Although the shipping date of an application server, new distance learning software and continuing work on internet standards are three apparently discrete events, IBM managed to unite them into a single press announcement with the claim that they weave e- media into the fabric of e-business. Right. The Websphere internet application server, which the company now says it will ship on June 30, was first announced at the Technical Interchange developers’ conference in Orlando (CI No 3,404). It grew out of IBM’s work in netcasting the Nagano Winter Olympics earlier this year. Built to support distributed applications over an IP network, Websphere runs Java servlets, Enterprise Java beans, a Java runtime and database connectors. IBM promises to add streaming audio and video and panoramic 3D views to the mix real soon now. Websphere is HTTP platform- neutral, running on Netscape’s servers as happily as on Microsoft’s Internet Information Server, home team Lotus Domino Go and open source hero Apache. Next up is another Lotus baby, Domino app LearningSpace v.2.6. The company is proud of this virtual classroom and says it has found wide applicability in distance learning and corporate training. Of course the rule on the internet is, if something works, add animation. IBM has done just that, letting teachers add audio and video clips and streaming multimedia to leaven that dry old learning process. Attention deficit disorder ahoy! In its final non sequitur of the day, IBM reaffirms its support for MPEG-4 and the Java Media Framework as industry standards (CI No 3,343). There’s also some vague promises about letting customers interact with virtual products, moving them around and inspecting them from all angles – just like the real thing, only not. Weaving e-media into the fabric of e-business, or just spinning a bit of a story? Maybe it was a slow day up at the Big Blue. Strangely enough, the market failed to whip itself into a frenzy at any of this news. IBM shares closed very slightly down.
