News 2001

2003-08-19

The following articles represent a selection of those pertaining to OpenOffice.org, Open Source, or the general IT industry that may be of interest to the community. If you would like to share an article with the community, please send the link to Louis Suárez-Potts, editor, at marketing@openoffice.apache.org.

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2001
Informationweek.com	Panelists See Benefits To Open-Source Practices 2001 December 20
	Eric Chabrow reports on the Carnegie Mellon University panel on the business of Open Source and on the intricacies of moving from a proprietary scheme to one predicated on Open Source techniques.
Cnet News.Com	Sun saturated with StarOffice advice 2001 December 13
	As Stephen Shankland writes, "Sun Microsystems will cut off downloads of the StarOffice 6 beta software on Dec. 31 as the company prepares for a final release in the first half of 2002, the company said Wednesday."
Yahoo! News (Reuters)	U. S. Reaches Deal to Free Russian Programmer 2001 December 13
	The U.S. has agreed to free Sklyarov in exchange for his testimony against his company.
eWeek	Sun considers charging for StarOffice 2001 December 12
	In an important article on the state of StarOffice development, Peter Galli examines the issues behind Sun's possible decision to charge a fee for the increasingly popular office productivity suite.
The Register	Open source IE, license MSOffice, says rebel States' pitch 2001 December 10
	A trenchant analysis of the States' opposition to the "settlement" by staff writer John Lettice.
Cnet News.Com	States get tough in Microsoft case 2001 December 07
	Joe Wilcox reports on the reluctance nine states and the District of Columbia have to swallowing the Bush administration's capitulation to Microsoft's desires.
ZDNet Australia	StarOffice 6.0 may outshine Office XP 2001 December 05
	As Jason Brooks writes, "Sun's free StarOffice 6.0 offers features that could draw firms away from Microsoft applications, especially in the face of Microsoft's potentially costly new licensing schemes."
MacCentral	Jobs questions Microsoft settlement proposal value 2001 December 07
	A soap opera with real consequence, and now Apple is chiming in on the egregious putative settlement between Microsoft and the Bush Justice department.
LinuxLookup	Star Office 6 (Beta) Review 2001 November 30
	Another useful and interesting review of StarOffice 6 Beta, in which the reviewer (JJ) states, "This Beta version has some great improvements. I find Beta 6 to be very stable (so far that is) and I am actually using it as my default Application suite."
SDTimes	OPEN SOURCE WATCH: Constant Change Is Here to Stay 2001 August 01
	Columnist J.D. Hildebrand examines the most interesting developments of the summer in Open Source.
Advogato	Chewing up and spitting out our leaders 2001 November 14
	Advogato examines the implications of the recent resignation of Christoph Pfisterer from the Open Source Fink project, which aims to "bring the full world of Unix Open Source software to Darwin and Mac OS X."
Consulting Times	The OpenOffice Rosetta Stone 2001 November 09
	Erwin Zijleman & Stephen E. Harris continue their favorable examination of OpenOffice.org.
ADTmag.com	Open source concerns die hard 2001 November 05
	Johanna Ambrosio writes about the state of the business of Open Source.
The New York Times.com	Some I.B.M. Software Tools to Be Put in Public Domain 2001 November 05
	Steve Lohr of the New York Times discusses IBM's open source initiative, "Eclipse."
Cnet	Rival browsers benefiting from MSN gaffe 2001 November 01
	Staff writers Rachel Konrad and Sandeep Junnarkar interviewed Tim Berners-Lee and report that "Microsoft's blockage of competing Web browsers from MSN.com has been good news for some plucky rivals: They are experiencing record traffic and downloads, and a leading Internet authority is heaping scorn on the software giant."
The Register	MS antitrust deal close - WinXP, bundling to emerge unscathed? 2001 November 01
	John Lettice writes on the deal being discussed by Microsoft and the US "Antitrust" division.
ZDNet Australia	Governments push open source 2001 August 30
	As Paul Festa writes, "More and more governments around the world are requiring their agencies to use free or open source software and use proprietary software only as a last resort. Microsoft is working overtime to quell the revolution."
LinuxOrbit	StarOffice 6.0 Beta - Out of the (Cyber) Box Experience 2001 October 30
	Sean Lamb praises StarOffice 6 Beta for not only being able to view Microsoft Office documents, but for leaving him "impressed with its capabilities and I'm sure I'll like it more as I use it more."
Consulting Times	StarOffice 6 Rises to the Desktop Challenge 2001 October 27
	Stephen E. Harris, publisher of Consulting Times, finds that "much to [his] surprise -- [StarOffice 6 beta] was a rather full feature office suite, based on open standards, with the best Microsoft Office compatibility to date." This article includes an excellent interview with Iyer Venkatesan, the StarOffice product manager.
NewsForge	OpenOffice.org: A little over a year and 7.5 million lines of code later 2001 October 24
	Grant Gross of NewsForge interviews Community Managers Zaheda Bhorat and Louis Suárez-Potts for an analysis of the state of OpenOffice.org, one year after the release of the code.
The Register	Doom for .NET? InterTrust opens up on the MS lawsuit 2001 October 22
	Mucraker Register reporter writes on the latest David fighting the Goliath of Software: InteTrust, who uses patent law to its (and possibly Open Source's) advantage.
ZDNet	StarOffice shaping up as true Office alternative 2001 October 11
	Michael P. Deignan reviews StarOffice beta 6.0 and proclaims it a near replacement for you-know-what.
Linux Today	Sander Vesik: One Year of OpenOffice.org 2001 October 16
	Sander Vesik, release engineer for OpenOffice.org, writes about the one-year anniversary of OpenOffice.org.
Cnet	StarOffice 6.0 Beta 2001 October 16
	In a glowing review, Gregg Keizer praises StarOffice 6.0 beta for being efficient and powerful.
LinuxPlanet	The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: Writer 638C 2001 October 16
	Brian Proffitt writes glowingly about OpenOffice.org 638c and describes how it is persuading others away from Microsoft XP.
Computerworld	The Case for Open File Formats 2001 October 12
	Scott McNealy argues for open-file formats in this special piece to Computerworld.
LinuxPlanet	The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: Writer 638C 2001 October 16
	Brian Proffitt writes glowingly about OpenOffice.org 638c and describes how it is persuading others away from Microsoft XP.
Computerworld	The Case for Open File Formats 2001 October 12
	Scott McNealy argues for open-file formats in this special piece to Computerworld.
eWeek	Users swarm to StarOffice 6 beta 2001 October 10
	As Peter Galli, writes, "The brouhaha surrounding Microsoft Corp.'s new volume licensing plans has apparently been good news for companies like Sun Microsystems Inc., which last week announced the beta release of its free StarOffice 6 office productivity suite."
LinuxWorld.com	A first look at StarOffice 6.0 beta 2001 October 09
	Joe Barr writes that "those interested in finding a migration plan away from the Microsoft monopolies would be well advised to start looking at StarOffice 6.0, since it runs not only on Windows but on Solaris and Linux as well."
ZDNet News (Yahoo!)	StarOffice offers IT real choice 2001 October 09
	Jason Brooks, of eWeek, writes on the new StarOffice 6 Beta and how it represents a real and usable alternative to Microsoft's Office.
The Register	Finnish city plans switch from Windows to Linux 2001 October 05
	John Lettice reports on the proposed move by the city of Turku to adopt not just Linux but also OpenOffice.org.
The Register	Sun unveils kinder, gentler StarOffice 2001 October 02
	Andrew Orlowski bites into the Beta of StarOffice 6.0, which is pretty much OpenOffice.org 638c.
The Register	Consumer groups to call for defanging of WinXP 2001 September 26
	John Lettice reports that "Four US consumer organisations are poised to damn Windows XP later today, and to offer their thoughts on the measures the courts should take to protect the public from the Beast."
MacCentral	Open source, Microsoft, and Apple 2001 September 6
	Dennis Sellers analyzes the different approaches to Open Source that Microsoft and Apple have taken.
Yahoo!News-Reuters	U.S. Abandons Microsoft Breakup Effort 2001 September 6
	Peter Kaplan writes that the Bush Justice Department is no longer pursuing a break-up of Microsoft and "would strive to find a remedy in the three-year old case 'as quickly as possible.'''
NetworkWorldFusion	Microsoft casts a watchful eye on LinuxWorld 2001 September 4
	John Fontana analyzes Microsoft's reactions to Linux.
CNET.com	Sun shows new version of StarOffice August 31, 2001
	Stephen Shankland reports from LinuxWorld that "Sun Microsystems is showing Linux fans the next version of StarOffice, the most viable competition to Microsoft's Office package, and will release the beta version in October."
IDG.net	LinuxWorld Expo: Post-show impressions August 31, 2001
	Joe Barr summarizes this years LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco.
InfoWorld	Test Center In Focus: Traveling the open-source road? August 30, 2001
	InfoWorld presents a special forum on Open Source, its state, economy, and promise.
CNET.com	Lawyer Lessig raps new copyright laws August 29, 2001
	From LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco, Stephen Shankland reports on noted law professor Lawrence Lessig's speech on copyright, patents, and why we should be concerned.
CNET.com	Microsoft learns from its enemy--Linux August 29, 2001
	Stephen Shankland, CNET staff writer, writes on how Microsoft, despite its harsh words attacking Linux, Open Source, and a lot else, is learning from Linux.
CNET.com	Making Linux usable tops Torvalds' list August 29, 2001
	A review of the important panel, "The State of Open Source," at this year's LinuxWorld Convention in San Francisco, by Stephen Shankland.
Linux Today	Eric S. Raymond: VA going proprietary? Naahhh... August 25, 2001
	Noted Open Source advocate and VA Linux board member accounts for VA Linux's recent strategic move.
ZDNetNews	Gnome Foundation Hires Timothy Ney August 23, 2001
	Charles Babcock, of Interactive Week, reports on Gnome's hiring of Free Software Foundation manager Timothy Ney.
ZDNetNews	Hail to IBM's ode to open source August 9, 2001
	AnchorDesk analyst Patrick Houston hails IBM's Open Source moves.
eWeek	IBM: Open standards hold key to dynamic e-business August 14, 2001
	Peter Galli of eWeek reports on IBM's commitment to Open Source. An interesting and important document, and an insightful departure from Microsoft's fear of Open Source.
Yahoo! ZDNet News	Sun, Linux offer help in MS-kids PC flap August 9, 2001
	Megan McAuliffe, ZDNet, Australia, reports on how Sun has (yet again) trumped Microsoft by offering to provide an Australian charity, PC for Kids, with free installations of StarOffice and RedHat 6.2 on its old PCs.
The Register	.Net may yet close the open source movement August 8, 2001
	A characteristically trenchant analysis of the battle between .Net and its Free Software and Open Source opponents.
JavaSun.com	May the Best Code Win: Reaction to OSCON's Microsoft-Red Hat Debate July 27, 2001
	Kammie Kayl interviews Sun's chief Open Source advocate, Danese Cooper, on the debate between Microsoft's Craig Mundie and Red Hat's CTO Michael Tiemann.
Computerworld	Open-source debate rages at O'Reilly conference July 26, 2001
	Ashlee Vance, IDG News Service, writes that "Despite recent changes by Microsoft Corp. to its licensing strategy for some software, the debate between commercial software developers and the open-source community continued to rage on Thursday, as top executives from Microsoft and Red Hat Inc. met at an industry conference." writer Andrew Orlowski reports on the turf wars being fought among pundit Nick Petreley, Open Source maven Miguel de Icaza, and everyone's favorite monopoly, Microsoft over .Net and its free-software/Open Source equivalents."
CNET News.com	Open-source brouhaha: Missing the point July 25, 2001
	A preview of the Microsoft-Open Source showdown by Brian Behlendorf, founder and president of Apache and founder and CTO of CollabNet.
The Register	BETRAYAL! .NET clones and GNOME in the firing line July 24, 2001
	Staff writer Andrew Orlowski reports on the turf wars being fought among pundit Nick Petreley, Open Source maven Miguel de Icaza, and everyone's favorite monopoly, Microsoft over .Net and its free-software/Open Source equivalents.
ZDNet News	Linux, Microsoft struggle looms over .Net July 20, 2001
	Lem Bingley reports that "A fledgling effort to replicate Microsoft's .Net architecture on Linux, called Mono, could quickly become mired in intellectual property difficulties."
IDG.net	Users order StarOffice, protest Microsoft licensing scheme July 16, 2001
	As Joris Evers writes, Dutch users are fed up with Microsoft's profiteering and have chosen instead a better alternative, one that is both free and supported by Open Source technology.
eWeek	Open-source OpenOffice[.org] for OS X faces uphill battle July 12, 2001
	Daniel Drew Turner, in a special to eWeek, writes on the work that must be done to fully develop the OS X port of OpenOffice.org.
CNET News.com	Open-source steps in to duplicate .Net! July 9, 2001
	According to Stephen Shankland, "Open-source fans announced on Monday the first steps in an effort to reproduce Microsoft's .Net's underpinnings so people can use the technology without Microsoft's involvement."
David A. Wheeler	Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS)? Look at the Numbers! July 9, 2001
	Noted IT writer David Wheeler presents the case for Open Source / Free Software in the most persuasive terms possible: he uses facts and numbers to prove his case.
Salon.com	Microsoft wins--or does it? June 28, 2001
	"Lawrence Lessig, Tim O'Reilly, Eric Raymond and other experts and observers analyze the appeals court's ruling in the antitrust case." Presented by the Salon Technology staff.
eWeek	StarOffice meet Star Wars June 25, 2001
	Peter Galli reports from the war front: "In a significant win for open source desktop productivity suites, Sun Microsystems Monday announced that the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) would implement up to 25,000 units of its StarOffice 5.2 software."
CNET News.com	Why Microsoft is Wary of Open Source June 18, 2001
	As Joe Wilcox and Stephen Shankland argue, the issue for Microsoft is not whether Linux and Free Software is un-American, but whether Linux's popularity will ultimately "hinder" Microsoft's quest to gain more control in the server market.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com)	Microsoft Uses Open-Source Code Despite Denying Use of Such Software June 18, 2001
	As Lee Gomes reports, Microsoft Corporation, despite its repeated and heated insistence, has continued to benefit from FreeBSD, which it has used for running elements of its HotMail system. [Registration required to read the article.]
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com)	The Campaign Against Linux Is Uphill Battle for Microsoft June 14, 2001
	Lee Gomes argues that Microsoft's effort's to "vilify Linux and other 'open source' software appears to be backfiring. [Registration required to read the article.]
The New York Times.com	New Economy: Open-Source Movement Advances May 30, 2001
	Laurie J. Flynn of the New York Times analyzes the state of Open Source. [Free registration required to read the article on the site.]
ZDNetNews	Making a Friendly Standard May 30, 2001
	Suzanne Deffree writes about how Sun Microsystems "looks to open-source systems management."
ITWorld.com	IBM, NEC, Hitachi and Fujitsu team on Linux
	Martyn Williams reports on the joining together of the four companies to strengthen Linux.
ZDNetNews	Stallman Strikes Back at Microsoft May 29, 2001
	For Richard Stallman, Mary Jo Foley writes, software is "about freedom, equality and liberty." For Microsoft, it "is about making money."
SD Times	Open Source Watch: Weekly Columns
	Noted columnist Bruce Hildebrand analyzes the state of Open Source every week.
MacCentral	OpenOffice[.org] code comes to Mac OS X April 10, 2001
	Dennis Sellers provides ground-breaking reportage on the Mac OS X port of the OpenOffice.org code.
CNET News.com	Open-source development drives innovation April 10, 2001
	One of the biggest developments in software during the past decade has been the growth of the open-source software movement.
Yahoo! News: ZDNet	The GNU GPL and the American Way February 28, 2001
	Richard Stallman, who founded the GNU Project, powerfully argues that Open Source is anything but "un-American," as Microsoft has asserted.
XML.com	Adventures with OpenOffice[.org] and XML February 5, 2001
	Matt Sergeant examines OpenOffice.org's XML capability and focuses on "using the XML to generate something of potential interest to web developers and content editors."
abcNEWS.com	Free Money: At LinuxWorld, Companies Plan to Profit From Free Software February 2, 2001
	Asking, "If you can get the Linux operating system for free, how are companies making money on it?" Sascha Segan inquires into the profitability of Open Source.
Linuxpower	Talking with John Heard of Sun about GNOME January 23, 2001
	A fascinating interview conducted by Christian Schaller with the manager of architecture and strategy at Sun.
@Stake	Parsing Overflow in Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 January 23, 2001
	Microsoft PowerPoint is shown to be vulnerable to malicious files which could take control not just of the application but also of the viewer's machine. As an alternative to PowerPoint, the analysts recommend StarOffice 5.2 and OpenOffice.org.
NewsForge	How close are we, really? [A] Review of StarOffice 5.2 January 19, 2001
	In this insightful review article, Tim Hanson appraises the state of office productivity software for Linux.
eWeek	Sun Makes Headway Toward StarOffice 6 January 9, 2001
	Sun Microsystems Inc. on Tuesday will release the latest draft specification of the XML file format that will be included in the next version of its StarOffice software suite due out later this year.