and file manager components. The desktop gives you a taskbar and a work area that first displays a set of categorized tasks.
Below the
work area
, the InfoCenter combines Windows 95's taskbar with Notes' InfoBox properties control panel. It's a context-sensitive, single-click action bar with pop-up menus for some commands and a floating panel for setting properties (fonts, etc.). Windows users will feel at home, and shortcut keys perform as expected.
At log-in, a registry restores your desktop to its previous state, including preferred mail and file servers. Most eSuite components are less than 750 KB, for fast downloading. There isn't yet a local-replication version for mobile use.
With the DevPack you can program access
to all WorkPlace components but mail, calendar, and address book. The package adds Chart and Project Scheduler, plus JDBC and CGI data-access applets. Using Lotus' InfoBus technology and JavaScript on an HTML page, for example, a pie-charting component can graph numbers taken from an embedded eSuite spreadsheet. AppletContainer lets you preload applet instances and manage InfoCenter layouts, and InfoBusBridge converts between JavaScript-generated strings and InfoBus data.
Notes users will like eSuite's small footprint, but they will need Notes 4.6x to support component embedding and persistence. I added Project Scheduler to a Notes form, but it didn't save my data.
eSuite's JavaBeans architecture gives developers an easy way to add features, and handing computation to the client minimizes network traffic and speeds response. As Java moves to the enterprise, Lotus has carved out a niche that clearly challenges Microsoft and ActiveX.
Where to Find
eSuite WorkPlace............$49 per seat
DevPack...................$1495 per server
Lotus Development Corp.
Cambridge, MA
Phone: 800-343-5414
Phone: 617-577-8500
Internet: http://www.esuite.lotus.com/
A Different Desktop for the WorkPlace
