On Monday, IBM plans to unveil aversion of its Lotus Notes desktop collaboration software for Linux.
Lotus Notes on Linux 7.0.1, which will be generally available July 24, is based on the Eclipse open-source framework. That technology will also be used in the next update toLotus Notes, code-named Hannover, which is expected to ship next year.
The new desktop software, tailored to the Linux open-source operating system, is designed to help corporations that choose not to use proprietary operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. And once the Hannover version is released, the software will be able to function as a soup-to-nuts productivity tool, IBM said.
Lotus Notes users who use a Windows or Macintosh system will be allowed to swap to a Linux version free of charge, Ed Brill, head of IBM"s worldwide Lotus Notes sales, noted. New Lotus Notes licensees will pay the same rate as Windows or Macintosh customers, he added.