Oracle has just announced that they intend to move OpenOffice.org to a purely community based open source project and no longer offer a commercial version.

“Given the breadth of interest in free personal productivity applications and the rapid evolution of personal computing technologies, we believe the OpenOffice.org project would be best managed by an organization focused on serving that broad constituency on a non-commercial basis,” said Edward Screven, Oracle’s Chief Corporate Architect. ”We intend to begin working immediately with community members to further the continued success of Open Office. Oracle will continue to strongly support the adoption of open standards-based document formats, such as the Open Document Format (ODF).”

Oracle has been a very closed company for some time, but they have also invested heavily in Linux and MySQL. It will be interesting to see if the community really jumps onto the OpenOffice bandwagon.

• OpenOffice 3.3 Beta Released – August 21, 2010
• Review: EyeOS Provides File Accessiblity Anywhere – August 20, 2008
• Create Your Own Search Engine With Yioop – August 31, 2011
• Paper.js: Free Vector Graphics Scripting Framework – June 30, 2011
• Sprite Cow: Open Source CSS Sprite Generator – June 28, 2011

Oracle Announces Its Intention to Move OpenOffice.org to a Community-Based Project originally appeared on: Crenk
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Nevertheless, this drive for online tools has driven companies like Google, Zoho, Microsoft, and many others to create online office tools that go where you go, and are accessible from anywhere in the world…provided you have an internet connection. So heavily used are these tools that even while on the go, your mobile devices are capable of accessing these tools which allows you to never miss a step.

While the above mentioned are great, and provide a level of collaboration that standard desktop office software does not, there is one that offers an all inclusive internet office for online work, OfficeMedium.

Nope, I’m not talking the crazy office worker who claims to see dead people, not that type of medium. I’m talking about the actual suite of online collaborative office tools that give you more than the standard faire. Aside from the typical presentation, word, and spreadsheet portions, you’re also given access to content management tools, events/tasks/calendar tools, social networking tools for your intranet, file sharing and storage, along with enhanced security to keep what’s happening within the company private.

This online web application is not free, there are minimal costs attached, and from I see, the cost is extremely affordable. But it still begs the question, what companies truly need this type of depth? I think it will come down to the size of your company and the needs it needs to serve. Google and Zoho seem appropriate for what I do, but perhaps a more enterprise level company would turn to OfficeMedium to help keep communication a little tighter within a company.

[Disclosure: OfficeMedium is a sponsor for Crenk]

• Zoho Marketplace for the Masses – October 3, 2008
• Google is Offering $4 Billion Dollars to Buy Twitter? – November 20, 2010
• Bing Shows us a New “Thelma & Louise” Ending – August 15, 2010
• Bing Replacing Google on iPhone 4? – June 1, 2010
• Microsoft Shakeup in Entertainment Division Management – May 26, 2010

Online Collaborative Workspaces with OfficeMedium originally appeared on: Crenk
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With its already growing reputation, Zoho can now boast its new service, Marketplace. Marketplace offers a venue for developers to enhance, develop, and rebuild applications with Zoho’s Creator’s platform. As of this article, Zoho claims that there are over 100,000 offerings by independent developers who have found a way to build applications to further extend Zoho’s popularity and usefulness. What’s even more amazing is that Zoho is directing all “fees” affiliated with the cost of some applications directly to the developers.

Major companies are already on board with what Zoho offers which is sure to dramatically increase user figures over the next couple of months. By offering more in it’s office suite, Google Documents and Microsoft will have to pay close attention to what is happening before they are left behind!

• Online Collaborative Workspaces with OfficeMedium – November 11, 2009
• Google Offers Available in Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa – January 25, 2012
• First Google+ TV Advertising: Sharing, but like real life – November 25, 2011
• Hajj Pilgrimage Live to Watch on YouTube for Free – November 4, 2011
• Google Galaxy Nexus: Smartphone Comparison – October 19, 2011

Zoho Marketplace for the Masses originally appeared on: Crenk
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EyeOS has been developed with the multi-computer user in mind. If you find yourself using computers at home, at the library, at the office, at a cybercafe, or a friends house, EyeOS is the desktop web application for you.

While I feel the desktop web application market is a bit watered down, EyeOS is not without its definitive features. EyeOS is literally an entire operating system built inside a web application and more. Through this web application you have access to sophisticated file management protocols, an entire office suite with compatibility across any computer you are using, a fully featured PIM application system as fully functional as having MS Outlook, and finally your own internal neworking services to include email, bulletin board services, and RSS Reader.

Like other desktop applications you have the ability to configure the web app to your liking. The tools are fully customizable and easy to use. Being an open source platform, users are encouraged to participate in making EyeOS better, if not more functional for yourself. The ability to link to your mobile devices is also a feature that few will want to pass up.

The EyeOs team states they want to center work and entertainment all in once place to avoid OS compatibility issues across the varous computers we use. What puzzles me is how this is actually functional in a world full of laptops and key chain drives. I welcome the EyeOS team to comment because I fail to see the relevancy of this web application.

Nevertheless, if you are a frequest user of desktop web apps, and are looking for something bigger and more in depth, experience EyeOS. In the time that I used this web app, it definitely stands out from the rest with its bevy of offerings.

• Oracle Announces Its Intention to Move OpenOffice.org to a Community-Based Project – April 16, 2011
• Online Collaborative Workspaces with OfficeMedium – November 11, 2009
• Ubuntu Screenshots of 11.10 – September 26, 2011
• HTC Looking to Buy a Mobile Operating System – September 13, 2011
• Create Your Own Search Engine With Yioop – August 31, 2011

Review: EyeOS Provides File Accessiblity Anywhere originally appeared on: Crenk
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