January 27, 2006 IBM Goal: IM Interop Across The Board IBM Software beats the cross-platform drum By Barbara Darrow Courtesy of At Lotusphere, last week, IBM for the first time pledged client support to Linux and Macintosh for its Sametime realtime communications offering. Sametime 7.5, due this summer, also will offer users the option of free interoperability between their enterprise instant messaging (IM) networks and the public America Online, Yahoo, Google Talk and iChat IM networks. Microsoft charges about $12 a head for similar interop between its Live Communications Server and Yahoo, MSN and AOL networks. Additionally, the upcoming Notes 7.02 client will support the latest Macintosh operating system starting in the third quarter. The Domino Web Access client will support both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs via Firefox. “We’ve been the leaders in collaboration for 15 years and have no intention of backing down,” said Mike Rhodin, general manager of IBM’s Workplace, Portal and Collaboration group. Solution providers said customers often wrestle with IM interoperability. For the sake of security, Sametime 7.5 will not allow file transfers or multiuser chats with people outside the Sametime network, said David Marshak, senior product manager for IBM’s realtime products. David Ferris, president of researcher Ferris Networks, said Sametime interoperability with the public networks is important, and Macintosh client support is likewise key for a critical constituency. IBM will have “strong cross-platform support, which Microsoft is not likely to offer,” Ferris noted. Some said IBM still must clarify the distinction between Workplace and Notes/Domino. Statements by IBM in the past led many to believe that Notes/Domino had been dead-ended. Workplace Managed Client 2.6 offers server-managed and provisioned applications to a variety of desktops or even kiosks for workers without PCs, providing collaboration and mail. “Workplace is a response to SharePoint, but I think it’s still confusing,” said Steve Chan, vice president of ZipLip, a San Jose, Calif., IBM partner. “On the plus side, IBM’s done good work to solidify its positioning and tell people, ‘If [you’re] on Domino, stay on Domino. If you’re a smaller company and looking at Workplace, go in that direction.’ ” E-mail This Story Print This Story Get the latest Messaging news, product info, and trends every week.			Content Management Made Easy With Xerox Chambers Says Video Will Drive Collaboration Microsoft Makes Move To Rattle RIM Office Live Goes Live Security Watch: RSA Expo Sneak Preview New Mirapoint Program Touts MSP Tricks     Messaging Pipeline's Main RSS Feed     Messaging Pipeline's Blog RSS Feed Editorial and vendor perspectives The Six Flavors Of Windows Vista Microsoft plans to release a full six-pack of Vista versions, one for every taste. Which Vista will be right for you? Hope is Not Enough When It Comes To Compliance Three Ways To Authenticate E-Mail And Stop Spam Wikis In The Workplace Review: Google Desktop 3 Vendors are now talking about how collaboration can be improved by integrating video with messaging applications. They're even talking about adding live TV to mobile phones. How far do you go before it becomes a bandwidth and business productivity drain? Video is a great idea     13% Video is fine but there needs to be size limits     25% It's never used for anything really productive     38% I draw the line at live TV     25% In search of messaging products? Check out our brand new Product Finder for a directory of groupware and collaboration tools, security products, archiving solutions, and more.