IBM throws its source code and support behind OpenOffice

In an e-mail to the Apache OpenOffice e-mail list, IBM’s Open Document Format (ODF) architect Rob Weir let the cat out of the bag that IBM would be putting its Symphony code and resources behind OpenOffice.

Weir wrote, “IBM Lotus Symphony, our free (as in beer) product which is based on OOo. [OpenOffice.org] … IBM [has] not been exemplary community members when it came to OpenOffice.org. This wasn’t necessarily by design, but for various reasons, that was the effect. Yes, we participated in various community councils, and sponsored conferences and worked together on standards. But when it came down to the code, we maintained Symphony essentially as a fork, and although we occasionally contributed code back, we did not do this well, or often.”

So, with this “fresh start at Apache” IBM is “going to contribute the standalone version of Lotus Symphony to the Apache OpenOffice.org project, under the Apache 2.0 license. We’ll also work with project members to prioritize which pieces make sense to integrate into OpenOffice. For example, we’ve already done a lot of work with replacing GPL/LPGL dependencies. Using the Symphony code could help accelerate that work and get us to an AOOo [Apache OpenOffice.Org) release faster. We've already converted the help files to DITA [Darwin Information Typing Architecture], which could help accelerate that work, if we chose to go in that direction.”

I’m told by sources close to IBM that IBM will be donating more than 3-million lines of Symphony source code to the Apache OpenOffice project. IBM will also be adding developers to work with the OpenOffice community to assess how Symphony should be integrated into OpenOffice. It seems IBM will also continue their own in-house Symphony development because they’re talking about making future changes to Symphony available to OpenOffice.