IBM floats Notes for Microsoft Exchange wobblers

IBM has shot back in the escalating war with Microsoft, offering email and collaboration in the cloud. Big Blue has unveiled a hosted groupware service based on a multi-tenant version of its Domino server, along with pricing that matches cuts made by Microsoft in its Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) suite a year …

[Adam Nealis]

Pity the Poor Notes Users.

I'm no fan of Outlook, but Notes?

1990s software available today!

[Mike VandeVelde]

microsofta microsofta microsofta

I see what you did there - a press release from IBM gave you the opportunity to combine it with a sales brochure for Microsoft's competing product, and end up with an article mainly about BPOS with a token sprinkling of a few tidbits about IBM here and there in the corners and under the cushions. Well done.

Adam, I believe Outlook is the software from the 1990s? Notes started in the 1980s, still going strong :-)

[Anonymous Coward]

Going strong?

"still going strong"

If only that were true. Corporates across the world have been moving away from Notes in their droves over the past ten years. I'm not surprised though - the product has had been flagging since the 90's. Look at the Notes client now - slow and over-bloated.

Domino web mail may offer a less bloaty experience but once you decide not to go with the Notes client (and therefore biting the bullet of having to port your Notes apps to other platforms) there's less and less reason to stay with Domino. I accept that porting Notes apps to Domino may be easier than rewriting them on another platform but Domino licensing costs often mean porting apps to another platform is cheaper in the medium/long term.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Outlook fanboi (I've worked on Notes and Domino on and off for many years). I just think anyone who believes that Notes isn't slowly sinking to its death is living in a bubble.