Is OpenOffice,org making progress now it is following the Apache Way? Apache tries to counter critics who have been pointing to its failure.

A recent post on the Apache Software Foundation blog issued by the ASF Press team and Apache OpenOffice.org incubating mentors seems to be an official statement to bolster the status of Apache OpenOffice.org.

Declaring

OpenOffice.org is now officially part of the Apache family.

the statement explains that the project is being developed as a "podling" in the Apache Incubator "under the ASF's meritocratic process informally dubbed "The Apache Way".

It goes on to refer to "speculation and conjecture" and "destructive statements" that have pointed to the failure of the project in the period since June 1st when it was accepted into the Apache Incubator.

The post attempts to clarify and defend The Apache Way which it points out works with reference to its latest graduate, Apache Subversion, but concedes:

We understand that stakeholders of a project with a 10+ year history --be they former product managers or casual users-- may be unfamiliar with The Apache Way and question its methods. Those following the project's migration to process and culture unique to the Apache community may challenge the future sustainability of the project.

Later in the post congratulations are extended to the LibreOffice community for its success in its inaugural year and continues:

We look forward to opening up the dialogue between Open Document Format-oriented communities to deepen understanding and cease the unwarranted spread of misinformation.

However the earlier sentence:

There is ample room for multiple solutions in the marketplace that are Powered by Apache.

may be a clue that Apache has no intention of in any way merging back OpenOffice.org into The Document Foundation's project which is what some of the most vociferous critics would like them to do.

The Apache Way may be a hard slog for OpenOffice.org, and it might fall by the wayside simply because of the amount of effort required to support such a large undertaking. 

More Information:

Apache Software Foundation Statement

Related news:

OpenOffice.org voted into Apache Incubator

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