Software developer Anthony Goubard may be one of the most ambitious DIYers on the planet. How else can you explain it? One man looks across the landscape of productivity suites—from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice to Google Docs—and says: "I'll just make my own." Goubard is behind "Joeffice," an open source office suite written in Java and released under the Apache license. The Netherlands-based developer completed the first release—which can be downloaded and used for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux, or subscribed to as an online version—in only 30 days, chronicling the experience with one video per day during April and May. Joeffice isn't usable as anyone's primary office tool yet, but Goubard (who runs a small software company called Japplis) has big ambitions. He explained his motivations in an e-mail interview with Ars:

Ars: Why is it called "Joeffice"? Goubard: Well, it's an office written in Java, so Java Office was first shortened to JOffice but I found Joeffice more fun as a software name.

Why did you decide to create Joeffice and was it difficult coding the platform in only 30 days? I noticed how easy it is to have more than 30 files opened in a software development tool and how difficult it is to have more than 10 documents opened in an office suite. Having written several Java softwares, I knew Java could bring some new advantages in the office suite landscape. It was easier than I thought it would be. Most days I spent less than eight hours on it. Of course the open source Java libraries help you a lot and then you need to spend your time coding efficiently.

What are the advantages of Joeffice compared to existing open source office suites such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice? Even though it's possible to write a macro in Java for these offices, I think Java developers would be more comfortable developing for Joeffice with standard APIs such as Apache POI or the NetBeans platform. The advantages to Joeffice compared to other office suites is portability thanks to Java and docking windows and tabs for documents thanks to the NetBeans platform. It's also possible to run Joeffice online in the browser as an Applet.

Does Joeffice offer any compatibility with Microsoft Word documents? Yes, Joeffice can open the new Microsoft format documents (.docx, .xslx and .pptx). It can also open old Excel documents (.xls).

Obviously, this is an early version of the product. Which parts and features are most polished? Which parts need work? What changes and additions will you make, and how long do you plan to continue improving the software? I think opening documents is the most polished. For [future development], Joeffice is dependent on improvements on the libraries it is using such as adding support for graphs and pictures in spreadsheets in Apache POI or being able to use the text editor of the NetBeans platform for the word processor. Progress will depend on volunteers willing to improve the software of the used libraries and also on how companies are interested in financing projects related to Joeffice. At the moment to develop a business application, companies have the choice between writing an office macro or a specific application. I think Joeffice offers something in between. With enough support Joeffice has the potential to become a mainstream office suite.

Actually using Joeffice at the moment isn't the most pleasant experience (as I found out after installing it in Windows). Creating the equivalent of a Word document is easy, but I was stymied when I attempted to create a spreadsheet or presentation. There seemed to be no option to create anything but a basic text document. When I asked Goubard how to create documents of different types, he said, 'to create a new document, you need to choose the 'File of type' in the dropdown of the Save dialog (.xslx for spreadsheet, .pptx for presentation), but there is still some progress to do here. I would advise opening an existing document." Saving a file as .xlsx doesn't actually make it look like a spreadsheet. No matter what type you save a file as, it starts out looking like a word processor document:

However, I was able to open a blank spreadsheet document created in Microsoft Word and get all the rows and tables to show up in Joeffice:

This version of Joeffice is labeled an "alpha," meaning that "not all features are supported and that the product is not stable" according to the product website. Building a functioning office suite in just a month is still quite an accomplishment, though, and Goubard seems to be in this for the long haul. "The ultimate goal is to be more productive when opening or editing documents," the website continues. "For example Joeffice has a better window management system, you can easily find documents, add them to favorites, find options or actions." Goubard documented the coding process and sent us screenshots of Joeffice's progress throughout his month of development. There is a little more than one screenshot for each of the 30 days of development—take a look.