Welcome to MozOffice.org!
Right now this page is in its infancy, as is the idea behind it – but
already it's a powerful one: a Mozilla powered editor that breaks
down the barriers between word processors and Web site editors.
Imagine a cross-platform office-productivity application that
creates standards-compliant Web-ready code by default and can
save these same files to formats compatible with modern word
processors, including WordPerfect, Word, and even .txt files – all
with the power of Gecko and XUL. Then take that a step further
with spreadsheet and presentation capabilities, also compatible
with current solutions like Excel and Powerpoint. And then picture
it all based on open source code.
What makes this crazy idea possible? Well, when Sun announced
that StarOffice will become open source under the OpenOffice.org
project last week, they made the important decision to license the
StarOffice source code under a dual license that includes the
Limited General Public License (LGPL) that is compatible with the
Mozilla Public License (MPL) and Netscape Public License (NPL).
(The full GPL is not compatible with MPL and NPL, which is why
Mozilla can't integrate with Linux, for example). Note: The press
release at Sun.com mentions licensing under the GPL in general
rather than the LGPL, but the licensing page at OpenOffice.org
clarifies this glaring oversight, thankfully.)
Thanks to this cunning decision by Sun, Mozilla developers are
now free to include StarOffice code into Mozilla and Mozilla-based
applications Once the source code to StarOffice open via CVS on
October 13th. Microsoft certainly won't like it – indeed, Sun's move
is nothing short of a gun to Microsoft's head – but if browsers are
free then why shouldn't decent office software also be free?
For more info on the OpenOffice project, see www.openoffice.org.
Check back here for updates. I have registered the mozoffice.org
domain and am now looking for a host for it. As soon as I find one,
this site will be available at www.mozoffice.org.
MORE TO COME:
This site is a placeholder that I hope to turn into an organizational centerpiece
for what I think has the potential to be the most powerful side of Mozilla yet
(and Microsoft's worst nightmare). Fight the Microsoft.NET world-domination
strategy! Join with MozOffice.org!
COMMENTS? QUESTIONS?
E-mail me at kovu401@netscape.net.
MOZILLA.ORG -- OPENOFFICE.ORG -- MOZILLAZINE.ORG
Site created by James H. Russell (aka Kovu). Thanks to Dave Titus for the original Mozilla
graphic in the title above, courtesy of Netscape Communications.
Site last updated July 23, 2000
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