The Quickr Blog

Well here we are again, approaching another exciting Lotusphere event.  Thoughts move to what aspects of Lotus Quickr might be announced or clarified at this year's OGS, or at other sessions during the week.

At the end of Lotusphere 2009, we'd heard about plans for Quickr 8.2 (with the integration of XPages technology), the future direction towards Quickr connectors for the Mac and RIM's plans for a client for the Blackberry.  Nearly a year later, we have Quickr 8.2 (with the promised XPages, and more surprisingly, massive performance improvements) and RIM have just announced their Quickr client for Blackberry 1.0.  However, the Mac (and Linux) connectors seem a long way off still.

So what do I hope to hear at Lotusphere 2010?

• A significant clarification of the Quickr roadmap, particularly with reference to:
  • Domino vs. J2EE platforms.  This is still an issue for many customers. Which one to pick? Do they need both? Which features are in one but not the other? Distributed vs. Centralised? Which one does IBM recommend? Which one do I recommend? Which one do ISVs support (shown just yesterday in the RIM announcement - J2EE only)?  I'd like to hear whether both platforms feature in the future or whether there will be some separation of the two products, and possibly merging of aspects of Quickr with other more prominent Lotus products.
  • Quickr vs. Connections. There is clearly significant overlap between Quickr and Connections, particularly on the J2EE platform.  This has been further highlighted by the inclusion of Files and Wikis from Connections 2.5 into the entitlement for Quickr.  Customer are again confused - which one is right for them? Teams vs. Communities? Intranet versus Extranet? Taxonomy vs. Folksonomy etc.  I'd like to know where the two products (both of which I love) will sit in 6-12 months time, particularly with regard to competing with the upcoming (and very significant threat) Sharepoint 2010.
  • Platform support. Whether at the server (Quickr/Domino on Linux pppllleeeaaasssseee!) or the client (Connectors for Mac and Linux), there are currently obvious holes in the Quickr story when compared with Lotus' broader support for platform choice (which is still very highly respected in the industry).  I'd like to see both the near-term and long-term views of whether these gaps will be filled, and how.
• Details of the forthcoming Quickr 8.5 release, and the public reaction to them.  As a Quickr design partner we have had sight of 8.5 in beta form and are impressed with the improvements being made, but Lotusphere is a chance for IBM to expand on the vision for the release and to clarify the specifics of what will make or miss the release.
• Further expansion of Quickr mobile support.  As others have stated, 2010 looks to be 'the Year of the Mobile', Android is marching up to provide real competition for the iPhone, and the much-hyped Apple Tablet seems only weeks away.  At the same time Quickr support on mobile devices is shifting up a gear - SNAPPS have done great work in this area, Blackberry have delivered their solution, and others are focused on closing the gap.  There is sure be news in this area, and I'm really excited to try some of the solutions on the showcase floor.

So there we are - nothing earth-shattering in that list, but together I believe that if my hopes are satisfied, Lotus Quickr (or the technology currently known as Lotus Quickr!) will be well set to compete through 2010, and take the fight to Sharepoint 2010 head-on.

We'll soon find out!

(These are my hopes for Quickr at Lotusphere - what are yours?

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 4 Comments | On: 13 January 2010 09:13:55 | Tags:  lotusphere2010  ls10  quickr 

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