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         | <«Developer: Mehrere>             |
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         | <«Software: OpenOffice>           |
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         | <«Homepage: openoffice.vgrabbe.de>|
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         | <«eMail: openoffice@vgrabbe.de>   |
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 *Please introduce yourself to the readers!*
 
  Well, my name is Volker Grabbe, 30 years young, married, 2 children, former
  VOBIS (German computer retailer) branch manager, now in the wholesale
  distribution of PC hardware.
  
 *When have you started working with the Amiga?*
 
  Sometime around 1989.
  
 *Which Amiga model do you own?*
 
  Well, an A1200, a towered A3000, an original A3000T (alas currently out of
  order), an A4K in a selfmade tower with PPC as well as an A1000. Oh well, and
  Amithlon ;)
  
 *Which version of the OS is running on your comuter?*
 
  OS 3.9 on the 4000, 3.5 on the 3000, 1.3 on the 1000 ;)
  
 *Which software are you developing?*
 
  Together with some others:
  (so far Jens Köcke, Mafred Rauer, Peter Kaltstein, Patrik Jung, Stephane
  SARAGAGLIA, Jens Begeschke, Emm Vasilakis, Stefan Kleinheinrich, SixK).
  I have included eveyone who wants to help me or is already doing so. Sorry if
  I should have forgotten anyone ;)
  In addition there's the API developer from SUN as well as Hans-Jörg Frieden
  for conversion related problems.
  
 *Can you tell us what OpenOffice is about?*
 
  Open Office is the Open Source alternative of Sun's StarOffice 6, not as
  wrongly assumed by some, of version 5.2.
  However, as that one contains some licensed and patented parts, these parts
  have simply been left out of OpenOffice (spell checking, Adabas database,
  etc.).
  All in all OpenOffice is an all-in-one product.
  Not only does it contain a word processor and spread sheet but also
  presentation software as well as rudimentary drawing features.
  Furthermore the OpenOffice programmers are working on the redevelopment of
  the former scheduler from StarOffice 5.2.
  All in all, with this software the Amiga would be applicable for office use,
  of you could take work home because of the excellent import and export
  filters.
  
 *What created the idea in you to keep on developing OpenOffice?*
 
  The fact that there won't be any more Amiga programs from Digita, and just
  ONE word processor in the form of AmigaWriter, too few for my taste.
  TurboCalc isn't being developed anymore, and we haven't had a decent
  presentation software since Scala.
  Furthermore we have here the use of standard file formats (XML) combined with
  MS import filters.
  
 *How long has the development taken so far?*
 
  We're still in the coordination phase, first we will build everything around
  OpenOffice so we'll be able to construct a so called OpenOffice Development
  Kit.
  So, if anyone wants to join in, go ahead. The bigger the team the faster the
  implementation.
  
 *Which software do you use for developing?*
 
  We will fall back on GCC as StormC 4 is also based on this and OpenOffice is
  mainly developed with that (at least the Linux version we will convert).
  
 *For which system (AmigaOS, AmigaDE, MorphOS) are you developing?*
 
  We are writing OpenOffice for AmigaOS4 as HJ Frieden wrote that you can turn
  a 68K program into an AOS4 PPC program relatively easy.
  Possible adaptions for other CPUs than PPC and 68K (for emulations) may also
  emerge.
  If it should be possible to support x86 by way of a simple recompile we will
  do this.
  
 *Which operating system will you support in the future?*
 
  Definitely OS4 and OS3.9, the latter because of Amithlon on which I'm also
  developing.
  
 *What can we expect of future versions?*
 
  Implementing improvements written by the OpenOffice community as soon as we
  have a running version.
  Support for special Amiga features and the like. But first we want to have
  the whole thing up and running.
  
 *Don't you lose the fun and interest in programming if you see the small
  amount of feedback you get out of the small Amiga market?*
  
  It consternates me how many people are writing in the message boards, that
  won't work anyway, you can just as well drop it right now, etc.
  One even wrote he'd buy us a crate of beer if something could be presented in
  1-2 months time.
  Of course this whole thing is a great motivation.
  The more so as people are alluding to my VOBIS past.
  Yet I won't let myself be dicouraged by that.
  I have only a weary smile for such persons.
  Create something decent yourself instead of just nagging perpetually.
  
 *Do you receive enough feedback for your software?*
 
  Well, the good prevails, but there is also some nasty feedback.
  Today somebody wrote to me I had sent him a mail with some weird contents.
  As it turned out it was a Windows virus, my sender address was also in there,
  but the sender was, as the header proves, a Russian address.
  I can only speculate about what that was supposed to mean.
  But I think that such things go beyond a joke.
  
 *When have you last used your Amiga?*
 
  About 4 months ago, since then Amithlon nearly exclusively.
  
 *Which software did you last buy for your Amiga?*
 
  OS3.9, before that Heretic2, before that 3.5, before that .......
  
 *Which software are you still using?*
 
  Well, Amithlon, Turboprint, GoldED-Studio 6, AmigaWriter 2.2 because included
  with Amithlon.
  Apart from that OpenOffice under Windows XP.
  
 *Which hard/software are you planning to buy?*
 
  There I'm awaiting the development in the area of PPC boards.
  
 *Do you believe in a comeback of Amiga?*
 
  The way it's currently handled, no.
  MS is simply too big, the Amiga will alway stay a niche product.
  But how large this is going to be lies with us users and programmers.
  Apple has been proving for years that a niche can be big, too.
  Dethroning MS we most surely won't.
  
 *Your final words to the readers?*
 
  Most are besieging each other.
  There is much discussion about things that do not yet exist, sometimes of an
  extremely low standard.
  I know there is a silent majority, but nonetheless.
  What is missing amongst us is cooperation.
  MOS vs. OS4, Amithlon vs. PPC, VMC vs. the Frieden brothers.
  People, think, do like Phil Collins in his song "Both Sides Of The Story",
  listen to both sides, and then forget the quibbles and then join forces.
  
  Volker Grabbe


                           .... __ -- © Amiga Arena 3/2002 -- __ ....


                                  aMIGA aRENA - fEEL tHE fIRE!


  
 (translated from German by Christian Busse)