IBM gearing up to tie together collaboration pieces

New development tools planned for users and to ease Web app development

By John Fontana , Network World , 01/17/2008

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IBM next week will spend less time at its annual Lotusphere conference introducing new products and more time upgrading and aligning the pieces of its current software portfolio with real-time communications, collaboration, social networking and composite applications.

The company's annual Lotusphere show in Orlando (Jan. 21-24), which has been attracting more and more attendees over the past few years after several smaller editions, will focus on educating users on 2007's glut of new products.

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The intent is to show users how Notes/Domino, especially the 8.0 version released in August, and Sametime 8.0 (shipped in December) integrate with software and Web 2.0 tools IBM pumped out in 2007 including, Lotus Quickr (file sharing/team spaces), Lotus Connections (social networking) and Lotus Symphony (text editor/spreadsheet/graphics).

Pushing the portfolio
IBM/Lotus last year set its communications and collaboration table with the release of Notes 8, Sametime 8, Connections, Symphony and a handful of other software. This year, it is time to get Notes users to come to the table, and non-Notes users to come take a look.

Related Content

IBM/Lotus portfolio	What is it	What's to learn	Availability
Lotus Notes/Domino 8	Latest version, new open frame-work client key to integrating other applications with Notes.	Best of both worlds, the old Notes applications and the ability to run software components.	Shipped August 2008
Lotus Sametime	Real-time communications platform that shares client framework with Notes based on Lotus Expeditor and Eclipse.	More versions coming that include integration with PBXs and IBM productivity applications.	Now. Advanced version in early 2008; Unified Telephony version, Symphony integration midyear
Lotus Connections	Integrated bundle of social networking tools that works with Notes/Sametime client.	New versions of tools released last year.	Early 2008
Lotus Quickr	File sharing and team workspace software.	New connector for Notes 8, Microsoft Outlook; and Quickr Content Integrator for moving files between servers.	Quickr 8.1 slated for release in January
Lotus Symphony	Productivity applications.	How they integrate with Notes, Sametime and social networking tools.	Beta now. Enterprise version in 2008
Development tools	IBM's palette of tools for rapid applications development.	Lotus Designer headed for Eclipse framework; new tools for composite application develop-ment and for users to assemble pre-built components.	Slated to be delivered with LotusNotes/Dom-ino 8.5 by midyear

Click to see: A list of Lotus/IBM's portfolio

In addition, IBM plans to upgrade and plug holes in its development tools lineup, including introduction of a version of Domino Designer based on Eclipse, and new tools to ease Web application development and a series of simple tools based on platforms such as portal to aid users in stitching together pre-built software components.

And IBM plans to introduce APIs that will let developers more easily integrate Lotus Symphony productivity applications into the rest of the Lotus software portfolio much the same way Microsoft has tied Office to its communications and collaboration platform.