Hello Rob, *, > -----Original Message----- > From: Rob Weir [mailto:robw...@apache.org]
> I think the challenge is to change the thinking that says a project > can only be successful if it raises money. Yes, you're right. But success is measured, in my opinion, in the dissemination of AOO, for private users *but also* for use in companies. In my experience this purpose, the work on the ground is essential. AOO must be present to the public and decision makers in companies already have AOO be seen as a real alternative to MS Office. This calls for talks as a relevant framework in Germany at Chamber of Commerce Events. I personally have several months ago on the phone with a German IBM manager and to illustrate the relevance of such things. What concerns me is not about money (or primarily to money), but about collaboration in the communitybecause IBM, I and the German community are parts of the international community. I have also read the demands of IBM, on XING, to create a partner network, and I think that's a good idea, but unfortunately I put demand on the fixed nothing concrete happens. Collaboration in the community is not a question of money but of doing and at the same time, this cooperation also key to the success of service providers, e.g. such under which: http://www.openoffice.org/bizdev/consultants.html are listed. Currently I am professionally e.g. in negotiations for a major consulting company, which either LO or AOO want to use (instead of MS Office) on hundreds or thousands of workplaces, but these companies want to see visible presence of AOO. Such companies want from me, as an expert, impartial advice and not the reference to other companies. For Germany, I would wish for the future practical cooperation of consultants like me, medium-sized businesses, large companies, such as IBM, and the community, for mutual success. I'm ready for this for a long time, and as many of the German community, but we must finally start real actions. LibreOffice is everywhere in Germany, but where are we? Where AOO is really visible in Germany? Besides exhibitions (e.g. CeBIT or as the "LinuxTag" in Berlin), were "IHK meetings" an important opportunity. In the next year it will be an event of FroDeV commercial users give (http://www.frodev.org/konferenz), I'm sure that LibreOffice will be there, but also Apache OpenOffice? greetings Jörg