RSSSun to Help Bring OpenOffice to Mac
By Nate Mook | Published May 3, 2007, 7:34 PM
OpenOffice has seen much success on Windows following the release of version 2.0, but its Macintosh brethren has remained stuck in the past without a native port. Engineers at Sun are hoping to change that, lending their support to building an Aqua version of the free Microsoft Office alternative.
While an X11 version of OpenOffice has been available for Mac users, that release required first launching the X Window system - something few consumers even had installed. The OpenOffice development team put the full Aqua port on hold in 2003 with a goal to have it ready during 2006.
At the time, the delay was attributed to API changes happening in the core OpenOffice code base prior to the release of version 2.0. But a major effort to startup the port once again has failed to materialize since.
"Aside from our compilation efforts, the majority of our work can't be completed until these APIs are in place or at least designed to a point where we can begin figuring out how to marry them to Mac OS X. There is no active coding at this time," said developers.
With the aid of Sun, however, the native Mac OS X version of OpenOffice could get back on track. Sun plays a major role in the development of OpenOffice on Windows, which has its roots in Sun's StarOffice suite.
"You can imagine my excitement when I first heard about renewed efforts to make an Aqua port reality. And now finally I can spend my paid time to add to this great effort. At first Herbert Dürr and I will contribute to the Mac port, however there certainly will be other Sun developers involved in their areas of expertise when the need arises," said Sun engineer Philipp Lohmann in a blog post.
Lohmann explained that Sun's decision to join the porting project comes due to the increased usage of Apple computers. "If you look around at conferences and airport lounges, you will notice that more and more people are using Apple notebooks these days," he said. "We are supporting this port because of the interest and activity of the community wanting this port. The new invigorated effort in Mac/Aqua-porting (basically since CWS aquavcl01) is an obvious indicator."
For now, the plan is to develop OpenOffice on Mac using the Carbon framework rather than Cocoa.
Is this news, or should the title be "late to the party"?
OpenOffice has been running for quite a while with X11.
http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/
And NeoOffice, based on OpenOffice, has been available for the Mac for some time!
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
The irony is that if folks were clamoring for the appl, they already have it.
So I guess the news is that some folks from Sun have discovered open source and the Mac.
I guess that's newsworthy...
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|This new one will be Native.
No need for X11. No need to use some slow, dodgy Java port.
That's what the news is about, that's what the "people" have been clamoring for.
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|So "the people" have been "clamoring" for it, huh?
Let's see, you are the big "market share speaks volumes" proponent... so as OpenOffice is simply dominating the Windows world....Not...its availability on the Mac will be ...well...well, it will be something!!
Just like NeoOffice has been huge!
Just think of the impact it will have in the Mac community! Hey, It will! I'm sure of it. OK, well, someone will run it. Maybe I hope. At least 2 or 3...
Yawn...
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|lmao..
Well, at least you noticed I "" people. Of course, you then utterly failed to make the connection.
Ya know, for someone who claims to have a brain, you rarely seem to actually use it.
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|I still don't see a viable motive for Sun to bother with this. Why isn't Apple pitching in at least a little? Apple isn't really THAT concerned with souring their relationship with Microsoft (Mac Office is still the #1 selling app for Mac). Apple doesn't have any problems pointing their marketing guns at everything Microsoft does. The whole thing smells funny. Oh wait, that's my s***.
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|And another interesting take:
http://www.zdnet.com.au/...061733,339275250,00.htm
CeBIT: OpenOffice + Linux = Mac
National ICT Australia's Professor Gernot Heiser had some blunt words for the OpenOffice community -- the product isn't ready to compete with the big boys.
"If you want to be successful in open source it can't just be a 'me too' product. Anything that's not the best technology will not work ... enterprise is willing to pay for the best. OpenOffice is not the best ... it's the first thing that made me move from Linux to Mac," Heiser, NICTA program leader of Embedded, Real Time and Operating Systems, said.
"Open source is creating the most pure Darwinist environment possible. It's brutal survival of the fittest," he said, surprising the crowd at CeBIT's Open Source Business session today.
"Only the best software will be able to survive. Regardless of how free it is, enterprise will not use it unless it is better," Heiser, who is also the founder of Open Kernel Labs, added.
Heiser predicted that it was inevitable for the infrastructure of computing, in particular operating systems, to become commoditised. "You can't make money making operating systems ... [soon] proprietary operating systems will just go away."
In the audience waiting for his turn to speak was Sun Microsystems chief open source officer, Simon Phipps. The OpenOffice.org community was founded by Sun in 2000.
Upon taking the podium, Phipps said: "You have to start somewhere.
"OpenOffice is the reason that Linux users can now write letters. It's high time people jumped on the program and helped develop it."
Riding the wave of community excitement about the "open sourcing" of Java, he was equally bullish about the future of OpenOffice.org. "OpenOffice will become a market leader if we all just contribute what we want to see in it," Phipps claimed.
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|Its always appreciated when people make software available to all users. Thanks SUN for your continued efforts.
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|Sure this is a good news for us macusers.
But don't forget an Aqua port of OpenOffice exists for the Mac :
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/fr/
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|It's Java. It's slow. It's utter crap.
Until now, unfortunately, it's been the only quasi-native port, so we've had to live with it.
Hopefully this will help.
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|You see a LOT of mac laptops in airports. Why leave those guys out of the fun? Microsoft has traditionally treated Apple users like crap, so I'm sure a good percentage will use OpenOffice for their needs (especially in schools).
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|They can always emulate the windows version using parallels, Virtual PC, or VM Ware (still beta http://www.vmware.com/products/beta/fusion/).
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|Its about time!
x11 + OOo on the mac is not very practical.
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|Why not? Certainly you don't get the traditional UI but X11 gives you access to a TON of otherwise unavailable stuff.
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|Saying OO.org having much success is a little too much credit.
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