Interview: Ed Peterlin and Dan Williams:
OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X
2002-07-25
Introduction
The first Mac OS X port of OpenOffice.org (638c) was 解放（する）d at Apple's World Wide Developer 会議／協議会, on May 7. OpenOffice.org was there in strength: we had a very popular booth and Ed Peterlin 現在のd an exciting demonstration of the build before an audience of Open Source developers. (More on this soon.)
In the months since then, the two community contributors まず第一に／本来 responsible for the Mac OS X port, Ed Peterlin and Dan Williams, have 大幅に その上のd their work; although it is still a developer 解放（する）, it now runs using OpenOffice.org 1.0 and can be すぐに downloaded. It also, with some 制限s, saves とじ込み／提出するs and prints. The に引き続いて is a very わずかに edited e-mail interview 行為／行うd over a few days last May. The build Ed and Dan 言及する to in conversation is the older build, 638c. If you are curious about what the updated port (1.0) does and does not do, Dan 用意が出来ている an excellent FAQ.
The People
I have never met Dan Williams; but I did spend a lot of time during WWDC with Ed Peterlin, and I would love to have the talent to put to paper his energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to this 事業／計画（する）. Both Ed and Dan don't seem to sleep; OpenOffice.org for Mac OS X is their hobby.
Ed Peterlin
Ed's day 職業 is at BIOPAC Systems, Inc., where he is 責任がある Macintosh 開発. In his words: "I 令状 ソフトウェア for 陳列する，発揮するing and 分析するing physiological signals, such as heartbeat and muscle 返答, that are acquired from our MP 金物類／武器類." But what drew him to OpenOffice.org?
"I grew 利益／興味d in OpenOffice.org through using StarOffice on Solaris boxes a few years ago. Having no other office 解答 for a Solaris machine, I became やめる impressed with its 能力s and usability. Even at BIOPAC I've used OpenOffice.org when we ran out of licenses for MSFT Office but had to read technical 文書s that were written in Word. When I heard an OS X port was 解放（する）d to the open source community, I felt 利益／興味d in bringing this 解答 that had proven so useful to me in the past to one of my favorite 壇・綱領・公約s. I joined the OpenOffice.org 事業／計画（する） the 週末 after I got a machine 有能な of running OS X, around July-September of last year.
"I became 利益／興味d in Macs as an 拡張 of the old Apple IIe, my first computer. I was in an Apple-based school system, and after I outgrew my IIe a Mac was the next best step. Not to について言及する that at the time I could get a IIe emulator card and still play my favorite ビデオ games."
Dan Williams
"By day I am an undergraduate Anthropology major 専攻するing in Archaeology (screw Cultural [Anthropology], Archaeology is where the real fun is), which is 部分的に／不公平に where I get the time to work on OpenOffice.org. I have fun making databases that 蓄える／店 and 分析する spatial data, and have an active 利益／興味 in Geographic （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） Systems and developing their 可能性のある in Archaeology.
"After 審理，公聴会 a lot about StarOffice, trying it out on Linux, and seeing it as really the only viable 代案／選択肢 to Microsoft Office on any 壇・綱領・公約, I became 利益／興味d in OpenOffice.org. I looked at it, said, This is 冷静な／正味の. It had everything I thought should be in an office 控訴, and I decided that MS Office wasn't anything special after seeing how good StarOffice was. I thought that, since it wasn't on Mac and I had Unix and Mac OS programming experience, I'd help it get there.
"I got my start with an Apple IIe 支援する in 早期に elementary school, 卒業生（する）d to a Mac LCIII, bought Think C 支援する when it wasn't a Symantec 製品, and taught myself Mac programming though 調書をとる／予約するs. It was amazing that I could create programs that did stuff like professional programs did. From there I kept buying copies of CodeWarrior and keeping up on new Toolbox stuff. When I first used Unix I was impressed, but the Mac was still better to use. When Mac OS X （機の）カム along, I got very excited because of the 力／強力にする of its Unix base. And because StarOffice was on Unix, it could be on Mac OS X too."
About the Port
Ed: "The build [638c for Mac OS X] was the first of many milestones that the Mac OS X porting 成果／努力 reached. For the last year, everyone working on the Mac OS X porting 事業／計画（する） has been 星／主役にするing at error messages coming out of the 開発 道具s, and the 638c developer build 代表するd the first time we'd been able to get OpenOffice.org to 開始する，打ち上げる.
"I have been impressed with just how much of the ソフトウェア appears to be 機能の, a real testament to the engineers who 初めは designed OpenOffice.org with the foresight that it would be moved into new 壇・綱領・公約s. Even while watching people play with the デモ machine at WWDC I was continually amazed to see just how much 作品. That said, there's still やめる a ways to go.
"Our Quartz native graphics 層 is not yet 完全にする, so we can't run the first build on Mac OS X without 付加 ソフトウェア to 許す us to use the X11 graphics 層. We are still 欠如（する）ing several 重要な features, such as printing, and have 問題／発行するs with saving とじ込み／提出するs. Other features such as the ability to use Java code, Mozilla LDAP support, and play sound during 贈呈s are also broken. There's a whole litany of 行方不明の features on our roadmap webpage that need to be 器具／実施するd before we reach 1.0.
"When 1.0 is 解放（する）d [it's just been 解放（する）d—LSP], we'll have one of the best office 控訴s 利用できる for Darwin and Mac OS X. It will be feature 完全にする with OpenOffice.org 1.0 on the other first tier 壇・綱領・公約s, and it will still look like OpenOffice.org does on other 壇・綱領・公約s. After that, we want to make the best Mac office 控訴 possible for Mac OS X. I hope we'll have enough developers to begin 含むing the Aqua look and feel, use sheets and drawers, 器具／実施する collapsible toolbars, and perhaps even 統合する with QuickTime and other features of OS X. This will help us to truly 配達する a 広大な／多数の／重要な Mac OS X experience without sacrificing the familiarity and 力／強力にする OpenOffice.org brings from its Windows and Unix 遺産."
Dan: "First, the Aqua VCL build needs to 現実に 収集する, then we need to fill in the 行方不明の 実施s. Next, the look and feel needs to be customized to match the Mac OS X 使用者 experience and the nuances that Mac 使用者s have come to 推定する／予想する. I believe that that's where the most work lies, and that's where the most fun will be had: watching a real office 控訴 take on an Aqua L&F [look and feel] and come out usable and 向こうずねing, a 楽しみ to look at and use.
"But not to forget the X11 VCL build either: There are no 十分な office 控訴s 利用できる for Darwin, an OpenOffice.org will be the best one when we're done with it. I don't think either of these will happen for months, but we're working toward these goals, having a lot of fun and 失望／欲求不満 getting there, and feeling that we're 与える／捧げるing something that will be much used and 大いに 高く評価する／（相場などが）上がるd."
The Group
LSP: How many of you were working on the 事業／計画（する）?
Ed: "There were about ten 全体にわたる contributors to the OS X port since before it was open sourced. All were volunteers from the community and played around with OpenOffice.org in their spare time, mostly looking into how to 直す／買収する，八百長をする up the errors that made us unable to 収集する the 事業／計画（する）. Three developers were active during the few months 主要な up to our 初期の milestone 解放（する）."
Dan: "Like Ed said, there were about ten people in さまざまな levels of 参加 on the 事業／計画（する）. When it was 解放（する）d, some people took a を刺す at it, but there wasn't a 批判的な 集まり of committed enough people to move it 今後. I guess they got discouraged and probably put OpenOffice.org aside for a while. Then others （機の）カム along and began to slowly move 今後 (and I mean slowly) with the build. Once a couple of people had an idea of what was going on and how to get things going, that attracted more people. Along the way a number of small but 重要な successes (X11 build, VCL bug in 10.1) 与える／捧げるd hope and the sense that something was happening."
LSP: How did you arrange work?
Ed: "We ended up arranging our work just through 接触するing each other by e-mail and instant messaging. We were all 肉親，親類d of doing the same thing, 直す／買収する，八百長をするing build errors, until the final 押し進める when we just decided what we 手配中の，お尋ね者 to do: come up with installers, 令状 frequently asked questions, etc. With only a few people, it was 比較して 平易な to find hard lines between 仕事s … one person to author it (or program it), and another to proof it (or 実験（する） it). When more people join the 事業／計画（する）, however, it will be 必須の to use a good 共同 道具 such as CollabNet 供給するs. Not only does it 供給する a good way of disseminating （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） outside of a 核心 group, it 供給するs historical 古記録s and 視野s. Without the ability to see what had been written and coded between April and September, I wouldn't have been able to get up to 速度(を上げる） on the 事業／計画（する） as quickly as I have."
Dan: "I think the biggest problem that 直面するd the 事業／計画（する） up until about February 02 was the 組織の 面. There was no one person in 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of the port and so no one had a sense of organization. Everyone felt like they were about the only person working on the thing and that there was so much to do. But now with Ed 存在 the 名目上の 事業／計画（する） 長，率いる, there's more of an idea of how the 事業／計画（する） is going and what's going on.
"There is no formal to-do or 責任／義務 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）. People 基本的に just volunteer to work on something. This of course means there is duplication of 成果／努力 in some areas, but there are still not that many people working and there's lots to do. Besides, more people looking at a piece of code or a build error means more people with ideas on how to 直す／買収する，八百長をする it. During the ramp-up to WWDC there were about 4 or 5 people who were part of the 核心 Mac OS X/Darwin team who were working on stuff and a couple of people inside Sun [and CollabNet] who were on the marketing part. It was hectic and a bit unorganized but it was a lot of fun and people just kept stepping up to make sure the 職業 got done. Stuff gets done because people volunteer to do it, not because 責任／義務 gets 施し物d out. And because they volunteer, I think they have more of an active 利益／興味 in getting it done, and are more likely to do a better 職業, because they want to. Since there were only a couple of people working, it was 公正に／かなり 平易な to 組織する stuff 非公式に, but this will get harder over time as more people join."
LSP: And how was the group formed?
Ed: "Things formed just from people looking at the websites 利用できる on OpenOffice.org and through e-mailing each other on the dev@porting 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）. There was never any 公式の／役人 組織の 成果／努力, just a bunch of guys who were 利益／興味d enough to plod through the very raw and incorrect 初めの 構成要素 up on the websites, 訂正するing it for each other, and starting to help others get on board quickly. We've continued that style of 成果／努力, and hopefully we're making the 入ること／参加（者） curve for the 事業／計画（する） a lot easier for newcomers."
Dan: "Like Ed says again, people just got 利益／興味d, made 接触する with other people who were also 利益／興味d, and started asking questions. Those with some answers to give stepped up, and people stuck with it. Those who tried and didn't stick with it probably got discouraged because there was no 批判的な 集まり of people to work out things with—not enough people who knew what was going on. We hope they come 支援する now: we need them.
"There was also a big discussion earlier this year about whether to fork a separate 事業／計画（する） for the OS X port or whether to keep it in the porting one. We could have had a separate mailing 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） just for Mac OS X, but we decided to stick within the porting 事業／計画（する） since that was easiest and 保証（人）d easier 接近 to other developers who knew what we did not (i.e., general OpenOffice.org stuff and not just Mac)."
LSP: に向かって the end, the group was working tightly and somewhat in secrecy; at least not all of the communications were out in dev@porting. What 影響 did that have on your group?
Ed: "A lot of 問題／発行するs that we 直面するd （機の）カム 支援する to a 欠如（する） of time. 存在 able to 簡単に IM [instant message] each other when we were 利用できる or communicate off-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） 許すd us to really concentrate on what we needed to do: code. It unfortunately takes time to answer people's questions on mailing 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）s and help newcomers to the 事業／計画（する）, and we 簡単に didn't have the time. As more people join us, we'll be able to divide our 成果／努力s so someone can spend the time to continually update our website and 答える／応じる to the community mailing 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）s. With only two to three people working two hours a day in 変化させるing 明言する／公表するs of sobriety and trying to 攻撃する，衝突する a major 最終期限, expending any 成果／努力 away from coding would have not 許すd us to move with such 速度(を上げる）."
Dan: "As of a couple weeks before WWDC, all the important traffic about the OS X/Darwin build was off-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）. It was 肉親，親類d of unfortunate because those few people that did 地位，任命する on dev@porting with questions and who were not on the 私的な 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） didn't know they were out of date, or would be in a week. We couldn't really answer their questions. Anyway, I think the off-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） discussions and communication, while not the best for the port as a whole, did enable the members to get the WWDC build working in a very quick and efficient manner with a 最小限 of static. 加える, the whole 圧力（をかける） thing, where we could not afford to have the general Mac community get all worked up over a developer build and then get subsequently let-負かす／撃墜する when they 人物／姿／数字d out it 現実に was a developer build. I think the off-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） also enabled the people 伴う／関わるd to get to know each other better and to work better as a team to get what needed to be done."
LSP: How long did it take your group to get to this point?
Ed: "We did not have a reproducible build 過程 until に向かって the end of march, and a major bug 妨げるing the OpenOffice.org Writer module from 開始する，打ち上げるing wasn't 直す／買収する，八百長をするd until about the middle of April. It's taken since last April to get this far."
LSP: What was the main つまずくing 封鎖する?
Ed: "Technical difficulties 現在の within Mac OS 10.0.x. When Apple 解放（する）d 10.1.x with 二重の level namespaces, a big roadblock was 除去するd."
LSP: Were there periods when it seemed this 成果／努力 would 落ちる apart?
Ed: "When I started to see the compiler fail on 確かな とじ込み／提出するs that worked on gcc on other 壇・綱領・公約s, I started to think that it might not be possible to make 前進 until Apple 直す／買収する，八百長をするd the compilers to not segfault. Thankfully a few clever people were able to find workarounds for the faults in the 道具s. The next 始める，決める of 開発 道具s from Apple should be a lot better for C++ programs and should solve those problems that we didn't have the 専門的知識 to solve easily."
LSP: Where would you 示唆する people start?
Ed: "I would 示唆する that everyone start by downloading the pre-alpha milestone binary and start playing with it. :) The 量 of time it takes to get up to 速度(を上げる） with the 初期の 収集する is a while, but I hope that seeing how good the 製品 can be will 納得させる people that the 成果／努力 is 価値（がある） it. Also, end 使用者s should start there so they can 証言，証人／目撃する what we may be 有能な of in the 未来.
"The next step is probably to read the roadmap for the port. It shows you (概略で) where we've been, where we are, and what's left to go. Again, the roadmap is just a reflection of what's been discussed by the community of both Mac OS X and 非，不，無-OS X porting developers in the past and is always up for commentary or change. Perhaps if we get enough people to help we could even start putting 可能性のある dates of 完成 on it 同様に …
"After getting a 収集する started from reading the build 指示／教授／教育s, it's probably best to start reading some of the white papers 述べるing the architecture of the program. It's やめる large and is difficult to get a しっかり掴む on without the documentation. Also, it'll help get people familiar with the terminology and acronyms thrown about on the dev 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）s and other sources of （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）.
"There are links to the binary installer at the 最高の，を越す of the Mac porting page, and there's a pointer to the white papers at the 底（に届く）."
Dan:"I'd 示唆する they 調印する up with the Porting 事業／計画（する）, and subscribe to the dev@porting 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）, then follow the build 指示／教授／教育s; and most important, ask questions when things don't work, so we can help. If they just get discouraged and walk off, that doesn't help anybody. But if we can help people see that things can work, then 広大な／多数の／重要な. We need the help.
"I'd like to thank everybody who helped of course, but について言及する Ed 特に, because he's the 名目上の 長，率いる of the 事業／計画（する） and someone had to do it. We can all whine to him when things don't work out and ask him to make it better. But then he'll just tell us to を取り引きする it ourselves and 報告（する）／憶測 支援する how we did."
The new 見解／翻訳／版, OpenOffice.org 1.0 for Mac OS X is 利用できる now. Thanks Ed, Dan, and the 残り／休憩（する） of the Porting 事業／計画（する）.
