stay with oo as it is the "real" oo.
If that's all you need to do, OpenOffice will likely work just fine for you.