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Gold/Mining/Energy : Sideware Systems - SYD.u/V, SDWSF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Larry Pritchett who wrote (2905)	4/7/1998 9:34:00 AM
From: Steven Godfrey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6076

Lotus in acquisition talks. Here's the direct link: zdnet.com Lotus Development Corp. is in talks with three companies to acquire technologies it said are critical to the next version of its trademark Notes groupware product. Steve Lewis, director of Notes strategy, said the final version of Notes 5.0, due this fall, is very much dependent on the success of those talks. "The version that we demonstrated at Lotusphere [in January] probably represents only 20 percent of what we'll be packing into the final product," he said, noting the software's interface has already taken on a much more Web-like interface than the one demonstrated during the show. "We have three acquisitions under way in critical areas, so we're having to phase some things in as those deals are done," he added. Lewis would not reveal the companies but said one area involves real-time collaboration. He said one deal should be signed in a "matter of days." Real-time collaboration software lets users see who is online and initiate a chat session. The applications are sometimes referred to as "Net buddy lists" or "people browsers," and often include white boards for sharing drawings and applications. Leaders in the field include iChat Inc., a Lotus business partner; Activerse Inc. with its Ding! Switchboard software; and Mirabilis Ltd. with its ICQ ("I Seek You") software. Activerse confirmed last week it is in play, not only with an offer from Lotus, but also with offers from Sun Microsystems Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp. Kelly Looney, vice president of marketing at Activerse, said the suitors suddenly increased their affection for Activerse a month ago, when Microsoft Corp. snapped up Flash Communications, a Boston start-up founded by eight Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer science graduates. Microsoft plans to add the Flash Communicator instant messaging software to future versions of its Exchange Server and Office suite. Eric Brown, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said Lotus and parent IBM Corp. likely will grab Activerse because its Ding! software is all-Java, allowing it to be easily incorporated into Notes and a variety of Java devices. Speculation also centers on Adaptive Media Inc., which specializes in systems to deliver audio, video and three-dimensional information over intranets.