Desktop collaboration software options for the Linux platform will get a boost when IBM releases its Lotus Notes on Linux product on July 24.
Arthur Fontaine, IBM Lotus’ senior offering manager, told eWEEK that this is the industry’s first business-grade collaboration software to support Linux on the desktop.
Now the millions of Lotus Notes users across the world will have access to software that allows an open desktop alternative to proprietary desktop operating systems, Fontaine said.
“This product is very important to our customers. We have had the server version available since 1998, but with the growing interest in the Linux desktop, we have had a lot of customer demand for this,” he said.
IBM will deliver this product, its first mainstream business application for the Linux desktop, using the platform-independent Eclipse development environment, and all applications built in this environment will also work with future versions of Notes for the Windows and Macintosh platforms, according to Fontaine.
There is a growing base of Linux users, and this product will let them run Lotus Notes on Linux similar to the way they run the technology on Windows or Macintosh. The underlying technology is based on the Eclipse open-source framework and is the same technology to be used in the upcoming version of Lotus Notes, code-named ‘Hannover,’ ” he said.
IBM Lotus Notes on Linux, now available as part of Notes Version 7, supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 3, with support for Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 to be delivered to customers within 90 days.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: IBM to Debut Lotus Notes on Linux
