Suggestion: IBM should build a free (unmanaged) Workplace client
by Volker Weber
Let's assume for a minute, that a Workplace Managed Client is something insanely great. This piece of software will only be available to customers who set up the necessary servers. As I understand the magic will be that you can manage all of your desktops from this server. A capability that saves IBM customers real money. Now let's take management out of this client and make it available for free.
I am not talking about the Eclipse RCP which is available to anybody to build great applications with. What I am talking about is a real client, that everybody could use right away. It should only use open and standardized protocols. Use the excellent design work done for the Workplace Managed Client. Here is a list of capabilities:
- Mail: Talk to any POP3 and IMAP server and manage mail on the client or the server, send outgoing messages via SMTP, including connections protected by SSL/TLS
- Calendar: Manage calendars in the iCal format, subscribe to public iCal calendars and publish your own calendars via FTP and WebDAV
- Intant Messaging: Connect to any XMPP server, including Google Talk
- Contacts: Manage addresses in vCard files, integrate mail and instant messaging adresses and make them available to the other components
- Productivity applets: Let users work with office documents, preferably but not necessarily limited to the Open Document format
- RSS reader: 'nuf said
- Connectivity: Open up APIs especially in calendar and address book, so that people can extend the client to sync data with mobile devices
Once this client is built and released, people can go wild extending it with desktop wikis, mindmap components, blog editors, music libraries, Flickr frontends ... Use your imagination.
And if customers want the real thing, they can turn to IBM and buy Workplace. Users would like it because they already used it at home.
OK, this would not be free for IBM to build. But there is some money to be saved by not rebranding products every other year. Should be enough to pay for this development.
How does that sound?
Comments
It sounds really great. But after the short and unsuccessful story of "Lotus Notes PE", I don't trust IBM to do it "right". :-)
I would second that suggestion! And the rules of the game have changed anyway. Notes PE was just a name for a Lotus Notes licence. What vowe is suggesting is based on open standards and open source.
Could become an eclipse top level project: Eclipse Desktop. It would solve a number of additional problems for software vendors:
Once Eclipse Desktop is available installation of a new application can be handled by the update manager, thus opening a new potential for Rich Client application mesh-ups.
The question: who in IBM needs to pick up the idea?
:-) stw
What about the designer client? Microsoft is giving the .net express IDEs (vb,c#,c++,asp) away free for one year from the release date last year. After that they will be $49. Anyone can download them. I would like to the same offer for Workplace designer with a free limited use Workplace server or better yet, add a local testing stack like Domino Designer.
Here is it graphically:
MS-->Developer $0.0
IBM-->Local IBM partner/rep-->Customer Company-->Developer $nnn.00
You can't win if you're not in the game.
Add synchronization over multiple desktops and this sounds like a fantastic and absolutely unique application.
Very nice idea.
But not limited to be open in regards to server communications.
It would also be nice to extend the provided platform to develop your own plugins that access all the PIM stuff. For example it is a real pain to have 300 different address books, so it would be nice to access this kind of stuff from the platform. It wouldn't really matter if there is a local store of vcards (for the "personal edition") or a directory server providing the actual data.
The same holds true for easy access to instant messaging etc.
This would lower the barrier to provide useful plugins with specific, possibly very narrow, context. It could also provide the soil for an eco system with small software developers providing functionality to small groups of users. And this small or specific plugins will make the platform as a whole more valueable. This added value can then also be tapped by IBM.
Brilliant. This would end the nightmare within the Sunbird, Webcalendar, Thunderbird, LDAP addressbook and Palm universe.
Where can I download it?
Although I like the idea, it also is a a wish list for the Mozilla projects and Chandler maybe combined with beefed up GoogleMail and/or collaboration services like OpenGroupware/PHPGroupware/EGroupWare/PHProject...
"Ein runder Gedanke, der evtl. nicht in quadratische Köpfe passt". You get the point...
Intant Messaging: Connect to any XMPP server, including Google Talk
How about SIP/SIMPLE?
That is not a protocol used by any instant messaging server to connect clients.
What would this client have to do with either Notes or Workplace? Nothing. Its then just Eclipse used for a desktop instead of a development tool. A few plug ins (which are probably already out there individually) and you could do this now.
It might or might not make a nice client -- but to what end?
Taking my comment above further -- you already have desktops capable of doing all those things. They are Windows, KDE/Gnome/X windows du jour, Mac OSX desktop (whatever they call it).
In each of those, you have the ability to plug in the tools for each of the services/applications you list. You have the wiring and protocols to tie them together. You have (in all but windows) reasonable securing between the applications.
What you're describing is just another desktop to live in. What value is there in layering another OS desktop on top of the desktop I have now?
@3 ... realise what MS is giving away ... stand-alone dev tools that work stand-alone (vb, c#, C++) or require a server (asp, etc). They do not include the Visual Studio Tools for MS Office or any of the enterprise stuff. Does not include the new Sharepoint Designer or the tools to do Groove development. The license also prohibts resale (I believe, not sure if they changed it) of code written in those apps.
IBM is doing the same with Eclispe. You can build applications/portlets/etc in Eclipse that will run in Eclipse, Workplace, and soon Hannover for free. Its open arms. Things that require a product (like Domino Designer for Domino and Workplace Designer for Workplace and Hannover) are not applicable to the open market.
I think IBM is doing great supporting Eclipse and we should not forget that. Now, if they would just look at some of the best features of VS.Net and 'borrow' them i would be really happy :)
FYI - The Workplace Designer 2.6 Trial version is available NOW here.
WSE 2.5.1 is also available as a trial version.
Chris
Great idea. I've contended for a long time that Workplace is not competition for Microsoft as much as it's competition for online public portal tools by Yahoo, Google, and many other small players like goowy.com, etc., who will prevail by doing exactly what you describe. IBM would be wise to do this.
Volker - I think it is a fantastic idea...
Any platform
Any interface
Any time..
I like it
