Lotus Development Corp has announced its support for Linux, and will develop a version of its Domino server for the OS, to be released near the end of the year. Customer demand for lower cost systems was cited as the reason for the decision, in particular from internet service providers and universities, many of whom work with Unix-based operating systems. Jim Moffat, product marketing team leader for Lotus said that at one time to support Linux would have been building a bridge on shifting sands, but now it has attracted enough support to represent a real challenge to other, more dominant operating systems. The company was understandably vague about release dates, after CEO Jeff Papows announced the further delay in the shipping of Notes/Domino Release 5 at the Lotusphere conference on Monday. Lotus hopes that its new range of products will increase its Notes/Domino user base from 34 million to 50 million by next year. The company has also announced a partnership with America Online Inc, which will allow Notes users to use AOL’s web-search and customized news facilities. The co-branded suite will also allow users of Lotus Sametime to exchange messages in real-time with AOL Instant Messenger users.
