OStatic

The Register has an item up that caught my eye regarding a letter to IBM's software group, suggesting that it would be a good move for Big Blue to open source the Lotus Notes/Domino e-mail, calendaring and collaboration suite. The letter is from Ian Tree, the chief architect at IT consultancy Hadleigh Marshall Netherlands b.v. of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. It argues that IBM's software group and the software market as a whole would be better off with an open source Notes/Domino offering. Here is why this makes a lot of sense.

Today IBM announced that it has teamed with Canonical and Virtual Bridges to offer a Linux-based virtual desktop computing environment. With this product, IBM hopes to emphasize and increase adoption of its Lotus collaboration software, as well as promote the use of Linux (Canonical's Ubuntu) by way of Virtual Bridges' VERDE desktop virtualization platform.

The virtual desktop uses IBM's Open Collaboration Client Solution software, and includes Lotus Notes and Lotus Symphony (Symphony specifically uses the Open Document Format). While whether or not including Lotus applications will draw businesses away from purchasing licenses for costlier office/collaboration suites is as yet unknown, the Lotus name recognition coupled with the virtualized desktop might garner at least a second, serious, look from businesses wrestling with moving to more open platforms.