LibreOffice Governance Upheaval: Collabora Developers Removed Amidst Legal Concerns
A significant rift has emerged within the LibreOffice community as The Document Foundation (TDF), the nonprofit organization behind the popular open-source office suite, has removed all staff and partners of Collabora Productivity from its membership. The decision, impacting over thirty individuals, has sent shockwaves through the open-source world and raises critical questions about the future direction of LibreOffice.
The move follows a period of increasing tension, beginning earlier this year when LibreOffice revived its LibreOffice Online project. Collabora, a major contributor to the original project before it went dormant in 2022, had subsequently forked the code and developed its own product, Collabora Online. This initial disagreement appears to have been a precursor to the more drastic action taken by TDF.
A Loss of Core Contributors
Michael Meeks, General Manager of Collabora Productivity and a long-time contributor to GNOME, OpenOffice.org, and LibreOffice, publicly addressed the situation, stating the ejections were “based on unproven legal concerns and guilt by association.” The impact is substantial: seven of the top ten core committers to LibreOffice, excluding release engineers, are now former members. This includes prominent figures like Thorsten Behrens, Jan ‘Kendy’ Holesovsky, Rene Engelhard, Caolan McNamara, Michael Meeks himself, Cor Nouws, and Italo Vignoli – all foundational members who have since lost their membership status.
The situation highlights a broader trend of founders leaving TDF membership in recent years. Currently, three of the remaining four active founders are paid TDF staff, but none are actively involved in core code development. This shift in personnel raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of community-driven development within the project.
The blog It’s FOSS has labeled the situation “LibreOffice Drama,” confirming the removals and noting that the TDF recently adopted Community Bylaws requiring members to step down if affiliated with a company involved in an active legal dispute with the Foundation. However, TDF maintains that membership revocation doesn’t preclude future contributions, expressing hope that Collabora will continue to contribute “when the time comes.”
Collabora’s Response and Future Plans
Despite the setback, Collabora is forging ahead with its own vision for the future of office productivity. Meeks announced plans to create a new, streamlined office suite – Collabora Office – designed to be more user-friendly and less feature-dense than their existing “Classic” product. This new iteration will leverage a modern codebase, eliminating Java, databases, and complex build configurations.
“This gives a chance to innovate faster in a separate place on a smaller, more focused code-base,” Meeks stated. “We are excited to get executing on that.” To facilitate this, Collabora is launching its own Gerrit instance for code review, moving away from TDF’s Gerrit and embracing self-hosted FOSS tooling.
While Collabora intends to continue contributing to LibreOffice where appropriate, Meeks emphasized that investing in the TDF’s community and product while being excluded from its governance no longer makes strategic sense. He noted the situation echoes challenges faced fifteen years ago, suggesting a cyclical pattern within the project’s history.
What does this shift mean for the future of open-source office suites? Will Collabora’s independent path lead to innovation, or will it further fragment the open-source landscape?
The Broader Implications for Open-Source Governance
This dispute highlights a recurring challenge in open-source projects: balancing the interests of corporate contributors with the principles of community governance. While corporate involvement can provide crucial resources and expertise, it can also lead to conflicts of interest and concerns about control. The TDF’s decision underscores the importance of clear governance structures and transparent decision-making processes to maintain the integrity and sustainability of open-source projects.
The situation also raises questions about the role of forking in open-source development. While forking can be a legitimate way to pursue alternative visions, it can also lead to fragmentation and duplication of effort. Finding a balance between fostering innovation and maintaining a cohesive ecosystem is a critical challenge for the open-source community.
External links to further reading:
- Open Source Initiative – Learn more about the principles of open source.
- Free Software Foundation – Explore the philosophy and advocacy of free software.
Frequently Asked Questions About the LibreOffice and Collabora Dispute
What is the primary reason for the Document Foundation’s removal of Collabora developers?
The Document Foundation cited unproven legal concerns and “guilt by association” as the basis for removing Collabora staff and partners from membership.
How many core LibreOffice contributors were affected by this decision?
Seven of the top ten core committers to LibreOffice (excluding release engineers) currently working for Collabora Productivity were removed from membership.
What is Collabora Online, and how does it relate to LibreOffice Online?
Collabora Online is a forked version of the LibreOffice Online project, which Collabora developed after the original project went dormant in 2022.
What are Collabora’s plans for the future of its office suite?
Collabora plans to create a new, streamlined office suite called Collabora Office, focusing on user-friendliness and a modern codebase.
Will Collabora continue to contribute to LibreOffice despite the removal of its developers?
Collabora intends to continue contributing to LibreOffice where it makes sense, but believes investing heavily in the project while being excluded from governance is no longer strategic.
The unfolding situation between The Document Foundation and Collabora Productivity is a pivotal moment for the LibreOffice project and the broader open-source community. It will be crucial to observe how both organizations navigate this challenge and whether a path forward can be forged that preserves the spirit of collaboration and innovation.
What impact do you think this will have on the future development of LibreOffice? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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