Towards AOO 3.4: consequences of "IP clearance"
Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:12 pm
With the move of OOo project to Apache incubator, there will be several change in the code, replacing parts with licences that are not compatible with Apache licence.
The consequences for users should not be big, and in some points there will be improvements. One example is SVG support: OOo 3.4 beta implemented it in a convoluted way through binary metafiles and external libraries, but all that is now dropped in favour of a native implementation.
Another difference is the database used to register extensions: OOo up to 3.3 (and 3.4 beta) used a "berkeleyDB" with a binary file format. This will be replaced by a simpler and (hopefully) more robust implementation. Small con: extensions installed on previous OOo will no be imported on AOO 3.4, the user will need to install all extensions again, it seems.
More details here: IP Clearance: Impact
The consequences for users should not be big, and in some points there will be improvements. One example is SVG support: OOo 3.4 beta implemented it in a convoluted way through binary metafiles and external libraries, but all that is now dropped in favour of a native implementation.
Another difference is the database used to register extensions: OOo up to 3.3 (and 3.4 beta) used a "berkeleyDB" with a binary file format. This will be replaced by a simpler and (hopefully) more robust implementation. Small con: extensions installed on previous OOo will no be imported on AOO 3.4, the user will need to install all extensions again, it seems.
More details here: IP Clearance: Impact