Softpanorama, March-April 1997; v.9.No.2(91a) Compiled by N.Bezroukov

Softpanorama Java news

Venture capitalists consider Java startups as a second bet
after Internet network infrastructure

C++ still rules, but Java is strong second

JDK 1.2 will be available this summer

Apple has joined Sun, Netscape Communications and IBM in building the Java Foundation Classes (JFC).

SUN plan to standardize Java while keeping it proprietory status

Oracle Corp. began shipping an upgrade of its Web Developer tool

Microsoft consider J++ to be the most popular development system for Java

Lotus add Java support to Domino 4.6
try to defends Domino against Netscape and Microsoft attacks

Lotus hopes the minor upgrades, dubbed Domino 4.6 and Notes 4.6, will help preserve its position as the market leader even as a growing crowd of competitors attack its groupware turf.

The company plans to ship the software sometime in the third quarter, possibly as early as July, just as chief competitors Microsoft and Netscape Communications prepare their own upgrades, analysts said.

Lotus is betting that the enhancements will keep existing customers loyal until it releases version 5.0 of the Domino server and Notes client late this year, which will further its Internet embrace with additional Java and protocol support.

Lotus outlined three new Web server options, including Lotus Domino 4.6, that has imporoved capabilities for e-commerce and e-publishing tasks. It will be selling for $1,495. Public beta will start in June.

In the third quarter, Lotus also plans to deliver Lotus Domino Mail 4.6, a less powerful package that focuses on messaging. This server also offers news group access and groupware features such real-time conferencing, calendaring and scheduling. It will cost $995 and will enter beta testing at the end of June.

Also slated for the third quarter is a lower-end Web server - the Lotus Go Webserver 5.0. It is designed for building, deploying and maintaining Web sites and will cost $495. A package that includes the Lotus Go Webserver Pro along with tools for Web site creation is priced at $795. The tools include Lotus' Java applet maker, the BeanMachine 1.0, and NetObjects' Fusion 2.01 Web page production tool.

Lotus said today that the series of Web servers will feature support for IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol) and the directory standard LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), and the NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) news reader protocol. Enhanced Java integration means Java applets and agents can now be manipulated using Domino's agent management. The company has also come up with a tool to make it easier to setup and configure servers, allowing administration via a standard Web browser. For security the servers use SSL (Secure Socket Layers) and IBM's x.509 client and server certificates, the company said.

The most important thing about this release is their move to support for the Internet standards.

The most significant change included in the Notes 4.6 client is a new user interface that looks more like a Web browser. This is good move. The Lotus UI became pretty outdated. There wasn't enough of a change in version 4.0, especially given the move to the Web.

Lotus is scrapping the tabs that were the centerpiece of the old user interface. The new look will also debut a single "pane" user interface, instead of the double pane currently used by the Notes client. The new UI will also let users view several applications without leaving the groupware client. The new client will also support POP3 and Java applets.

Improvements to the document library templates will allow Notes 4.6 users to launch programs such as Microsoft's Excel and Word, along with other pieces of the Office 97 suite, from within the Notes client for the first time. Word can be used to compose email instead of the Notes editor. Enhanced ActiveX support allows for closer integration between Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Notes off-line storage and indexing.

Better contact management features will allow people to use the Notes address book, for instance, to address a memo written in Word without leaving the productivity application they are working in.

Notes 4.6 will cost $55 per mail client and $69 per desktop client, the company said.

The Notes client release to follow Notes 4.6 will be Notes 5.0, which will bring some important Internet protocols to the client side when it ships in the fourth quarter. Notes 5.0, formerly code-named Maui, will support IMAP4, LDAP and NNTP. Lotus is working on additional improvements to the client's calendaring and scheduling. Next year they are going to increase the functionality to match the functionality of Organizer. Lotus will add support for Organizer's vCalendar and vCard. The vCard works with a scanner to copy business cards and store them in an electronic Rolodex.