IBM offers Lotus with extra widgets

IBM on Friday announced a new version of its Lotus Symphony office suite, with extra features aimed at Microsoft Office users, as part of the "ferocious competition" the company says it is in with Microsoft. At the same time, the company said it is phasing out Microsoft Office internally wherever possible.

"Users can easily drag and drop widgets directly into Lotus Symphony, distinguishing it from static office productivity tools such as Microsoft Word," said IBM in a statement. "This drag-and-drop feature also makes Symphony stand out from other Microsoft Office alternatives, simplifying the use and installation of widgets with just a single click."

Widgets are lightweight applications that can be combined and used to interact with underlying computing platforms. Symphony now integrates with Google Gadgets, Lotus Sametime, Lotus Quickr, Lotus Connections, Microsoft SharePoint, and MSN, all via widgets.

The new IBM widgets include a Team Marketplace widget that allows teams to work collaboratively on IBM and Microsoft documents; a chart-share widget; and a Symphony-to-wiki widget, IBM vice president of messaging and collaboration Kevin Cavanaugh told ZDNet UK on Friday.

"We have been in ferocious competition with Microsoft, and they are happy to take any part of our business," said Cavanaugh. "People have felt they have not had choices in office tools. We are going to provide an alternative (to Microsoft)."

Bob Picciano, general manager of IBM Lotus software, said in a statement: "Today there are more innovative, open alternatives such as Symphony that compare favorably to Microsoft Office. Symphony's open collaboration model can offer businesses limitless options--cost-effectively--at a time when many organizations are increasingly concerned about investing in Microsoft Office."

The technology giant's competition with Microsoft is not limited to extending Lotus functionality, according to an IBM spokesperson. IBM said on Friday that it is in the process of phasing out Microsoft Office use within the company by "encouraging users to move to Symphony". However, employees who need to use Microsoft Office can still use the software, the spokesperson added.

"Symphony is a showcase product for IBM, and as it is open and fits our Web 2.0 strategy, we have an initiative to significantly increase its use within IBM," said an IBM statement. "This will mean that, for some employees, they will no longer need or want legacy tools. In cases where such tools are still required, they will continue to be used in support of our business and that of our clients."

Tom Espiner of ZDNet UK reported from London.

[Vegaman_Dan]

" as part of the "ferocious competition" the company says it is in with Microsoft"

Has anyone at IBM called Microsoft and told them they are in ferocious competition with IBM in office suites yet? It's possible they may not have noticed this even existing.

Seriously.... Lotus? I thought we left that back in the 90's along with Novell. Open Office, iWorks, Office, yeah, those are in competition, but Lotus?

[Commander_Spock]

It was thought from the beginning of the reading of this comment this would have been someone like you "Vegaman_Dan"; and, with the Silver Release of OS/2 Warp (eComStation) now available... the world (especially the Russians who would soon be cashing after NASA's Space Shuttles are grounded) just cannot wait for the port of IBM's Lotus Symphony to the OS/2 Operating System.

"Think You Know It All - Think Again!

[Commander_Spock]

This should have read: "the world (especially the Russians who would soon be cashing (in) after NASA's Space Shuttles are grounded) just cannot wait for the port of IBM's Lotus Symphony to the OS/2 Operating System.

(Btw, "Vegaman_Dan"! Did anyone ever tell you that IBM's Lotus Symphony was for "free" as in free beer.... It must be time to party again in 2009 as though it is 1998!)

Let the fun begin; and, soon it will be Rocking New Year's Eve - Again!

[Vegaman_Dan]

@Commander_Spock:

The problem I see here, is that... outside of you, does IBM have any other customers to sell their products to? A customer base of one doesn't really work very well unless you are paying miilons/billions for copy. :)

[Orion Blastar]

Lotus Symphony is based on OpenOffice.Org code.

Lotus Smartsuite kept getting broken by Windows update code and service packs. IBM had to reinvent Lotus with Linux and Open Source technologies. The result was the Java based OpenOffice.org being a base for the new IBM Lotus Symphony. Microsoft cannot break Java code, and Lotus symphony can be ported to Linux, and Mac OSX.

The original Lotus Symphony was DOS based and had a spreadsheet, word processor, and terminal program that could be used at the same time with a GUI. But Microsoft Word for DOS and MS-Office later killed it and Lotus turned to Lotus SmartSuite for Windows, but Microsoft found ways to kill it like every other competitor.

[fugtruck]

NOTHING is going to come close to touching Office until there is an alternative to Outlook that works seamlessly with Exchange. And no, Lotus Notes does not fit that description.

[Commander_Spock]

And, so thought the "one-eyed" giant (no one other than the sheep can pass if I sit at the doorway of the cave and hand-examine their backs as the sheep (the locked-ins) make their way out of the cave!!!

[FutureGuy]

They still make Lotus.

[Commander_Spock]

Halo "FutureGuy"! Yes; and, OS/2 Warp (eComStation too.

http://www.ecomstation.com/

How come you are are calling yourself (and, having yourself called) the "FutureGuy" and is now here asking this question?

[boyoconnor]

Cost to get Lotus Symphony: $0. Microsoft Office Home: $149. Ferocious competition, or different market entirely?

Step 1: Give it away for free! Step 2: Um... Step 3: Profiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "Step 1: Give it away for free! Step 2: Um... Step 3: Profiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Have you ever heard about "Leading An Horse To Water And Cannot Make It Drink"!

Skills Set and Functionalities, Skills Set and Functionalities (as in Sky Diving.......) dude

Perhaps, that's the competition that is being talked about. And, the "Lotus Jump Masters" are heading for the Redmond Campus!

[Mr. Dee]

Go ahead IBM, no one is stopping you from isolating yourself from the rest of the world. I have Symphony installed and I plan to uninstall it...there, removed. It is the most awkward piece of software I have ever used. I remember getting my IBM Aptiva in '99 and it came pre-installed with Lotus Smart Suite, the first thing I did was uninstall it and loaded it up with Office 97. That is just how bad Lotus productivity applications have always been. The brand name app in the suite 1-2-3 died in the 90's, so I don't know IBM continues to drag this decomposing brand through the 21st century - it stinks.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "The brand name app in the suite 1-2-3 died in the 90's, so I don't know IBM continues to drag this decomposing brand through the 21st century - it stinks..."

How about letting us wait and see what those involved with those "toxic banks assets" have to say.

Btw, also, how about letting us know also just how much you are being paid to say the things you are saying about Lotus 1-2-3!

[krypter]

Hello? IBM? The 1980s called. They want their applications back, and they want you to go after your core 21st c. competencies, not the "productivity apps" market. Thank you.

[Commander_Spock]

Are you quite sure that it was not the "1998" partying crowd that called to pick up their change from off the "table" to pay for the 2009 New Year's Eve Beer?

[Renegade Knight]

Most of office started in the 80's. What's your point? That IBM has a ways to go to fully realize the potential of Sympony? True. That's all you got though.

[Maclover1]

Free Office apps are close enough for 90% of people. I am actually surprised at the number of people that use Open Office these days. Companies we do business with have started sending us OO file formats, and our users open them with Office 2007 with out thinking about it.

The fact that they all exchange formats these days allow for the transfer of 90% of all documents, between, MS Office, OO, and iWork. Its only the very heavily formatted documents that have problems going between applications.

It just does not seam as important as it used to.

[dowell100]

Hey, I really loved the old Lotus Suite and was sorry to see it go.

I just downloaded the "new" version and discovered it was a dreadful clone OpenOffice, which is 10 year old technology.

Microsoft is light years ahead... IBM has totally lost the plot if it really thinks it is in "ferocious competition with Microsoft."

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "Microsoft is light years ahead... IBM has totally lost the plot if it really thinks it is in "ferocious competition with Microsoft."

Taking into consideration that Microsoft was really allowed to do the things it previously did to the competition in the past... let us wait a few more months and see who (which company) is really going to be losing market share.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@Commander_Spock:

'let us wait a few more months and see who (which company) is really going to be losing market share. "

It's been years and years now without any indication IBM is capable of pulling this off. How many more decades do we have to wait for this to happen

[pilaa]

You guys are missing the point entirely. IBM is in very serious competition with Microsoft but what the writer fails to mention is that Lotus is looking at the (competitive) big picture and not just word processing or as one user indicated (office productivity software). IBM does not really concern itself with what Microsoft's closed architecture offers as they themselves use to offer. They are more about Open source software applications and the value those applications offer for those businesses that no longer wish to pay the Microsoft Software "piper" every time they need office software enhancements or upgrades. Lotus Domino Server is a very good alternative to Microsoft Exchange and I am willing to bet very few of you even know what it is let alone use it. The feature set of Lotus Domino/Notes 8 is much more refined and offer much improved integration with Microsoft Office as well as Lotus Symphony, Lotus Sametime, Lotus Quickr, (thats a Microsoft Sharepoint Alternative application for those of you who don't know Lotus products) and a host of other group collaboration software products (including Open Office) that are designed with business in mind. In my opinion, Lotus products are more geared for business productivity not for the typical home user. Lotus Domino/Notes 8 products work with a host of operating systems/platforms; including Linux and MacOSX. Lets see Microsoft open up and offer products on Linux and Mac like they did back in the day when they actually offered their products to Zenix, Unix, Windows, and other OS's. Now that would be true freedom of choice!

[BtmnHatesRbn]

Upon reformatting many friends' and/or family members' computers, when their Office discs failed to be authorized for some reason (Mirco$oft's paranoia and wanting people to buy nine copies of the same product), I gave them the choice of either giving me $200+ to buy a new copy of Office, download OpenOffice.org, IBM's Lotus Symphony, or install an old, old, old, old copy of AppleWorks, which may or may not open any modern formats. Since nobody in amongst my friends nor family worship at the alters of Micro$oft, Linux, nor Apple, they liked how Lotus Symphony was made by IBM and was just a download. Only two wanted OpenOffice.org, and the oldest fellow in the bunch took AppleWorks, because it's a program he knows from the early '90s training when he was schoolteacher.