Carl Tyler's Blog

1 - Hate to say it, but it makes a lot of sense. Sametime is, at its core, a Java application, currently running (at the server) using a Domino 5 Java implementation, one that was supposed to get updated with Domino 6, but didn't. If Lotus isn't going to udpate the Java runtime environment in Domino, then I think the Sametime team is obligated to move that functionality to a modern Java application server.

2 - I agree Greg, but I don't expect to read this in Network World the week after attending NDA meetings at Lotus, where this wasn't mentioned.

3 - I dug a little deeper to verify the details of this story. In reality, there is no decision yet to transition to the J2EE "plumbing" with the next version of Sametime server. It shouldn't surprise anyone that it's being discussed, and there are certainly benefits to be gained in the cost/benefit analysis, but if and when that happens there would be appropriate communications. So John printed what I said, but I was probably premature in saying it.

The real point is kind of understated here though..... Most of the work in creating a Linux Sametime Server (the topic that generated the interview BTW) is at the Sametime layer. So the underlying "gorp" is kind of irrelevant. Yes we leverage Domino for Sametime because it's an excellent asset for that (among its many other excellent capabilities). No one's complaining about Domino's supporting role in the product.

But just as we are improving Sametime client and Notes "Hannover" in important ways by transitioning to an Eclipse base, we are looking at ways to improve all our products, and are open to all good ideas. No one should read anything into this except a single product's standard revision process. Domino's place at the head of the IBM collaboration family is as secure as ever. If that didn't come through in the article, I'm the one to blame there.

4 - Replacing Domino with J2EE container for Sametime plumbing is logical as what Sametime uses from Domino is mainly the servlet engine...which is outdated.

When IBM dropped Garnet, I made this statement that it would be hard to maintain Sametime on Domino if the servlet engine was not updated...it was just a matter of time (and I imagine IBM developers have already made miracle to make ST75 server run on a "so" outdated servlet engine)

Oh, wait...maybe the solution is to refresh this servlet engine or even better, embed the WAS engine in Domino ;)