Open-Source Software Defends Itself Against Looming Shut-Down

HAMBURG, Germany, October 11, 2011 -

“Open Office can’t be allowed to die”

Just in time for its 11^th anniversary, a major fundraising campaign is starting on October 13 for the free office software, OpenOffice.org. After the split with their the main sponsor, Oracle, on June 1, 2011, the brains behind OpenOffice.org want the open source software to continue as an association and to finance the continued development of the associated programs and user support through donations. The sudden end of OpenOffice.org would be disastrous: the software is used worldwide, not only by individual end-users, but also by many administrations and small and medium-sized businesses.

“Naturally it was a shock for all of us when Oracle announced that it would no longer support us,” said Stefan Taxhet, CEO of Team OpenOffice.org e.V. “But we knew immediately: OpenOffice.org can’t be allowed to die!” For users and team alike, the loss of this commitment may turn out to be a godsend. To quote Martin Hollmichel of Team OpenOffice.org: “We have been going after the competitors for too long, instead of really focusing on the needs of the user. Now that we are free we can change that. An average of 1.5 million downloads per week gives us confidence and faith in the future of OpenOffice.org.”

Even if they want to pursue new and modern ways, the software will continue to be free in the future and will always remain an open source product for desktop users, Hollmichel emphasized.

In order for OpenOffice.org to continue to be professionally developed, Team OpenOffice.org will have to rely on donations. Meanwhile, many prominent voices have announced their support. Among these, the founder of Eck-Kommunikation, Klaus Eck: “OpenOffice.org, more than any other open source software, stands for the free internet and open access. Supporting OpenOffice.org doesn’t just mean helping any software; it means taking a stand for free internet. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Team OpenOffice.org e.V. and wish them success in their fundraising campaign.”

Contact:
Götz Wohlberg
Spokesperson for Team OpenOffice.org e.V.
Team OpenOffice.org e.V.
Haferkamp 2
22081 Hamburg
Tel: +49(0)40-60946490
presse@teamopenoffice.de

Media contact:
Andreas Jäger
PR MarCom
Mittelweg 25 a
20148 Hamburg
Tel: +49(0)40-500-175-75
Fax: +49(0)40-414-241-98
jaeger@pr-marcom.de
www.pr-marcom.de

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