[LINK] 'Cloud Computing doesn't fly'

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

With this talk of cloud (fog) computing, I'm guessing that resistance to
such arrangements well might be a factor behind this current development
regarding OpenOffice? One can imagine Sun should be keen on clouds/fogs?

Of course, it could also be the other way around ..


OpenOffice.org Volunteers Cut Ties with Oracle

By Jennifer LeClaire September 28, 2010 2:11PM 
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=13000EILPBV0
   

The volunteers behind the OpenOffice.org competitor to Microsoft Office 
have severed ties with Oracle and formed The Document Foundation.

LibreOffice. That's the possible new name of OpenOffice.org. The 
volunteers that develop and promote the free office software severed ties 
with Oracle on Tuesday and formed an independent group called The 
Document Foundation. 

OpenOffice.org successfully grew under the Sun Microsystems banner for a 
decade, but the volunteers believe a new ecosystem will generate more 
competition and choice for customers, as well as drive innovation in 
office-productivity software. The group also hopes to lower the barrier 
of adoption for users and developers. In essence, the group wasn't happy 
under Oracle. 

Oracle acquired the OpenOffice.org assets along with its acquisition of 
Sun. The Document Foundation has invited Oracle to become a member of the 
new foundation, and has asked the tech giant to donate the brand name. 

Until Oracle responds, the group is using the name LibreOffice. The break 
has been widely lauded by software companies large and small. 

LibreOffice Finds Wide Support 

Chris DiBona, open-source programs manager at Google, called The Document 
Foundation a great step forward in encouraging further development of 
open-source office suites. "Having a level playing field for all 
contributors is fundamental in creating a broad and active community 
around an open-source software project," DiBona said. 

Red Hat's Jan Wildeboer and Canonical's Mark Shuttleworthy, among many 
others, also offered support for the project. And Guy Lunardi, product 
management director at Novell, made a bold statement: "Viva la 
LibreOffice. Ultimately, we envision LibreOffice will do for the office-
productivity market what Mozilla Firefox has done for browsers." 

The Document Foundation vowed to build on the work of OpenOffice.org. The 
founders noted that the group was created in the belief that an 
independent foundation is the best fit to the community's core values of 
openness, transparency and valuing people for their contributions. 

Oracle's Tight Reins 

Oracle has released two stable versions of the open-source software since 
the Sun merger, but the OpenOffice.org community didn't jibe with 
Oracle's vision. Oracle couldn't immediately be reached for comment. But 
Al Hilwa, an analyst at IDC, isn't surprised that the community is 
breaking away from Oracle. 

"Is Oracle going to run things more tightly than Sun? No doubt. It's a 
tighter ship. They are going to make some decisions about what to support 
and what not to support, who to invest in and who not to," Hilwa said. "I 
wouldn't expect any less from them." 

The question is, could Oracle's decision to run a tighter ship ultimately 
become a problem with its open-source connections? There is already 
tension between Oracle and open-source communities. Hilwa said it could 
cause some issues for developers. 

"Oracle's DNA is to make decisions around cost and investments and tight 
control," Hilwa said. "It's not like Oracle to scatter investments and 
resources all over the place without any specific quid pro quo."

--

Cheers,
Stephen