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Before anyone starts thinking Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes and Novell, Inc.'s GroupWise are interchangeable, let's quickly identify their differences.
Notes is a powerful client/server platform for developing and deploying true groupware applications. It is just as effective in very large, enterprisewide setups as it is in small workgroups. However, it trails behind Group Wise in ease of use and as a messaging platform.
GroupWise has some groupware capabilities, but it's chiefly a messaging system that integrates electronic mail, group scheduling, electronic forms, personal calendaring and time management tools into a single box. Group Wise lacks the programming language built into Notes and relies on its new integration with Collabra Software, Inc.'s Collabra Share for electronic discussion capabilities (see story page 85. The GroupWise/Collabra link is scheduled to ship next month.
Group Wise most often shows up in small to medium-size firms, says James Ford, consulting associate at Connexus Consulting Group, Inc. in Andover, Mass. "It's not meant to run over wide-area networks."
GROUPWISE
Novell, Inc. Provo, Utah (801) 429-7000
The categories listed were rated as the most important by users of both products. The wild card category held specific importance to that product's users.
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It's amazing what tight integration can do for the overall performance and ease of use of a product. GroupWise allows users to...