Sun pimps out OpenOffice as Microsoft 'clarifies' Office for web

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Anonymous Coward

Tool to remove? #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 14:07 GMT

I feel motivated to help write code to remove any branding, even if just for my own copy. And I don't even know how to modify source yet :) It's something I've yet to learn, but I need a strong motivation to get started on some project or other.

I like the OpenOffice.org suite because it feels feel (unrestricted).

The thought of unwanted* branding on my otherwise free environment makes me feel somehow unclean.

I suppose it depends on who gets the concession.

* I'm happy to see Sun Microsystems logo, Red Hat, IBM, and other companies whom I respect.

Brent Gardner

Stop!!!! #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 14:07 GMT

I am not buying a word processor one more fucking time! Wasn't OpenOffice supposed to be open source?

Either way the game is over. As long as Word can read and write odf files, then there will be a dozen word processors soon enough.

Chris C

More bloatware #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 14:07 GMT

How about they de-bloat OpenOffice? 338MB seems overly excessive to me. Not to mention it's slow as hell. The first time I open it after logging in is just pathetic, and that's with the QuickStarter already running. Today it took 25 seconds to open a 10-row, 7-column, 6KB spreadsheet (all text, no formulas). Nothing else was running, nothing else was accessing the disk. And this is on a Core 2 T7200 2.0GHz with 2GB of memory on WinXP Pro, so it's not because the system is underpowered. OpenOffice keeps getting slower and slower with each release. By comparison, Editpad Classic opened a 27MB text document in less than 10 seconds.

And why does OpenOffice steadfastly refuse to remove the old directory when you upgrade to a new version (even when the old directory is completely empty after it removes the old files)?

Yeah, I know, it's free. That's why I don't complain too much. But I would be more than happy to pay for a faster, less-resource-intensive alternative.

Brad Darwin

Ads? #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 14:07 GMT

Of course, since OpenOffice is OPENsource, there's no reason for anyone not to simply put out there own version without the ads...

Isn't there?

Pascal Monett

Ads in open software ? #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 14:11 GMT

Has he gone stark bonking mad ?

Is he actually trying to convince people that imposing the same market conditions on Open software as there is already on Closed software is Good Thing ?

At the very least, what he says indicates that Sun will stop at nothing to alienate itself from its user base. At the worst, he needs to see a shrink, or remove himself from the gene pool.

Ads in Open software. Why not include some DRM while he's at it ?

Jon Kale

re: all the "but it's Open Source, I'll fix it" comments #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 15:59 GMT

Ever looked at the OOo source tree? I'm assuming not: suffice it to say that it's an excellent counter-example to the oft-stated belief that open source is clean, well-factored and easily comprehended source.

AC@02:11, while I wholeheartedly support your "learn to write code" drive, I'd suggest taking on a slightly more digestible problem first up - porting the Linux kernel to a wristwatch or somesuch ;-)

Anonymous Coward

Microsoft get to him? #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 15:59 GMT

It sure looks like Sun wants to kill OpenOffice from the inside-out - because if they throw adware into it, that'll turn off a very large portion of the population.

I'm sure the "unsoiled" source will be taken by someone else, but will it have the same development force behind it?

Schwartz is an idiot - and I LIKE Sun stuff.

Robert Moore

Perhaps I am alone here #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 19:09 GMT

but I really like Open Office.

It doesn't make me yell "Stop $&(%ing helping me!" Like certain products from Redmond.

Don Mitchell

It's not about altruism #

Posted Friday 14th November 2008 19:09 GMT

"Wasn't OpenOffice supposed to be open source?"

No, OpenOffice was just about SUN trying to inflict damage on Microsoft. Like IBM, they embraced open source because a) they aren't in the software business and b) the low-price Windows PC was eating their lunch.

For companies like SUN, IBM, Oracle, Google, the wet dream is that somehow Linux will put Apple and Microsoft out of business. Then brush Linux and its naive supporters out of the way and herd everyone onto thin clients plugged into their massive datacenters. But somehow this never comes to pass, they just keep waking up and discovering a sticky mess.

Rex Alfie Lee

Dear Donnie M #

Posted Saturday 15th November 2008 23:51 GMT

Whilst your appraisal of the major server Companies is basically fair Linux is not Sun, IBM, Oracle, Google or even Novell for that matter. If someone were to look at the Linux desktop running Compiz Fusion they may say why haven't we got something this good in M$. They don't & neither does Apple. Things may change now that Linux has arguably the best desktop running, hardware seems to be working more reliably on Linux & OpenOffice may become something of a leader in its own right. It also may not because I think Google's Office products are bound to our future more so than M$ was. This makes me so sad (he says laughing cruelly on the inside).

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