Lotus Development has launched Release 5 of Lotus Notes, Domino and Domino Designer, the latest version of its products for information management, messaging, collaboration and Web application development.
"The R5 products, conceived with the qualities and capabilities of the Internet in mind, will enable users to find, act upon and share information, further improving communication among groups, organisations and people everywhere," says Steve Dunbar , marketing manager for Lotus SA.
"Lotus will yet again deliver a platform that includes capabilities to serve as a foundation for high-value Knowledge Management, customer relationship management, value-chain integration and business process re-engineering solutions.
"We believe R5 will usher in a new generation of messaging and collaboration solutions to bring innovativ companies where they need to be, today and in the future, - he says.
Worldwide momentum and demand for Notes and Domino have grown steadily throughout the year, with the total installed base of Notes users growing to more than 34 million, exceeding Lotus growth goals for 1998.
"Unlike other products, which can require a "rip-and-replace investment and a single-platform commitment, Lotus R5 products will allow organisations to build on their current investments by exploiting their existing infrastructures and using familiar tools and skills, says Dunbar.
With this release, Lotus is creating a client that functions as a standalone, integrated e-mail, calendaring, group scheduling and Web information management tool that is easy to use and completely customisable.
Notes R5 will allow users to work in a familiar environment based on a browser-like navigation model, with the added flexibility of Notes.
Key new features and benefits included in the shipping version of Notes R5 will include:
Notes R5 Headlines
Notes R5 Welcome Page
Information Management
New Messaging Functions
New Calendar Options
Support for All Standards-Compliant Web Servers
Enhanced Integration with productivity software suites
- a start page within the client lets users create a personalised page, bringing together information from a variety of sources, both within the corporate intranet and the Web;
- this tool gives users quick access to the applications they use most frequently. The Welcome Page minimises end-user training by providing an easy way for users to get acclimated to Notes R5;
- enhancements to the user interface, including the Navigation Bar, Bookmarks and Window Tabs make it easy to track the information users work with in Notes;
- new functions include redesigned mail interface including personalised mail headers, type-down addressing, HTML content, automatic spell checking and S/MIME support;
- improvements to calendaring and scheduling, which include group calendar views and resource management, enable organisations to manage meetings and track progress online;
- with the addition of standard protocol and content support, Notes R5 becomes a tool for users of any mail system as well as Domino; and
- Notes R5 contains built-in document libraries with workflow that integrate with Lotus SmartSuite and Microsoft Office.
Key enhancements to Domino R5 include:
Improved scalability and performance - Domino R5 databases are architected for unlimited size with certification for 64 gigabytes, and Domino"s LDAP directory now supports more than one million registered users;
Increased reliability - Domino R5 provides 24x7 reliability with transactional logging, online compaction, online and incremental backup, and clustering for Notes clients and browsers;
Easier manageability - the task-oriented interface provides an immediate, hierarchical view of multiple domains for simple administration, automates the steps associated with frequent tasks such as moving users for increased productivity and provides built-in monitoring for proactive deployment optimisation;
Most secure infrastructure - fully integrated Public Key Infrastructure with support for X.509 certificates, S/MIME, CDSA and SSL ensures secured access and interoperability for messaging and Web applications;
Easier Search - Domain Search in Domino R5 increases user productivity through faster and easier knowledge discovery; and
Broad integration with enterprise systems - customers can integrate Web-based workflow and collaboration with an array of enterprise systems including ERP, relational database and transaction processing systems through Lotus Domino Connectors.
The new enhancements to the integrated development environment in Domino Designer R5 and support for content design, business logic scripting and procedural development tools, allow organisations to rapidly build applications that connect enterprise data with strategic processes.
The toolset in Domino Designer R5 includes a set of visual tools which support a range of Web-standard scripting and programming languages including Java and JavaScript.
"Lotus designed the R5 products with complete backward compatibility to minimise the period of coexistence required to upgrade from Release 4.x and ensure that the upgrade will proceed without disruptions," says Dunbar.
Lotus Notes R5 will be available for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Macintosh PowerPC platforms.
Domino R5 will be available for Windows NT 4.0 (Intel and Alpha), IBM AIX, HP-UX, Sun Solaris (SPARC and Intel), IBM OS/2 Warp Server 4, IBM AS/400 and IBM S/390. Domino Designer R5 will be available for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Macintosh PowerPC platforms.
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