Mittwoch März 09, 2005
Just switch! - Customizable shapes in StarOffice 8
As promised I will give you some insights into the new CustomShapes that are part of StarOffice 8. CustomShapes are similar to Microsoft's AutoShapes. CustomShapes are shapes that can be customized, i.e. it is not only possible to modify the size of the whole shape, but also to change sizes and directions for parts of the graphical element. The following screenshot nicely illustrates this:
The availability of CustomShapes in StarOffice 8 also improves the overall Microsoft interoperability. With StarOffice 8 it is now possible to import PowerPoint presentations that use AutoShapes including the ability to modify the shapes after the import.
I don't know if I will find the time to write something during CeBIT. But if I do, I will give you some details about the open XML file format used by StarOffice 8, the OASIS OpenDocument Format.
( Mrz 09 2005, 04:30:10 PM CET )
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"Good to Great" in an open environment
Since I have to read hundreds of emails every day I'm pretty bad at reading books in my spare time. However, I'm pretty good at buying and collecting books. ;-)
I bought the top-selling book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins months ago, but never managed to read it.
During my LinuxWorld Boston trip I spent some time in the close-by shopping mall. As you might imagine, I was happy to find a book store. I can't remember if it was a Borders or a Barnes & Nobles, but I love both, thus it does not matter.
There I found out that many of the books attracting dust on my book shelves are now available as audio books. I love audio books since the time when I had to buy Harry Potter on CD's in order to catch up with my wife (girlfriend back then). I bought two books, "Good to Great" and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey.
Due to some regular waiting time and some delays caused by burned cables within the plane and snow on the runway my return flight from Boston to Hamburg via Washington and Frankfurt took me almost 30 hours. This includes waiting at the lost bagage counter in Hamburg. Thus, I had plenty of time to listen to the "Good to Great" book.
I really like the book. It made me think about many aspects of my personal life and my job. One chapter that I found particularly interesting was the one about the "First who then what" idea. Looking at different OpenOffice.org projects including their mailing lists I wondered how this concept can be applied to open source projects.
I don't know the answer, yet, but listening to the book I realized that open source projects are exposed to a "risk", provided that the "Good to Great" book is right. In an open project like OpenOffice.org where anybody can join projects including the open mailing lists it is difficult to stick to the "first who then what" concept. How can an effective project team be formed, in which everybody likes to work with each other, in an open environment where anybody can join?
Not that diversity is bad for a project, the exact opposite is true, but if very extreme ideas come together it is difficult to find a feasible compromise. Maybe all the different ideas make sense, but only in isolation as different strategies and approaches.
The question I'm currently thinking about is what the right solution is for those kind of dilemmas. Is it spinning off a subproject? Is it using force to ensure that the majority wins? Is it implementing a strict selection process for mailing list subscriptions and project memberships? Or is the "Good to Great" book simply wrong?
Mmmmm, maybe I will come to a conclusion in discussions with more open source folks who have read the "Good to Great" book ...
( Mrz 09 2005, 03:29:05 PM CET )
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