StarOffice code online
Sun Microsystems has posted the source code for it StarOffice suite, allowing software developers to collaborate with Sun's in-house developers to create new features for the office productivity software.
StarOffice is a set of applications Sun Microsystems gained through the acquisition of Germany's Star Division in August 1999, an attempt to compete with Microsoft's dominating word processing and spreadsheet programs.
The code has been made available via the www.openoffice.org Web site, but has so far been hampered by excess demand, with many developers experiencing delays when attempting to download the nine million lines of code.
The code has been released under the General Public License, as well as under the Sun Industry Standard Source License for those developers who want to release a commercial application under the StarOffice brand.
Game developers meet
The Australian Game Developers Conference is being held in Melbourne early next month to showcase the talents of game developers and new technologies from game system vendors.
Innovators in gaming are encouraged to attend the conference, at the Melbourne Exhibition and Conference Centre between the 3rd and 5th of November, to share ideas and gain exposure (or perhaps investment) for products under development.
Keynote speakers at the conference will include Seamus Blackley, developer of Microsoft's X-Box, Brendan McNamara of the Sony PlayStation2 development team and Intel's Kim Pallister, who will be presenting a sneak preview of the upcoming Pentium 4 chip.
Organisers claim that the global industry for game development is valued at $US20 million annually.
Web ratings house goes OS
Internet Ratings Company Red Sheriff, currently based in Melbourne, has announced it is relocating its headquarters to the US.
Red Sheriff developed some unique Internet ratings technology that has become an international success, with clients in over 23 countries. Subsequently, the company has decided to spend some of its recent $35 million of funding to call New York home.
The company had originally planned an IPO on the Australian Stock Exchange, but the move to New York is likely to see the company list on the Nasdaq instead. Red Sheriff marketing director Viv Feyen said that the US is a market with a large amount of resources and a Nasdaq listing is necessary to gain a share.
But while the management is shifting overseas, the technology that made Red Sheriff a success will continue to be developed in Melbourne.