Open sourcers have seized control of the OpenOffice project and product and declared their independence from database giant Oracle.
The OpenOffice.org Project has unveiled a major restructuring that separates itself from Oracle and that takes responsibility for OpenOffice away from a single company.
Oracle had been OpenOffice's principal contributor - a role it inherited thanks to its acquisition of the well meaning but slow-witted Sun Microsystems earlier this year.
While OpenOffice had a successful development track record, it was also the code base for Sun's StarOffice so features were broadly developed to serve that goal.
From now on, though, OpenOffice's development and direction will be decided by a steering committee of developers and national language project managers.
Driving home the changes, OpenOffice.org project is now The Document Foundation while the OpenOffice.org suite has been given the temporary name of LibreOffice.
Oracle, meanwhile, has been humiliatingly invited to re-join the OpenOffice community by applying to the Foundation. It's also been asked to donate the OpenOffice.org brand that it owns to the community.
Until there's a decision from Oracle the OpenOffice.org suite will be retain the LibreOffice name. Based on Oracle's history of responding to community ultimatums, we suggest you get used to LibreOffice.
The coup is an attempt by open sourcers and tech companies vested in OpenOffice and distrustful of Oracle to pry control over the project and product's future away from the unfriendly giant.
