Re: [tdf-discuss] I like the name LibreOffice

Le 2010-10-11 16:36, Jon Hamkins a écrit :
> On 10/07/2010 04:16 AM, Jean Hollis Weber wrote:
> > If I have to explain to someone what "LibreOffice" means, it's easy:
> > "Libre means free, as in liberty or freedom."
> >
> > If I have to explain what "OpenOffice.org" means, it's a much bigger
> > problem, even without the complication of the ".org" part. Most people
> > have never heard of "open source" or "open standards" or "open" anything
> > else.
>
> This post just doesn't resonate with me at all. To explain what
> LibreOffice means, first I have to explain what libre means, because it
> isn't an English word. It's as easy to explain as any other foreign
> word, I suppose, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.
>
> On the other hand, I don't have to explain OpenOffice.org, because it's
> already in the lexicon -- 300 million people have already downloaded it.
> For those that haven't, they at least already know what "open" means,
> and it's easy to explain how that relates to the software. Also, people
> who know about "open source" instantly recognize from the name its
> similarity to other open tools such as openssh, openldap, openvpn, etc.
> -- in the same way that the prefix "gnu" indicates something about
> gnuplot, gnucash, and gnupg.
>
> A good chunk of the posts on this mailing list, and in comments to
> stories on TDF announcement, are about the choice of the name, how to
> pronounce it, etc. Slashdot comments were particularly harsh, and fairly
> universal, in their dislike for the name:
>
> http://developers.slashdot.org/story/10/09/28/143204/OpenOfficeorg-Declares-Independence-From-Oracle-Becomes-LibreOffice
>
> http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1801996&cid=33722340
> http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1801996&cid=33725276
>
> I'm not going to let my disappointment in the name damper my enthusiasm
> of the project, which is strong. I'm talking up the project to friends
> and family, even. Others are in the same boat. This shouldn't be
> confused with *liking* the name.
>
> ----Jon

Hi Jon:

Unfortunately, we do not have the statistical data for this. If we did 
have statistical data telling us the number of downloads based on 
languages and country destination, it would then be easier to make the 
statement that explaining the word "Libre" is more difficult to explain 
than "Open" if the majority of downloads were for English speaking 
users. If for example, the majority of downloads were done for 
latin-based lanuguages, then the word "Libre" is of no consequence and 
perhaps better representative of the suite than the word "Open" -- the 
word "Open" in this case would be more difficult to explain than the 
word "Libre".

So, without any statistical data to base it on, it is most likely not 
correct to make sweeping statements that "Libre" is difficult to 
pronounce and explain and the reverse is also true, that "Open" is 
difficult to pronounce and explain.

It is obvious that the pronunciation/explanation issues may be difficult 
for some languages whereas easy for others.

You can view listings of the "most popular spoken languages spoken on 
earth" at sites just as this 
(http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/most_spoken_languages.htm). * 
Note --- chart statistics on different sites may vary a little bit, but 
the overall ranking is similar. The bottom line is that there are just 
more non-English speaking countries in the world and I don't really know 
of these, how many the word "Libre" would easily understood. Latin based 
languages, again, "Libre" is clearly well understood.

My personal opinion is that "Libre" is more representative of the 
understanding behind the "LibreOffice" philosophy, but that "OpenOffice" 
at this point does have the marketing advantage of the brand.

Marc


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