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But it was Notes' unusual blending of a variety of applications that set the product apart. The software wasn't simply a computerized metaphor of an existing business tool, in the way that a spreadsheet was no more than an automated accounting ledger or a word processor was a typewriter gone digital. Notes was a unique hybrid, including elements of messaging, group discussion, calendaring/scheduling, database management, forms and workflow. The tight integration of these functions, along with the control that Lotus handed over to the independent developer, made Notes uniquely suited to a vast array of business applications.

From its earliest releases, the Notes platform featured technological advancements that would define the state of the art in commercial software: Its hallmark replication capabilities allowed remote employees to work from any location, as Notes could deliver content no matter where the user was. Its security architecture featured digital certificates and public key cryptography years before these technologies came into vogue. And it ran on a variety of platforms, supporting multiple network protocols and a wide range of server platforms--from Linux and Windows to mainframes, either in single instances or in high-availability clusters.

Lotus also built one of the industry's most successful developer programs, which now boasts more than 20,000 business partners. In providing the market with an army of solutions providers able to adapt Notes to nearly any business need, Lotus enabled custom-tailored Notes applications to become deeply embedded in many organizations. While other messaging systems offered merely communications, Notes delivered mission-critical business services.

As Notes morphed into Domino with the 4.5 release late in 1996, the many thousands of existing Notes applications were instantly turned into Web applications. The transformation also broadened access to Internet protocols such as IMAP, LDAP and SSL. At the same time, Domino embraced a more open set of development tools, complementing Notes' rich proprietary tools and APIs with support for Java and, later, JavaScript. It forged linkages to external databases and to all-Microsoft environments through DCOM integration, with CORBA integration to follow.

Notes/Domino remains the collaboration tool that all competitors want to beat. The press incessantly predicts which application will finally emerge as the "Notes killer"--with Microsoft Exchange Server and Web-based platforms being the most common pretenders to the groupware throne. Yet, despite the predictions, Domino continues to expand in the enterprise. It features unparalleled back-end integration into external databases, transaction systems and legacy applications. At the front end, its data-conferencing, workflow and document-management systems still best the competition, as do its Web-based replication and business-class instant-messaging capabilities. And it doesn't end there: Wireless gateway services, corporate portals, personalization and ERP integration lie just over the horizon. Despite Notes' incredible longevity, Domino continues to drive the legacy forward.