Implementing module to creating document thumbnail, displayed on the whiteboard, without using OpenOffice.org, as mandatory dependency. Project Apache OpenMeetings

Name: Dmitry Zamula

Email: club.brantner@gmail.com

Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia, GMT +4:00

My goal is to improve Apache OpenMeetings performance by implementing a system of posting documents on the whiteboard, without using OpenOffice. Document generation process will accelerate and users will be freed from the need to install OO.org.

To generate a thumbnail, I plan to use Apache POI. This will allow conversion of “.doc and .xls” to XSL-FO, and then to PDF (I understand that POI converters to XSL-FO are relatively new features, and I am ready to possible bugs). For “.ppt and .pptx” formats I will use PPT2PNG and PPTX2PNG utilities (parts of Apache POI). For a “.docx and .xlsx” I would like to use docx4j library.

I think that Apache OpenMeetings will have great benefits from this project, such as:

• Increase of the system performance in tasks of conversion of users-loaded documents;
• Reduction of the size of the distribution package (no need for OpenOffice);
• Simplified installation for user.

I want to implement this project, because now, I have to use commercial systems for meetings (GoToMeeting), and I plan to switch from them to OpenMeetings. So, I would like to take part in development and improvement of this project.

Tentative timeline:

April — May 21

Studying of Apache POI and docx4j, understanding the code of OpenMeetings.

22 May - 4 June

Dealing with the build system of OpenMeetings. Then, I plan to create and integrate a module, that allows to select a method of thumbnail creation (OpenOffice will be removed only at the end of the project).

June 5 - June 18

The first implementation of the converter of “.ppt and .pptx” that uses PPT2PNG and PPTX2PNG.

June 19 - July 2

Implementation of the converter of “.doc and .xls” to PDF via XSL-FO. In the presence of converter bugs, fix them. WordToFOConverter and ExcelToFOConverter will be used.

July 3 - July 16

Working with .docx and .xlsx. Passage of Mid-review.

July 17 - July 30

Removing OpenOffice and its dependencies.

August

Bug fixing (in case of occurrence). Cleaning the code, taking some notes, and preparing to merge. Final testing.

All programming-tasks include testing and documenting.

I understand how important systems like that for developers and companies, and I want to contribute to development of such open source system. My work will increase system performance in general and remove the necessity to install the additional software (OpenOffice).

About me

I'm on my fifth year of information technologies at the National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics of St. Petersburg. I'm 21, and I adapt to new things and technologies very quickly. I have one year experience in commercial developments at EPAM Systems Company. I am familiar with Java and surrounding technology (Spring, EJB, Hibernate etc.). I have experience of working with other people’s code. I also write some code in my spare time:

• Project of computer vision utility, that detects the direction of moving objects - my attempt to create software Kinect =) (http://trackinger.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/trackinger/ )
• Clonezilla + Linux-parted wrapper, GUI and image management system (http://sourceforge.net/p/clonezillagui/code/7/tree/trunk/ )

I am interesting in improving Apache OpenMeetings, because I want to use this product in my developer-life.