And yet more "good news", "bad news" reporting to keep the analysts at bay...
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Novell's GroupWise 5.1 to
tackle the World Wide Web
By Amy Doan
InfoWorld Electric
Posted at 8:07 AM PT, Dec 2, 1996
Novell's usually quiet groupware division will get vocal at Internet
World 96 in New York next week, where it will detail GroupWise
5.1 that sports several Internet enhancements.
Novell is readying two upgrades to 5.0, which shipped on Oct. 15.
The first phase will add support for Internet messaging standards,
including POP3, Novell officials said.
The second phase will incorporate Jefferson, an eagerly awaited Web
data library enhancement. The Jefferson project, code-named after
the U.S. president who thought up the public library system, will
provide tools that maintain a library of GroupWise documents on
intranets or external Web sites.
For example, an author's updates to a corporate document will be
automatically synchronized with the Web library version. Users will
also be able to request documents in the library via full-text or URL
searches.
Analysts liked Novell's innovative approach with the library model.
"It gives GroupWise a real edge on [Lotus] Notes, which lacks a
document-locking mechanism and check-in or check-out features,"
said Dave Marshak, an analyst at Patricia Seybold Group, in Boston.
Novell's GroupWise is currently the groupware market share leader,
ahead of Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. But the product's
stronghold is beginning to loosen, according to industry experts.
Analysts said Novell's delay in communicating plans for Web
enhancements to GroupWise has cost the company market
awareness in the wake of Netscape's crashing of the groupware and
messaging party.
"Despite having a solid product and tight integration with NetWare
and Novell Directory Services, Novell has suddenly found itself the
No. 4 player in terms of Web mind share," said Bob Lewin, an
analyst at Dataquest, in San Jose, Calif. "That means for many sites,
[they're] not even in the consideration set, even though one of the top
three [Netscape] doesn't have a deliverable product yet."
GroupWise's faithful followers are not worried.
"It's easier to deploy than any other product on the market, and the
Jefferson upgrade will add even more value," said Gary Pinder,
informatics manager at the Federal Court of Canada, in Ottawa.
Upgrades to 5.1 will be offered to 5.0 users via a free download from
Novell's Web site in stages beginning in February.
Novell Inc. in Orem, Utah, can be reached at
novell.com.
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Joe... |
