More Oracle Open Source Fallout

[richard.pieri-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org (Richard Pieri)]

On Oct 17, 2010, at 3:37 PM, Derek Martin wrote:
> 
> Actually I think it is...  You can't legitimately say they've acted
> unjustly against OSS software, unless you have some basis for saying
> that they have done something wrong.

I am not saying that Oracle's actions are unjust or wrong.  I am not saying that the OpenOffice Foundation did or didn't deserve the response that Oracle gave them.  What I am saying is that Oracle is acting with hostility towards the Open Source communities surrounding and contributing to the company's Open Source properties.

In the Document Foundation case, Oracle had many right paths to choose from.  It could have given over the name and joined the new Foundation.  It could have done that and thrown a pile of money at the Foundation.  It could have said "no" and been done.  It could have said "yes, but we want some assurance that contributed code can be merged with Star Office to maintain interoperability."  The path it chose, to tell the Foundation members to leave and don't come back, serves no purpose other than to alienate that community, much as Oracle's passive silence did to the OpenSolaris Governing Board and development community.

--Rich P.