Dell asked to follow Linux with OpenOffice on Windows

Adam Turner
Thursday, 15 March 2007 05:20

Business IT - Technology

As Dell contemplates shipping consumer PCs running Linux rather than Microsoft Windows, the open source community has called upon head honcho Michael Dell to also pre-install OpenOffice office software on Windows computers.

In an open letter to Dell CEO and chairman Michael Dell, OpenOffice.org has asked him to meet "overwhelming customer demand" and ship the free, open source OpenOffice.org 2 on Windows machines alongside Microsoft's Works and Office suites.

The inclusion of OpenOffice on Dell computers was the second most requested feature during Dell's recent IdeaStorm community consultation process. More than 75,000 people called upon Dell to bundle OpenOffice, the request coming second only to the 110,000+ people demanding Dell ship consumer PCs running Linux. Seven of the top ten requested features all involved focusing on open source software (eight if you include calls to ship PCs without an operating system).

In the open letter, OpenOffice.org also asks for "any financial contribution that Dell might offer" to help with the further development of the open source software suite.

Developed by the open source community in conjunction with corporate giant Sun Microsystems, the free OpenOffice suite is Microsoft Office-compatible and offers most of its functionality. OpenOffice runs on a range of operating systems including Windows, Linux, Solaris and Mac OS.

OpenOffice is a spin-off of StarOffice, a German office suite acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1999. Sun released most of the StarOffice code base in 2000 under a variation of the GNU General Public Licence (GPL), dubbing the project OpenOffice. The GNU GPL entitles anyone to modify and redistribute OpenOffice on the condition the source code of any modifications is made freely available for others to use.

OpenOffice.org's full letter to Dell reads;

Michael S.Dell, Chairman and CEO
Dell Computer Corporation
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682

Dear Michael

Dell Computer Corporation has become one of Fortune's “America’s Most Admired Companies” by providing great value, high quality computers and peripherals, but most of all, by listening to your customers. Your recent “IdeaStorm” initiative is the latest example of this. Here at OpenOffice.org, we were delighted to see that the second most requested feature by Dell customers was to have our office software pre-installed on Dell systems. This request attracted more than 25,000 votes in two days.

We believe that OpenOffice.org 2 software perfectly matches Dell’s values. OpenOffice.org 2 is high quality office software, the result of over twenty years’ continuous software engineering. It runs under all common operating systems. It offers everything users expect from office software, plus some bonus features that may pleasantly surprise them. It’s easy for customers to use, with a familiar look and feel, and can read and write a wide range of file formats, including Microsoft’s. On top of all this, being licenced under open-source terms, it represents outstanding value for money for you and your customers.

Let’s have a conversation about how we could build an “OpenOffice.org supplied by Dell” product to give your customers what they are asking for. We’d also be happy to accept any financial contribution that Dell might offer to help ensure that OpenOffice.org continues to evolve in the future.

Sincerely

John McCreesh
Marketing Project Lead
OpenOffice.org