OpenOffice.org probably has over 40 million users. Oh sure we can't count them. We can only estimate. But as of 10 days ago, we had at least so far 49 million binaries downloaded. That does not include binaries distributed via the Linux distributors, alternative servers, CDROMs, or even P2P. It also does not include direct hits to our servers. So the number of users may be far larger or even smaller. But who's counting? Probably only Microsoft, and judging from its market behaviour it sees us as counting a great deal.

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But what makes OpenOffice.org count is the development and the community behind that development. And in the last year, as 2.0 has approached, the community have picked up the pace astonishingly. In the last month, we have been adding hundreds of new issues per week. Child work space (CWS) activity has vastly increased, as has general commit work. I expect the pace will even increase, as more groups and individuals work on OpenOffice.org, because of its increased popularity.

That enduser popularity is global, as is its development. Until recently, we were using a dual license scheme, coupling the LGPL with the SISSL. But with 2.0 RC1, we shall use only the LGPL, no longer the SISSL. That simple change is already having the expected results of strongly encouraging the publishing of modifications. Publishing is not the same as collaboration but it comes close; so close that bridging that little gap makes sense. Thus, KaiOffice, for one, has indicated a willingness to work with us. And I expect that there will be many more shortly. I call upon SOT Office, Magyar Office, RedOffice, and many others to join us: You have nothing to lose.

That's because OpenOffice.org satisfies a global hunger. We now have over 60 language projects, with more forming all the time. Governments, as well as corporations, are looking very seriously at OpenOffice.org 2.0. These governments include not only the small but very important US state of Massachusetts, but also Canadian provinces, as well as many other city, regional and national governments. For instance, the city of Vienna, which switched to OpenOffice.org; or the nation of Brazil, which can boast a strong and powerful government interest and user groups, as well as at least 2 million users.

These governments and corporations want 2.0 not just because it is cheap or free (support and service contracts are not free) but because the OpenDocument format is essentially democratic. It is something we have seen in the last six months: That the OpenDocument format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) OASIS Standard, is the compelling argument used by governments and enterprises. Why? Because its openness means that data created using it--your intellectual property--will remain not only yours but also legible as long as that standard is maintained, if not longer. Proprietary standards, on the other hand, are subject to the whims of the market. Not so open standards. If there is anything that is singularly important about OOo 2.0, then, it would have to be the for Office Applications (OpenDocument) OASIS Standard.