Live data from Hacker News

Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

rocket9labs.com

231–240 of 269 posts

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's just a fake 501(c)(3) which actually runs like a 501(c)(6). Not everyone is familiar with the nuances of your country's tax codes. Would you care to interpret that?

A 501(c)(3) is a non-profit organization that exists to serve the public good. A 501(c)(6) is a non-profit organization that exists to serve its membership. So like a bunch of businesses in a city get together to form an organization that works for their common good. The business organization doesn't make a profit, each individual business makes a profit and pays their taxes. A 501(c)(3) has a lot more restrictions t…

Thanks. I follow what you're saying now.

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#232
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> which they then never implemented Isn't .docx, .xlsx, etc. all OOXML?

Try interpreting them based on just the published standards, see how far that gets you.

So how far does that get me?

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#233
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All these commits are so strange. They are all useless "clean up" commits yet they are not done by a bot, there's someone manually making these changes every few days, almost every day actually. Don't know if he's really trying to make the project seem active, or trying to score a certain number of commits, or if he's just really passionate about cleaning up that codebase all by himself.

It doesn’t look malicious, it seems he is randomly looking and fixing the codebase and the ASF lets him because who cares.

Does the ASF let him? Do they even have the power or jurisdiction to be making these types of decisions for open office?

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on what features you need. Libre Office is a suite with database, word processor, spreadsheet, Abiword is just a word processor, WordGrinder is terminal based program specifically for first drafts that can export to ODT, HTML, etc., O20.Word is a clone of MS Word 2019, there are more: Calligrawords, Focuswriter, etc. Abiword is probably the best compromise between simplicity, familiarity, and features. It'…

>> WYSIWYG text processor >Emacs Org-mode How is org mode WYSIWYG?

I think it fits. But also so do programs like notepad.

You literally get what you see.

Type some text.

There ya go. Its some text.

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#235
post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try interpreting them based on just the published standards, see how far that gets you.

So how far does that get me?

To a point where your program won't understand/be able to edit a simple document created by Microsoft tools. In some cases, you'll see an embedded binary blob that's actually an ActiveX executable in an OLE container.

Here's some classic rants:

https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/03/02/On-OOXML

https://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E...

(especially in combination with: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E... )

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#236
post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

all arguably true, but it has no bearing on whether 3 was necessary in the first place. > With your argument about compatibility no programming language would ever be able to evolve "evolve" and "change" are not ends in themselves. If it was usable as it was, then there was no need to evolve or change in an incompatible way. 15 years ago: also irrelevant. World War One was unnecessary, and that was 109 years ago. Wha…

There have been some very good reasons why Python 3 made those changes. That you find them unnecessary because the original code was "usable as is" for you is irrelevant. The reasons why these changes have been done (for a developer they have been fairly minor) has been hashed and rehashed for the past 15 years, Guido van Rossum wrote on it extensively too. Most has been performance-related (Python 3 is significantly…

the age of an unnecessary change is irrelevant. Here's your sequence:

1. It's not true

2. It's true, but it's not important

3. It's true, and it's important, but we're tired of talking about it.

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#237
post #8

I've felt for a long time (maybe even a decade) that Apache is the place OSS goes to retire/die. It is heartbreaking in some ways, they became the stewards for a lot of interesting projects [1]. And the venerable web server was so important to the early web. I am still running Apache vhosts on a few personal websites. It is also a totally unfair characterization. I mean, they still house relevant projects including K…

Apache is kind of the CNCF of the 2000s, I think.

Or plane graveyard.

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#238
post #16

I think the history recap is somewhat incomplete. I believe that the death blow which lead to the fork LibreOffice was the lack of trust in Oracle commitment to Open Office and open source in general, after Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems. Sun indeed had largely reduced its involvement in the project in the last years, and there was the "Symphony incident" [1]. The death blow was when Oracle arrived, started the tri…

Since when has MySQL almost died? Oracle poured good commitment on it.

Re: Apache Open Office as an unmaintained project?

#239
post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the continued co-opting of the name of a first nation as their "brand" despite repeated calls from stake holders to do otherwise has caused plenty of harm to the ASF brand.

> despite repeated calls from stake holders Last time I checked it was a small organisation run by 2 or 3 people with no real standing to speak for anyone but themselves. And AFAIK that was also the only time a major objection was raised. And look, if you dislike the name then by all means voice your objections and let's have the discussion. I dislike the reactionary "STFU" response, which just shuts every discussion…

I don't recall tell anyone to STFU, I'm just doing what you said, voicing my objections. The brand is tarnished in my eyes by their use of the name of a first nation.

I think your comment is pretty good evidence that I haven't shut down any discussion, I just know where I stand on the matter.

Post reply on HN