Having failed to ship its Office for Java (OFJ) rival to Microsoft Corp’s Office97 suite, Corel Corp is changing course and breaking its Java work into components, as is the order of the day. It is also embracing the world of PC applications running on Windows NT in the enterprise area, in yet another strategic switch at Canada’s largest software company. The company is readying a product codenamed Remagen that enables any Windows NT application to be split across thin clients in a similar fashion to Citrix Systems Inc’s Intelligent Console Architecture (ICA) protocol; only that it isn’t similar to Citrix’ approach, says Corel. The company is also readying a product called CorelCentral; a kind of groupware package incorporating many of the OFJ components but adding JavaBeans for building users interfaces. Remagen (named after the bridge over the Rhine that was the first crossed by the Allies in Germany in 1945 leading to the end of the war in Europe) is different from Citrix’ approach because it partitions the applications at the application programming interface (API) layer, rather than the device driver layer, as Citrix does. In that way it is the same approach taken by start-up New Moon Software Inc, which has yet to deliver its product called Lift Off. Corel uses Visigenic Software Inc’s VisiBroker Object Request Broker (ORB) to map the API calls to Java libraries, using, it says, less bandwidth than the Citrix approach. Corel will now be going head-to-head with Microsoft on two fronts; with its WordPerfect and with Remagen, as Microsoft is planning a Citrix like product for version of NT after 5.0 (CI No 3,112). Corel will be shipping Remagen both as a generic standalone product, including it with its own PC products – the Paradox database is first up next month with the rest of the WordPerfect suite following by December – and offering it to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). CorelCentral contains many of the same OFJ applications split into components, but its main function appears to be user interface building using JavaBeans, which is all Java seems really capable of doing at the moment. Corel claims Central is groupware, workflow, push, data mining all rolled into one, but with a web-like interface. As was the plan with Office for Java, CorelCentral will be sold alongside the WordPerfect suite. The idea is to migrate from WordPerfect, through the forthcoming Enterprise edition – adding Remagen – and onto the full-Java CorelCentral, which should be in version 2 by next summer, said president and chief executive Mike Cowpland. Struggling to be heard at the side of all this are Corel’s hardware plans centered around its spin-off company Corel Computer Corp, which is readying a network computer called Video NC featuring a StrongARM 233MHZ RISC processor from Digital Equipment Corp and Advanced RISC Machines Ltd, producing 210 MIPS. Corel has licensed a real-time operating system based on a Linux core from an unknown vendor, which has also produced a Java virtual machine (JVM) incorporating a Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler. Corel had been leaning towards JavaOS last we heard (CI No 3,190). Some of the components from CorelCentral (aka OFJ) will be put on top, including email, calendaring, HTML editor and charting. Corel computer president Eid Eid says the company is pitching for a $700 price point excluding the monitor. The Video NC will be generally available by December following sampling in the hundreds in October. Cowpland expects revenues from this Java work to finally appear by the first quarter of next year. He estimates Java accounts for around 30% of the company’s R&D right now and he is looking for a 50-50 split. The next version of WordPerfect is due next summer, which will be a year after version 8 appeared. Corel reckons talks with sun Microsystems Inc to include part or all of CorelCentral with its JavaStations are due to start soon, although the company has been saying as much for months. While the bulls have been charging down Wall Street for some time, Corel’s stock has carved a graceful downward slope, seemingly oblivious to what is going on around it. Many analysts saw Corel as the flag bearer for Java applications, and that flag appears to be wilting at the moment. Whatever spin Corel puts on this move, it is as a result of a failed strategy. It’s a demonstration that it is often better to be the guy running behind the flag bearer rather than be first into battle. Nobody doubts Cowpland’s abilities as an ideas man, but some on the Street doubt Cowpland’s capabilities as a business leader that can deliver regular profits. This was Cowpland back in April: Virtually every second page of every magazine mentioned Java in 1996; but we haven’t seen much product yet, says Cowpland. Now we will (CI No 3,131). But, as someone once said, how soon is now? Finally, history buffs out there will know that the bridge at Remagen collapsed ten days after it was crossed due to relentless bombing by the by the Nazis. Just who are the Allies and who are the Axis powers in this battle, remains to be seen.
