NewsForge: Java Fallout: OpenOffice.org 2.0 and the FOSS Community

"Several new features of the recently released OpenOffice.org 2.0 beta require a Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Since Java's license is neither free nor open source, a small but vocal minority has responded both strongly and negatively. For instance, when NewsForge recently published a review of the beta, no other feature attracted as much comment. Some groups, including members of the major GNU/Linux distributions, most of whom repackage OpenOffice.org (OOo), have responded by looking for alternatives, often while cursing the project for the extra work it has dumped on them. How did OpenOffice.org come to rely on Java? What problems is it likely to cause? How are GNU/Linux distributions reacting to this change in a key piece of software...?"

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• PC World: First Look: OpenOffice.org 2.0 Looks Good(Mar 24, 2005)
• CoolTechZone: OpenOffice.org Beta 2.0: Trouble for Microsoft(Mar 10, 2005)
• LinuxPlanet: A First Look at OpenOffice.org 2.0(Mar 01, 2005)