"Having missed the big time, StarOffice was sold to Sun
Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) (the noted desktop-applications
vendor). And today Sun is taking StarOffice into the domain of
public source code, arming a group of self-described "rugged
individualists" with the ability to create the cross-platform
office suite of tomorrow."
"Is it just me or does this seem a like putting 450 rugged
individualists on a ship and launching them to sea, while we stand
on the dock waving our Linux flags -- never expecting to see them
again? More casualties of war and adventure. I hope they at least
have fun."
"I will repeat what I said when Netscape launched its
public-source Mozilla.org effort for Communicator 6: This is a
desperation play. Commercial software doesn't become free software
until the vendor has determined the market won't support a real
development effort. Corporations are only as generous as they have
to be. Sometimes there is an "enlightened self-interest" angle,
like doing this will help sell hardware, jerk Microsoft around a
little, or something -- but the first calculation is, "Will this
make a buck?"
