[tdf-announce] Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Dear community, dear users, dear friends and dear colleagues,

the end of the year is approaching with big steps, and it seems that 
2011 passed within just a short glimpse of time. It feels as if it was 
just yesterday that we celebrated New Year's Eve, but looking back at 
all that has happened, it becomes evident that the last 12 months were 
full of activity, and a lot has happened.

We started The Document Foundation and the LibreOffice project in the 
fall of 2010, with big visions, and with high hopes. The first weeks 
have been exciting, they have been thrilling, and we have rarely seen 
such community movement, so many people following the same goal. One of 
our strongest wishes for 2011 has been to keep this incredible momentum. 
Not only did we achieve that, but all the good has even grown, way 
beyond our imagination, and that is something that makes us particularly 
proud.

2011 was the year of our first stable release, and many more were about 
to follow. Today, over 30 million people use LibreOffice in 109 
languages, a software developed by 40 core developers and a total of 
over 300 active developers plus 280 localizers. Probably the biggest 
achievement is the fact that 230 of those developers are totally new, 
have never been contributing code to the free office suite before, and 
were attracted by our open, transparent, meritocratic and inclusive 
community. Over 16.000 mailing list subscribers are on our 100 mailing 
lists, and TDF now counts 138 members. Sponsored and supported by a 
strong and well-balanced Advisory Board, the community is prospering 
more than we ever could hope for.

However, it is not about numbers. It is about the good feeling and every 
single contributor who makes the community to what it is today. 
Especially in times of global communication, it is the human beings that 
make our online and offline lifes to what they are, it is the human 
beings who fill them with life. To us, the community is like a big 
family, with good and personal friends worldwide, people we not only 
share the same passion with, but also a deep personal friendship with 
many of them. Our first annual event, the LibreOffice Conference that 
took place in Paris this October, was not only a successful event and a 
brilliant conference, but even more, it was the meeting of friends, of a 
united family. Thinking back of where we stood one and a half years ago, 
and seeing where we stand now, it still looks like all of you did the 
impossible.

What we have seen up to today is just the beginning, the beginning of 
something exciting, and the beginning of something good. In Paris, we 
announced the next level for LibreOffice, with the work on the Android 
and iOS ports moving forward, and with an exciting browser-based version 
being developed. More and more organizations, corporations and 
governments join our efforts, because they strongly believe in 
LibreOffice being the future for free office suites, and they firmly 
believe in the power of a community so diverse but so united, so global 
but so close together, so polyglot but still speaking the same language, 
like the LibreOffice community.

During this year, we also learned a lot due to the constructive feedback 
we received from many users and the community around the world. We 
listened carefully and we tried to improve things where possible. 
Working together with you, our users, made us stronger and helped to 
make the software and the project even better. This, for sure, is a path 
we will follow also in 2012.

After a successful year, it is time to be thankful for what has been 
achieved, to be proud of the milestones reached, and to take time to 
envision the challenges of the next year.

We all here from The Document Foundation wish you and beloved ones a 
peaceful, joyful and merry holiday season, some silent and relaxed days 
with those close to you, and a happy, successful and blessed new year!

Thank you for all you did for LibreOffice the past 365 days, thank you 
for being with us, and we are looking forward to working with you in the 
next year. A year that, undoubtedly, will be full of surprises, good 
times and major achievements. It is you who made LibreOffice to what it 
is today, because that is what LibreOffice was made for and is made by: 
the community.

The TDF Board of Directors and Membership Committee

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Florian Effenberger <floeff@documentfoundation.org>
Board of Directors at The Document Foundation
Tel: +49 8341 99660880 | Mobile: +49 151 14424108
Skype: floeff | Twitter/Identi.ca: @floeff

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