LibreOffice has been selected for the ☀ Google Summer of Code! New features will be added to the suite – find out more: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2023/02/23/libreoffice-is-in-the-google-summer-of-code-2023/
@libreoffice please don't sell out to Google like this.
Do you honestly think that Google is your friend?
I was considering donating to LibreOffice, now I guess there is little point since you anyway have the support of Google, and I guess you also get Google giving you advice on your development. You don't need my money, when Google has so much more money to give you.
Perhaps you also don't care about my opinion when you have Google's opinion, Google is so much more powerful.
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@eliasr We're not "selling out" anything, or "getting advice on development" – this is a programme to help students to work on projects that we choose, to improve LibreOffice. It's nothing like what you're describing...
@libreoffice Thanks for answering.
I just don't get it. Look at what Google is, their whole business is based on exploiting people, in large part using "free" things that are not really free but paid for with invasion of privacy.
Look at "Google Docs" that is dominating so hugely in the world today, the idea being that Google tracks your every move when editing a document. This is totally opposed to the freedom that I want, and the freedom that I want to believe that LibreOffice wants.
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@libreoffice it is obvious that the situation today with "Google Docs" and so on is bad for people's freedom and bad for the independence of individuals. People should be using free software on their own terms, instead of being exploited by Google.
I would expect LibreOffice to be able to say so, but when you associate with Google I guess you will not say it, you will pretend like Google is good because Google gives you money.
Do you honestly not see the problem here?
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@libreoffice Thanks again for answering.
As for what "Google Summer of Code" actually is, for me it's quite clear that it is a very successful PR stunt on the part of Google.
The cost for Google is negligible, after all it's a trillion-dollar company.
The benefit for Google, on the other hand, is substantial: they get LibreOffice (and Debian, GNOME, KDE and others) saying essentially "Google is good", you are communicating that "Google is good" through your own channels.
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This is worth a lot for Google. Google can say: "look, Google is working together with the free software commmunity, they like Google".
To make a comparison, it's like Greta Thunberg joining a promotional conference for a big oil company. The oil company would love to have her there, it would be very helpful for their greenwashing efforts. But Greta would not go there, she knows better. She knows that a big oil company is fundamentally against what she stands for.
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Google is not good.
The size of that company and the power they have in the world today is frightening.
Don't help Google polish their image.
Having said all of the above, let me add that I really appreciate LibreOffice, LibreOffice is great, I really like LibreOffice and that's why it hurts so much to see you teaming up with Google. I really wish you wouldn't.
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@eliasr Google isn't giving us money in the Summer of Code. We understand your concerns, but you seem to have a very different picture of what this programme actually is...