ID108 - IBM Lotus Notes 7 for Linux Client Deployment Experiences and Roadmap
Two IBMer (Simon Butcher, John Walicki) and Jean Pierre Dumoulin from PSA (Peugeot) walked us though the current status, deployment experience and the future roadmap. The feature set for Notes 7 on Linux is well known with integrated chat and smart icons missing. The offical Beta for Notes8 will be out in Q1 and will be feature complete compared to the Windows version. Tested platforms are RHEL4 and SLED 10. As we all know other distributions work well too.
Pierre then shared how PSA made Linux and integrated part of their IT strategy. They target about 20k seats within a workforce of about 200k. They use this Linux deployment to keep Microsoft at bay. PSA wants users to ask for the Linux Desktop instead of forcing them to use it, so they used Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop with XGL which looks good works well.
John walked us through how IBM's philosophy to emphasise on business value and applications rather than an operating system. So providing the applications for business and lowering the TCO brought Linux into the picture. IBM runs a heterogenous environment, so they can provide Windows, Linux or Macs where ever the are the best fit. He explained how IBM customized the installation process and the distribution to fit their needs. He was very clear about Linux not being the prime time environment for everybody, but a specific - and growing - community of users. He further shared considerations who could be a member of the community for the first deployment.
What I liked
PSA managed to get Novell and IBM engineering working together. Clear message when to use and when not to use Linux and what you are in for.
What I didn't like
IBM using Redhat instead of Suse (Suse's headquarter is located in the country of Franconia, where my home town is located too, so I favour Suse over Read Read -- little patriotism, no technical reason)
Pierre then shared how PSA made Linux and integrated part of their IT strategy. They target about 20k seats within a workforce of about 200k. They use this Linux deployment to keep Microsoft at bay. PSA wants users to ask for the Linux Desktop instead of forcing them to use it, so they used Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop with XGL which looks good works well.
John walked us through how IBM's philosophy to emphasise on business value and applications rather than an operating system. So providing the applications for business and lowering the TCO brought Linux into the picture. IBM runs a heterogenous environment, so they can provide Windows, Linux or Macs where ever the are the best fit. He explained how IBM customized the installation process and the distribution to fit their needs. He was very clear about Linux not being the prime time environment for everybody, but a specific - and growing - community of users. He further shared considerations who could be a member of the community for the first deployment.
What I liked
PSA managed to get Novell and IBM engineering working together. Clear message when to use and when not to use Linux and what you are in for.
What I didn't like
IBM using Redhat instead of Suse (Suse's headquarter is located in the country of Franconia, where my home town is located too, so I favour Suse over Read Read -- little patriotism, no technical reason)
Posted by Stephan H Wissel on 23 January 2007 | Comments (0) | categories: Lotusphere