Microsoft and Sourcesense Partner to Contribute to Open Source, Apache POI to Support Office Open XML File Formats

25/03/2008 20:01

PR Newswire

REDMOND, Washington and MILAN, Italy, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --
- Companies to collaborate on the development of open source solutions for the Microsoft Office product suite.

Microsoft Corp and Sourcesense, a leading European open source systems integration consultancy, today announced that the two companies will collaborate on the strategy, development and deployment of open source solutions for the Microsoft Office product suite.
One of the initial goals of the partnership is contributing to the development of a new version of Apache POI, a top-level project of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Widely used in financial services and critical enterprise applications across related sectors, Apache POI is a leading open source file format reader and writer to create, edit and read Microsoft Office formats used in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Visio.
Apache POI is a Java application programming interface (API) used to access and manage Microsoft Office binary formats, and can be easily applied to today's billions of binary format documents by alleviating the need for complex programming and/or reverse engineering. Because Apache POI libraries are used in numerous open source projects, developing future libraries to support the Ecma Office Open XML File Formats (the default file format in the 2007 Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint products) will play an important role in new interoperability scenarios where XML-based standard formats will be key for Office documents.
"Donating code to an established, consensus-driven organisation such as the Apache Software Foundation benefits both our customers and the open source community at large," said Sam Ramji, senior director of Platform Technology Strategy at Microsoft. "By helping contribute to new Apache solutions, we are putting our intentions into action, and giving back to this dynamic community. We're excited to work with Sourcesense, whose experience in catalysing Apache technologies and open development practices makes it the ideal partner."
"Apache POI support for Open XML is compelling. It makes it easier to integrate, manage and deploy across the enterprise, and opens up valuable user contributions and feedback - an essential step to the interoperability and adoption of many collaboratively developed technologies," said Gianugo Rabellino, CEO of Sourcesense. "Microsoft's participation with the Apache community reinforces its commitment to bridging open standards with Open Source. Through our SHARE methodology, companies are able to more efficiently introduce, control and manage Open Source technology across their organisation. The timing is perfect, and we're thrilled to be a part of this important milestone."
Apache POI support for Open XML is currently in development within the Apache Software Foundation; its first release is anticipated during the second quarter of 2008. Code contributions are made by ASF members and committers (developers authorised to "commit" or "write" code, patches or documentation to the ASF repository), and overseen by the Apache POI Project Management Committee (PMC).
A half-day training session on how to use Apache POI, led by Nick Burch, Apache POI PMC Chair, will be held at ApacheCon Europe in Amsterdam, Netherlands, taking place 7-11 April 2008. Those interested can visit http://eu.apachecon.com/ for training details and registration. The community is welcome to participate by joining Apache POI mailing lists, submitting bug fixes, writing documentation and more. Downloads, documentation, participation and community information can be found at http://poi.apache.org.

About Sourcesense
Sourcesense is Europe's leading Open Source systems integrator. Founded in 2006 as a merger of three consultancies specialising in Open Source implementation, configuration, and support, Sourcesense provides enterprise-grade solutions around key Open Source technologies. From Global Fortune 100 corporations to cutting-edge multimedia start-ups, Sourcesense clients rely on the company's deep expertise in Open Source, with proven success in integration, innovation, and strategic advice on creating and sustaining competitive advantage by leveraging the latest industry developments. Sourcesense team members are highly regarded as long-term contributors to numerous prominent organisations in the Open Source community, including numerous projects and emerging initiatives currently in incubation at The Apache Software Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.sourcesense.com/

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 16,000 people in over 64 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in more than 139 countries and territories.

This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for other purposes. Microsoft Corp shall not, at any time, be liable for any special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting any kind of warranty.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com

Note to the editors: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070, emearesponse@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft; or Sally Khudairi of HALO Worldwide, +1-617-921-8656, sk@haloworldwide.com, for Sourcesense. NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft in EMEA, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/emea or the EMEA Press Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at the time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact the appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/contactus.mspx. If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft Corp, please visit the Microsoft web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO, AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org, PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com