KOfficeSource GmbH will offer professional services around the open source OpenDocument-based KOffice office suite. KOfficeSource GmbH will allow KOffice to be used in companies and organizations that demand high quality support and training for OpenDocument deployment. KOfficeSource GmbH will initially offer the following services to the market: migration and conversion to OpenDocument, consulting around the OpenDocument Format, training on OpenDocument and KOffice, customization of KOffice, custom programming.

KDE’s KOffice has just reached Alpha 7 and it revolves around OpenDocument format. KDE deserves some praises for refusing to touch OOXML with its the anti-FOSS poison pill (RAND+OSP), in addition to the impossibility of implementing something that nobody else will ever implement, not even Microsoft.

I’ve been so busy with other stuff that I’ve only peripherally been paying attention to an ongoing meme on the Internet about how the World Wide Web Consortium’s Common Document Format (CDF) had been identified by the OpenDocument Foundation as a superior document format to the OpenDocument Format that it had been backing for so long.

I've often lamented how few schools in the UK use free software, and how difficult it is to break the lock that Microsoft has on the entire educational system. The pathetic state here is highlighted by contrast with Russia, which is making amazing strides in rolling out open source to schools.

"I've often lamented how few schools in the UK use free software, and how difficult it is to break the lock that Microsoft has on the entire educational system. The pathetic state here is highlighted by contrast with Russia, which is making amazing strides in rolling out open source to schools..."

A potpourri of news from the past week or so, starting with success stories and proceeding to releases of new software that supports OpenDocument Format (ODF)

Although KOffice has its admirers, in many people's minds, it runs a poor second to OpenOffice.org. However, some European developers expect that situation to change, and to encourage that change, they have created KOfficeSource, a company incorporated in Germany. The company plans to offer support and training not only for KOffice, but also for Open Document Format, and programming using the Qt toolkit. The company's business plan highlights its founders' hopes that KDE-related technologies will become mainstream, and illustrates the current level of acceptance of free software tools in business.

KOffice, the office suite built on KDE technology and in the KDE Communtiy has recently gotten a lot of press, but is still often underrepresented. In this interview, some key KOffice developers tell us about the recent progress of KDE's Office suite, about Open Standards and how KOffice plays an active role in bringing Freedom to users.

Blue Gnu Media & Technology announced today that its flagship service, Blue GNU, has seen strong, steady growth in readership for the first quarter, a positive impact on various Free Software projects, as well as new clients for its advertising and marketing services.