IBM Lotus SmartSuite, once a major player in the office software market, deserves a second life as an open-source project. In the 1990s, SmartSuite was a formidable competitor to Microsoft Office, offering applications like Lotus 1-2-3 (spreadsheet), Word Pro (word processor), Approach (database), Freelance Graphics (presentations), and Organizer (personal information manager). It was known for its innovative features and user-friendly interface.

While IBM discontinued SmartSuite, its legacy and underlying code hold immense potential. By open-sourcing it, we can:

• Provide a valuable alternative to existing open-source office suites: While LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice are excellent, SmartSuite's unique features and history could offer a fresh perspective and drive innovation.
• Preserve software history: SmartSuite represents a significant era in software development. Open-sourcing it would allow developers and enthusiasts to study and build upon its codebase.
• Foster community-driven development: An open-source SmartSuite could attract a dedicated community of developers, leading to improvements, bug fixes, and new features.
• Offer legacy file support: Many users still have files created with SmartSuite applications. Open-sourcing it would ensure continued access and compatibility.

Let's urge IBM to release Lotus SmartSuite under an open-source license. Sign this petition to bring this powerful software back to life and contribute to a more diverse and vibrant open-source ecosystem!

The code base has probably not been touched for around 20 years, but it is not too late yet to save it. There are still a lot of people around who are able to port 90s/00s Win32-Applications to a modern codebase, but this knowledge will vanish during the upcoming decades.