The Apache Software Foundation has released an open letter saying that the Apache OpenOffice project is planning to release OpenOffice 3.4 in the first quarter of 2012, albeit the plans are ‘tentative’. The new release, the first since the OpenOffice.org code base was donated to the Apache Software Foundation,  won’t have new features, but will be Apache IP policy compliant.

The main point of the open letter is to set out how the Apache Software Foundation sees OpenOffice developing in the future within the wider Open Document Foundation community.

As the letter points out, by taking on OpenOffice, Apache has become a significant part of the community and its global ecosystem. The letter says:

“In such a large ecosystem it is impossible to agree upon a single vision for all participants, Apache OpenOffice does not seek to define a single vision, nor does it seek to be the only player. Instead we seek to offer a neutral and powerful collaboration opportunity.”

It goes on to both warn off anyone who is thinking of using the OpenOffice trademarks or pretending to be from Apache when they’re not, saying that:

“Each participant in an Apache project is free to set their own boundaries of collaboration. However, they are not free to use our trademarks in confusing ways. This includes OpenOffice.org and all related marks. To ensure that the use of Apache marks will not lead to confusion about our projects, we must control their use in association with software and related services provided by others.”

The letter also warns people to be wary of anyone contacting them apparently from Apache, saying:

“As well as clarifying our position in relation to our trademarks we wish to make it clear that no third party has been given approval to solicit donations of any kind on behalf of the Apache Software Foundation or any of its projects, including OpenOffice.org.”

“In general, if a communication does not come to you from a verifiable apache.org address then it is not an official Apache Software Foundation or OpenOffice.org communication.”

The reason behind this clarification is because contributors have been approached with requests for money from groups pretending to be part of Apache Software Foundation. Some unauthorised builds of the code have also been sent out containing malware.

More Information:

Open Letter to the Open Document Format Ecosystem

Related news:

OpenOffice.org officially part of the Apache family

OpenOffice.org voted into Apache Incubator

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