LibreOffice
Our sense of meritocracy
A project that confuses meritocracy with the dominance of a single type of contributor fails to live up to its own values. And a project that bends to the interests of some contributors, at the expense of future generations, is a form of appropriation masked by the language of fairness.
Meritocracy is a complex, multifaceted concept that is worth grappling with in order to build something that future generations will be happy to inherit.
https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/04/07/our-sense-of-meritocracy/
@tdforg
Apr 7 at 8:53amWeb
Show threadTobias ErnstApr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg Yes right. The question is, will you be able to replace the developers who defected to the commercial player?
Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 8
@tobifant @libreoffice @tdforg AFAIK, TDF employs no developers. They were all paid by Collabora.
Show threadTobias ErnstApr 8
@nicolaottomano @libreoffice @tdforg I know, so the question is how will this go forward now. This resembles the fallout when Libreoffice left Oracle back in the day, only with reversed roles. Now the FOSS side is left with no devlopers, back then it was the commercial side that had no interest in developing ...
Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 8

@tobifant @libreoffice @tdforg This is a slightly long yet interesting article about it

https://forum.linuxguides.de/core/index.php?article/54-libreoffice-am-abgrund-wie-die-document-foundation-ihre-eigenen-gr%C3%BCnder-vor-die/

LibreOffice am Abgrund: Wie die Document Foundation ihre eigenen Gründer vor die Tür setzte - Linux Guides Community

LibreOffice steckt in der schwersten Krise seit seiner Gründung. Die Document Foundation hat im April 2026 über 30 Kernentwickler aus ihren Gremien ausgeschlossen - darunter die Leute, die fast die Hälfte des gesamten Codes geschrieben haben. Der Trick: Erst verklagt man den Partner, dann schliesst man seine Mitarbeiter mit Verweis auf die laufende Klage aus. Collabora, das Unternehmen hinter den ausgeschlossenen Entwicklern, schlägt mit einem eigenen Desktop-Produkt zurück, das technologisch einen klaren Bruch mit dem alten LibreOffice darstellt. Droht LibreOffice das gleiche Schicksal wie Apache OpenOffice? Eine Analyse der Eskalationsspirale - vom gescheiterten Branding-Experiment 2020 über den Krieg um die Cloud bis zum endgültigen Bruch im April 2026.

Linux Guides Community
Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg My 2 cents: I see the whole thing as a huge mistake. LibreOffice has been killed by years of slow improvements and poor decisions on UI. Now, that's the final blow.
My only issue is: now that OnlyOffice unveiled its real face and LibreOffice is terminally ill, we have not many options left. I'm thinking to switch to @CollaboraOffice
Show threadTobias ErnstApr 7
@nicolaottomano @CollaboraOffice @libreoffice @tdforg I am not so sure about the poor decisions on UI. What I cherish about LibreOffice is that the UI does not change completely every other year. This actually offers an opportunity to learn and become more proficient, whereas with MS Office you just give up at some point and stop using its full potential because you are fed up with having to re-learn every other year.
Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 8
@tobifant @libreoffice @CollaboraOffice @tdforg I have to use MS Office on my company PC. The UI barely changed from 2007, with the exception of eye-candy parts and new functionalities. That's the great advantage of MSO: people in their 40s started learning how to use it at school... and they are familiar with the UI, making MSO the preferred choice at work.
Show threadTobias ErnstApr 8
@nicolaottomano @CollaboraOffice @libreoffice @tdforg Not at all. The more eye-candy there was, the less the keyboard combinations that we learned back in the day still worked. They are slowly being removed forcing us to ever more use the mouse. I hate it. Alt +L,G,O (in the German version) to insert a line above the current line in a table? Gone for good. Just one example out of ever so many.
Show threadJakob BoosApr 8

@nicolaottomano
@libreoffice @tdforg @CollaboraOffice

Collabora has less functionality compared with LibreOffice.

Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 8
@JakobBoos @libreoffice @tdforg @CollaboraOffice I agree with you but, in the other hand:
-It has a modern UI, which make it a smoother switch to people familiar with MS Office.
-Collabora Desktop and Web UIs are the same, so users don't have to learn two different tools.
-90% of people won't ever need the advanced functionalities. The other 10% could stay on MSO or OnlyOffice.
Show threadJakob BoosApr 8

@nicolaottomano @libreoffice @tdforg @CollaboraOffice

I agree with you, but ...

You know, that OnlyOffice sources have their origin in Russia? For me, that's the main problem with OnlyOffice and the reason to completely switch to LibreOffice and Collabora (in my Nextcloud instance),

But the new Euro-Office initiative is very interesting. I hope that the legal conflict there could be solved.

Show threadnicolaottomanoApr 8
@JakobBoos @libreoffice @tdforg @CollaboraOffice I know, unfotunately OO cannot be trusted anymore since it's not FOSS-compliant. I'm ditching it from all my devices.
Show threadElectropictApr 7

@libreoffice @tdforg

Meritocracy is attractive to those who believe themselves to be meritorious enough to have the right to decide who else shall be considered meritorious. Not so much to people who are used to being considered unmeritorious, or just have an interest in democracy.

I did try to read the blog, but since the page consisted solely of a rather stylish spinning graphic I have to assume that I am not considered sufficiently meritorious to even read your thoughts on the subject. 🤷

Show threadWombatDhampirApr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg Meritocracy is one of those situations that sound noble, but are meaningless without definition and discussion with the whole organization. At worst it is just in-group supremacy. At best it is a way for the org as a whole to put decision making in trustworthy people.
Show threadJan BonekampApr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg Are you talking about Collabora, ONLYOFFICE? Please be clear!
Show threadJakob BoosApr 8

@PorotoCampo

@libreoffice @tdforg

they are talking about Collabora.

Show threadlinarphyApr 7

@[email protected] @[email protected]

For the record: I firmly believe than meritocracy do not exist, but I agree with the substance of the text

LibreOffice (@[email protected])

3.66K Posts, 15 Following, 47.4K Followers · Free, private, open source office suite by @tdforg and a worldwide community. LibreOffice was based on OpenOffice. #foss #opensource

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Show threadKingfish1776Apr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg The future belongs to those who show up.
Show thread428Apr 7
@libreoffice @tdforg
Show threadJakob BoosApr 8

@libreoffice

@tdforg

Plesse find a solution to Ende this conflict.

Show threadPolly KraisusApr 9
@libreoffice #alt4u "Our sense of meritocracy" written on an open scroll